Canadian Dental Care Plan 2026: Coverage, Costs, and Important Fine Print

Updated June 2026

The Canadian Dental Care Plan, commonly known as the CDCP, helps eligible Canadians reduce the cost of dental care. However, approval does not necessarily mean every treatment will be covered or that your dental care will be completely free.

Here are the most important things patients should understand before booking an appointment.

Who Qualifies for the CDCP?

You must generally meet all four requirements:

1. Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.

2. Have an adjusted family net income below $90,000.

3. Have filed your Canadian tax return for the previous year.

4. Not have access to private dental insurance.

“Access” to insurance can include coverage offered through your employer, your spouse’s employer, a pension plan, a professional organization, a student plan or certain health spending accounts.

You may still be considered to have access even if you chose not to enroll or would need to pay a premium.

Government dental benefits, such as certain provincial programs, do not automatically make you ineligible. In some situations, benefits may be coordinated.

Is the CDCP Completely Free?

Not always.

The CDCP pays a percentage of its own established fee based on your adjusted family net income.

Adjusted family net income	CDCP pays	Patient co-payment
Below $70,000	100%	0%
$70,000–$79,999	60%	40%
$80,000–$89,999	40%	60%

These percentages apply to the CDCP-established fee, which may be lower than the fee charged by the dental office.

You may still have an out-of-pocket cost if:

• The office charges more than the CDCP fee

• The service is only partially covered

• You have reached a frequency limit

• The treatment requires preauthorization

• The treatment is not covered by the CDCP

Always ask for an estimate before treatment.

What Dental Services May Be Covered?

Depending on your eligibility, clinical needs, and frequency limits, the CDCP may help cover:

• Dental examinations and X-rays

• Teeth cleaning, scaling and polishing

• Fluoride and sealants

• Fillings

• Gum-disease treatment

• Root canal treatment

• Tooth extractions

• Certain crowns

• Complete and partial dentures

• Certain sedation services

Some services are covered without preauthorization, while others must be reviewed and approved before treatment.

What Is Not Covered?

Common exclusions include:

• Dental implants

• Implant-supported crowns or dentures

• Fixed dental bridges

• Teeth whitening

• Cosmetic veneers

• Night guards

• Athletic mouth guards

• Most cosmetic treatments

• Routine braces or clear aligner treatment

Limited orthodontic coverage is expected in the future for patients with serious medical and functional needs, but it is not currently available.

Important CDCP Fine Print

Cleaning coverage is measured in units

The CDCP does not simply provide an unlimited number of cleaning appointments.

For patients aged 17 and older, the standard allowance is generally four combined scaling and root-planing units within a rolling 12-month period.

Patients with moderate or advanced gum disease may require additional cleaning. Extra units require preauthorization and may need supporting information such as:

• Periodontal measurements

• Dental X-rays

• Clinical notes

• A periodontal diagnosis

Approval is not automatic.

Limits do not necessarily reset in January

Many CDCP limits are calculated using a rolling period.

For example, if a service is limited to once every 12 months and you received it in October, it may not become available again simply because January has arrived.

Changing dental offices also does not reset your limits. Your previous claims follow you.

Standard root canals usually do not require preauthorization

A standard root canal on a front tooth, premolar, first molar or second molar generally does not require preauthorization.

Preauthorization is usually required for:

• Root canal retreatment

• Root canal treatment on a wisdom tooth

• Apicoectomy

• Retrofilling

Even when preauthorization is not required, the tooth must still be considered restorable and meet CDCP clinical requirements. Any restoration completed within the past two years cannot be claimed.

A crown after a root canal is not automatically covered

A root canal and a crown are assessed separately.

Crowns require preauthorization and are generally considered for patients aged 18 and older when the tooth meets specific structural and periodontal requirements.

Current limits include:

• Up to four eligible crowns in a 10-year period

• One eligible crown per tooth in an eight-year period

Approval of the root canal does not guarantee approval of the crown.

Preauthorization is not a guarantee of final payment

Preauthorization means the proposed treatment met the CDCP criteria at the time of review.

Payment may still depend on:

• Your coverage remaining active

• Your eligibility on the treatment date

• The service remaining within frequency limits

• The treatment being completed within the approval period

The dental office should recheck your coverage before treatment begins.

What Changed in 2026?

An updated Dental Benefits Guide and new CDCP fee grids took effect on April 1, 2026.

Important changes include:

• Increased CDCP-established fees

• Preauthorization required for desensitization treatment

• Changes to certain immediate-denture requirements

• Additional eligible denture-liner services

• Updated sedation and dental-hygiene billing codes

The 2025–2026 benefit year ends on June 30, 2026, and the new benefit year begins on July 1, 2026.

Patients who missed the renewal deadline may reapply, but they could experience a gap in coverage. Treatment received during a coverage gap is not reimbursed retroactively.

Before Your Dental Appointment

To avoid unexpected costs:

1. Confirm that your CDCP coverage is active.

2. Ask whether the dental office accepts CDCP patients.

3. Ask whether the office charges more than the CDCP fee.

4. Request an estimate before treatment.

5. Ask whether preauthorization is required.

6. Wait for approval before beginning treatment that requires it.

7. Tell the office about treatment received at another dental clinic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the CDCP immediately after applying?

No. You should wait until you have been approved and have received your official coverage start date.

Services performed before your coverage start date will not be covered retroactively.

Can I submit my own dental receipt to Sun Life?

No. The oral healthcare provider must submit the claim and receive payment directly from Sun Life.

Can I change dentists?

Yes, provided the new dental provider accepts CDCP patients and is willing to bill Sun Life directly.

However, changing dental offices does not reset examination, cleaning, X-ray, filling, denture or other treatment frequency limits.

Does the CDCP cover emergency dental treatment?

Certain emergency examinations, pain-control procedures, fillings, root canals, extractions and other urgent services may be eligible.

The exact coverage depends on the patient’s clinical condition, current eligibility and the CDCP rules for the proposed procedure.

Does the CDCP cover dental implants?

No. Dental implants, implant-supported crowns, implant-supported dentures and other implant-related procedures are excluded.

Does the CDCP cover crowns?

Certain single-tooth crowns may be considered for patients aged 18 and older.

Crowns require preauthorization, supporting clinical documentation and satisfaction of detailed structural and periodontal criteria. Approval is not guaranteed.

Does the CDCP cover cleaning more than once a year?

Cleaning coverage is based on billing units and rolling frequency limits rather than simply the number of appointments.

For patients aged 17 and older, the standard allowance is four combined scaling and root-planing units in any 12-month period.

Additional clinically necessary units may be requested through preauthorization.

Does the CDCP cover root canals?

Standard root canal treatment on most eligible front teeth, premolars, first molars and second molars generally does not require preauthorization.

Root canal retreatments, third-molar root canals, apicoectomies and retrofillings require preauthorization.

The tooth must still meet CDCP eligibility and restorability criteria.

Will the CDCP pay for a crown after my root canal?

Not automatically.

The crown is assessed separately, requires preauthorization and must meet the CDCP’s crown criteria.

Does CDCP coverage reset every January?

Not necessarily.

Many limitations are calculated over rolling periods of 12, 24, 60, 96, or 120 months. They do not automatically restart on January 1 or when a patient changes dental offices.

Can the dental office guarantee what the CDCP will pay?

The dental office can submit an estimate or preauthorization request, but final payment depends on eligibility, coverage, frequency limits, clinical criteria and the patient’s status on the treatment date.

Final Thoughts

The CDCP can significantly reduce the cost of necessary dental care, but it should not be treated as unlimited or completely free dental insurance.

Coverage depends on your income, eligibility, clinical needs, frequency limits and whether preauthorization is required.

Before beginning treatment, confirm what the CDCP is expected to pay and what amount you may need to pay yourself.

Contact our office to confirm whether we are currently accepting CDCP patients and to discuss estimates, co-payments and preauthorization requirements.

Sources

This article was reviewed using official Government of Canada and Sun Life CDCP resources, including:

1. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: Dental Benefits Guide. Effective April 1, 2026.

2. Government of Canada. Do You Qualify for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

3. Government of Canada. What Services Are Covered Under the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

4. Government of Canada. Renew Your Canadian Dental Care Plan Coverage.

5. Government of Canada. Coordination of Benefits Between the CDCP and Ontario’s Provincial Dental Programs.

6. Sun Life. CDCP Oral Health Provider Newsletter, Volume 3. March 3, 2026.

7. Sun Life. Canadian Dental Care Plan Dental Benefit Grids. 2026.

This article provides general educational information. Individual coverage depends on current CDCP eligibility, clinical criteria, procedure codes, frequency limitations and preauthorization requirements.