The Canada Dental Care Plan in BC: What’s Covered, What Isn’t, and the Renewal Deadline That Catches People Out
For most CDCP members, the renewal window closed on June 1 this year, and coverage for the previous benefit year ended June 30.
That surprises a lot of people, because the plan doesn’t renew itself. Health Canada is explicit: you must renew every year, and there is no automatic rollover. Miss the window and you can still reapply, but there will be a gap while your new application is processed, and any dental work you have during that gap will not be reimbursed retroactively.
The CDCP covers most routine dental care — exams, cleanings, fillings, root canals, extractions, crowns, and removable dentures — for Canadian residents with no other dental insurance and an adjusted family net income under $90,000. It excludes dental implants entirely and does not yet cover orthodontics. Because it reimburses at its own federal fee schedule, which sits below the BC Dental Association fee guide most BC clinics follow, you are responsible for that difference as well as any income-based co-payment. Coverage must be renewed every year and does not roll over automatically.
So that’s the first thing to check. If you’re a CDCP member in Maple Ridge and you’re not certain you renewed for the 2026–2027 benefit year, confirm your own dates in your Sun Life member account before you book anything.
Who qualifies for the CDCP?
Four requirements, all of which must be true:
- You have no access to private dental insurance — through work, a pension, a professional or student association, or a plan you bought yourself.
- You filed your tax return for the previous year, and so did your spouse or common-law partner.
- Your adjusted family net income is under $90,000.
- You’re a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
There is no longer an age requirement. The staged rollout finished in June 2025, and the plan is now open to every age group.
The insurance rule is stricter than most people expect. “No access” means exactly that — if a plan is available to you through work or through a spouse, you generally don’t qualify even if you declined it. The one carve-out is for retirees who opted out of employer or pension coverage before December 11, 2023 and can’t re-enroll.
How much do you pay? The co-payment tiers
The CDCP doesn’t always cover the full amount. Your share depends on your adjusted family net income:
| Adjusted family net income | Plan pays | Your co-payment |
|---|---|---|
| Under $70,000 | 100% | 0% |
| $70,000 – $79,999 | 60% | 40% |
| $80,000 – $89,999 | 40% | 60% |
There’s a second layer that catches people, and it’s worth understanding before you sit in the chair. The CDCP is a federal plan with its own established fee schedule. Most BC clinics, including this one, follow the British Columbia Dental Association fee guide, and the BCDA guide sits higher than the federal schedule. That gap is not a surcharge and it is not negotiable at the front desk — it is the difference between a provincial fee guide and a federal reimbursement rate, and the patient is responsible for it. Health Canada puts it this way: “The CDCP fees may not be the same as what providers charge. You may have to pay fees in addition to the potential co-payment if the cost of your oral health care services is more than what the CDCP will reimburse.”
So there are up to three separate amounts you could be responsible for: your income-based co-payment, any difference between the clinic’s fee and the CDCP fee, and anything the plan doesn’t cover at all. A clinic that’s used to CDCP patients will walk you through all three before treatment starts, not after.
What does the CDCP cover in BC?
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Exams, x-rays, and recall visits | Dental implants and all implant-related procedures |
| Cleaning, scaling, and root planing | Bridges |
| Fluoride and sealants | Veneers and ¾ crowns |
| Permanent and temporary fillings | Teeth whitening and cosmetic procedures |
| Root canals and pulpectomies | Bruxism appliances and TMJ therapy |
| Gum disease treatment | Orthodontics — not yet available |
| Crowns, posts, and cores | |
| Complete and partial removable dentures | |
| Extractions and other oral surgery | |
| Nitrous oxide and oral sedation |
Three limits are worth calling out because they come up constantly.
Implants are excluded outright. The Dental Benefits Guide states that implants and all implant-related procedures are not covered — that includes implant-supported crowns and bone grafts. If the CDCP is your only coverage, this is worth knowing before you weigh tooth-replacement options.
Orthodontics still isn’t live. A limited range of orthodontic coverage has been planned since the program launched — for children under 18 with severe malocclusion and for adults with craniofacial anomalies — but as of August 2026 it remains unavailable, with no announced start date. Treat any source that implies otherwise with suspicion.
Cleaning is capped tighter than most people expect. The CDCP covers four units of scaling in any rolling twelve-month period — four units is one hour of hygiene time. For a patient with healthy gums and light calculus that may be enough. For most adults, and certainly for anyone with a history of gum disease, one hour a year is not enough to keep the mouth stable. Additional units are available but require preauthorization, and if they are not approved the extra time is billed to you. Worth planning for rather than discovering halfway through an appointment.
Which services need preauthorization?
Preauthorization means the plan approves the treatment before it happens, so you’re not left holding a denied claim afterward. Your dental office submits it for you.
Health Canada lists eight categories that require it, but the category names overstate the scope considerably. Here’s what it means in practice:
No preauthorization needed: routine exams, cleanings, fillings, simple extractions, and standard root canals on front teeth, bicuspids, and first and second molars.
Preauthorization required: crowns, cores, and prefabricated posts placed with a core; root canal retreatments, apicoectomies, and standard root canals on third molars; removable complete and partial dentures; specialist examinations; additional units of scaling and root planing; sedation services; and — new as of April 1, 2026 — desensitization services.
Our own advice goes further than the rules require: we submit a preauthorization for every procedure, including ones the plan does not ask us to. It costs a couple of weeks and removes essentially all of the risk of a denied claim landing on the patient after treatment. Where a delay would be clinically unwise we say so and proceed, but the default is to get the plan’s answer in writing first.
Also as of April 1, 2026, complete immediate dentures and denture liners no longer require preauthorization. If you were quoted a longer timeline on either of those under the old rules, it may be worth asking again.
How does the CDCP work at the dental office?
Sun Life administers the plan on behalf of Health Canada. Once you’re approved you’ll get a coverage start date and a member card, and you book with a participating provider.
Providers can participate two ways: by formally signing up through Sun Life, or by submitting claims case by case without full enrollment. Either way, submitting a claim means agreeing to bill Sun Life directly. You’ll also need to sign the assignment-of-benefits section — paper claims missing that signature get rejected.
Ask two questions when you book: whether the clinic is accepting CDCP patients, and whether they’ll give you a written estimate showing your co-payment and any balance above the CDCP fee.
What if you already have dental insurance?
The CDCP is built for people without other dental insurance, so it generally doesn’t stack with a private plan. If you do have extended health benefits through work or a spouse, that plan is your coverage.
At Mellow Family Dental Care we direct-bill all insurance companies, which means we submit the claim for you and you settle only the remaining balance rather than paying everything up front and waiting on reimbursement. For larger treatment plans we can send a predetermination first, so your share is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
Common questions
Does the CDCP cover root canals? Yes. Standard root canals on front teeth, bicuspids, and first and second molars are covered without preauthorization. Retreatments, apicoectomies, and root canals on third molars need approval first.
Does the CDCP cover dental implants? No. Implants and every implant-related procedure — including implant-supported crowns and bone grafts — are listed exclusions.
Does it cover braces or Invisalign? Not yet. Orthodontic coverage is planned but has no launch date as of August 2026.
Will I still have to pay something? Very likely. Your co-payment is 0%, 40%, or 60% depending on income, and because the CDCP reimburses at its own federal fee schedule rather than the higher BC Dental Association fee guide, you also owe the difference between the two. Ask for both numbers in writing before treatment.
I missed the renewal deadline. What now? You can submit a new application, but coverage does not backdate. Care you receive between the lapse and your re-approval isn’t reimbursed. Apply as soon as you can and hold off on non-urgent treatment until you’re approved again.
Do I need to renew even if nothing changed? Yes. Renewal is required annually regardless of whether your income or circumstances changed.
How many cleanings does the CDCP cover? Four units of scaling in any rolling twelve-month period, which is one hour of hygiene time. That is enough for some patients with healthy gums, but for most adults, and for anyone with a history of gum disease, it does not cover what is needed to stay stable. Additional units require preauthorization and are billed to you if not approved.
Why do I owe money if the CDCP covers the procedure? Two reasons stack. First, your income-based co-payment of 0%, 40%, or 60%. Second, the CDCP is a federal plan that reimburses at its own fee schedule, which sits below the BC Dental Association fee guide that most BC clinics follow. You are responsible for that difference as well as the co-payment.
Should I get preauthorization even when it isn’t required? We recommend it for every procedure. Preauthorization takes about two weeks and gets the plan’s decision in writing before treatment, which removes almost all of the risk of a denied claim arriving afterward.
Not sure where your CDCP coverage stands, or what your share of a treatment would be? Call Mellow Family Dental Care at 604.457.2273, or visit us at Unit 150–20528 Lougheed Highway in West Maple Ridge.
Sources: CDCP eligibility · What’s covered and co-payments · Renewing your coverage · Preauthorization · Dental Benefits Guide
CDCP rules, income thresholds, and covered services change. Details here reflect the 2026–2027 benefit year as of August 2026 — confirm current specifics with the Government of Canada and your dental office. This article is general information and does not replace professional advice.
