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The Canadian Dental Care Plan: who qualifies, what it pays and dentists that accept it

Who qualifies, what you pay at each income level, what is covered and how to apply, with every rule linked to canada.ca. Then a searchable list of dentists whose own websites say they accept the plan.

ClinicFinderLast checked November 11, 2026·6 min read·Canada
A bright clinic desk with a folder marked with a maple leaf, a pen, a model tooth and a phone showing a map of nearby clinics, with a treatment room behind and clinics outside the window
Table of contents
  1. The short version
  2. Who qualifies
  3. What you pay
  4. What is covered
  5. How to apply
  6. Dentists that say they accept the CDCP
  7. Questions
  8. Sources

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is the federal dental plan for people who have no dental insurance and an adjusted family net income under $90,000. This guide sets out what the Government of Canada’s own pages say about who qualifies, what you pay and what is covered, then lists dentists whose websites say they accept the plan.

This guide repeats what canada.ca states. It is not insurance or financial advice, and the official pages have the final word. Last checked November 11, 2026.

The short version

Who qualifies

Canada.ca lists four requirements, and you must meet all of them (Source: Government of Canada, Do you qualify):

1

No access to private dental insurance

This includes coverage through work, a pension, a family member’s plan or one you bought yourself. Coverage you never use, or that pays only part of your costs, still counts as access.

2

Adjusted family net income under $90,000

The qualify page gives the formula, based on lines of your tax return and your spouse’s or common-law partner’s.

3

Canadian resident for tax purposes

For you and your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one.

4

Tax return filed for the previous year

Again for you and your spouse or common-law partner.

A couple at a kitchen table reading through papers and a laptop together
Your adjusted family net income decides what share of each visit you pay.

Two exceptions are worth knowing. Retirees who opted out of pension dental coverage before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in may be eligible. Coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government social program does not stop you qualifying, and the plans may coordinate (Source: Government of Canada, Do you qualify).

What you pay

The share the plan pays depends on your adjusted family net income. The percentages apply to the CDCP’s own fees (Source: Government of Canada, What services are covered).

Adjusted family net incomeCDCP paysYou pay
Under $70,000100%0%
$70,000 to $79,99960%40%
$80,000 to $89,99940%60%

On top of that share, you may pay extra if the treatment costs more than the CDCP reimburses, or if you agree to a service the plan does not cover (Source: Government of Canada, What services are covered). Ask the clinic for the full cost before you say yes.

What is covered

CategoryExamples on canada.ca
Diagnostic and preventiveExams, x-rays, cleaning (scaling), fluoride and sealants
BasicFillings, root canals and gum (periodontal) care
MajorPosts and crown repairs, dentures and oral surgery
Anesthesia or sedationNitrous oxide, oral sedation, or both
OrthodonticsCurrently not available

Some services need preauthorization, meaning approval before you receive them, and not every request is approved. Canada.ca names re-treatment of a root canal, crowns with their cores and posts, immediate, overdentures and partial dentures, deeper sedation or general anesthesia, and anything beyond the usual frequency limits (Source: Government of Canada, What services are covered).

How to apply

An older woman on a sofa smiling as she talks on the phone and holds a letter, with a cat asleep beside her
You can apply online, or by phone with Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342.
  1. Check the four requirementsYou must meet all of them before you apply (Source: Government of Canada, How to apply).
  2. Gather each person’s detailsSocial Insurance Number (if your child has one), date of birth, full name, home and mailing address, and any dental coverage through a government program.
  3. Apply online or by phoneOnline through My Service Canada Account, or through the application link on canada.ca if you cannot use it. By phone, call Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262).
  4. Your partner applies separatelyA spouse or common-law partner must send their own application to be covered.
  5. Watch for a review letterIf your answers do not match your tax slips, you may be selected for an eligibility review. Anyone found ineligible is removed and may have to repay care the plan paid for (Source: Government of Canada, How to apply).

The phone line is open 8:30 am to 4:30 pm local time, Monday to Friday (Source: Government of Canada, Contact the Canadian Dental Care Plan). You can also check your application status online.

Dentists that say they accept the CDCP

These 925 dentists and denture clinics say on their own websites that they accept, bill or take part in the Canadian Dental Care Plan. We read each site in October 2026. Canada.ca counts 29,541 participating oral health providers as of September 30, 2026 (Source: Government of Canada, Canadian Dental Care Plan statistics), so many clinics that accept the plan are not on this list. If your dentist is not here, ask them.

A parent and child checking in at a bright dental clinic reception desk
Call ahead to confirm the clinic is taking new CDCP patients.

Call to confirm before you book. Ask whether they are taking new CDCP patients and whether they charge more than the CDCP fee.

Alberta

Airdrie

Banff

Beaumont

Blackfalds

Calgary

Camrose

Canmore

Chestermere

Cochrane

Cold Lake

Drayton Valley

Edmonton

Fort McMurray

Grande Prairie

High River

Innisfail

Leduc

Lethbridge

Lloydminster

Medicine Hat

Morinville

Okotoks

Ponoka

Red Deer

Spruce Grove

St. Albert

Stony Plain

Taber

Wetaskiwin

Whitecourt

British Columbia

Abbotsford

Burnaby

Campbell River

Chilliwack

Comox

Courtenay

Cranbrook

Dawson Creek

Delta

Fernie

Fort St. John

Kamloops

Kelowna

Kimberley

Langley

Langley Township

Maple Ridge

Mission

Nanaimo

Nelson

New Westminster

North Vancouver

Penticton

Powell River

Prince George

Prince Rupert

Quesnel

Richmond

Squamish

Surrey

Trail

Vancouver

Vernon

Victoria

West Vancouver

White Rock

Williams Lake

Manitoba

Brandon

Morden

Portage la Prairie

Selkirk

Winkler

Winnipeg

New Brunswick

Fredericton

Moncton

Saint John

Newfoundland and Labrador

Corner Brook

Labrador City

Mount Pearl

St. John's

Nova Scotia

Bridgewater

Dartmouth

Eastern Passage

Halifax

Kentville

New Glasgow

Sydney

Truro

Ontario

Ajax

Barrie

Belleville

Bradford

Brampton

Brantford

Burlington

Cambridge

Cornwall

Grimsby

Guelph

Hamilton

Kingston

Kitchener

London

Markham

Milton

Mississauga

Newmarket

Niagara Falls

North Bay

Oakville

Oshawa

Ottawa

Peterborough

Pickering

Richmond Hill

Sarnia

Sault Ste. Marie

St. Catharines

Sudbury

Thunder Bay

Timmins

Toronto

Vaughan

Waterloo

Welland

Whitby

Windsor

Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown

Cornwall

Montague

Summerside

Quebec

Brossard

Candiac

Châteauguay

Côte-Saint-Luc

Dollard-des-Ormeaux

Gatineau

La Pêche

Lachute

Lévis

Longueuil

Montréal

Pincourt

Pointe-Claire

Verdun

Saskatchewan

Lloydminster

Martensville

Melfort

Moose Jaw

North Battleford

Prince Albert

Regina

Saskatoon

Swift Current

Warman

Weyburn

Yorkton

Yukon

Whitehorse

Run a clinic that accepts the CDCP and is not listed? Update your listing and we will add it. For every dentist in your area, browse our dentist directory.

Questions

Who qualifies for the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

You must meet all four requirements: no access to private dental insurance or coverage, an adjusted family net income under $90,000, being a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and having filed your tax return for the previous year (your spouse or common-law partner too, if you have one) (canada.ca).

Is the CDCP free?

There is no fee to apply or renew (canada.ca). Care is fully covered at CDCP fees only if your adjusted family net income is under $70,000. Between $70,000 and $89,999 you pay 40% or 60% of the CDCP fee, and you may also pay the difference if your dentist charges more than the CDCP fee (canada.ca).

How do I find a dentist that accepts the CDCP?

The Government of Canada pages we read do not offer a search tool for patients. Participation is voluntary for dentists (canada.ca). The list on this page shows clinics whose own websites say they accept the plan. Call before you book to confirm, since a clinic can change its answer.

Does the CDCP cover braces?

Not at the moment. The coverage page says orthodontic services are currently not available (canada.ca).

Do I have to pay up front?

The page for providers says CDCP clients should not be asked to pay the full cost up front, and should only pay any amount the plan does not cover. It also says there is no way for clients to be reimbursed by Sun Life, which processes the claims (canada.ca).

What happens if I miss the renewal deadline?

You can apply again, but you will have a gap in coverage, and care during the gap is not covered or reimbursed later (canada.ca).

I have work benefits that pay only a little. Can I still apply?

No. Canada.ca says coverage you never use, or that pays only part of your costs, still counts as access to private dental insurance (canada.ca). Retirees who opted out of pension dental coverage before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in may still qualify.

Sources

We read each of these pages on November 10, 2026, and checked them again on November 11. The date in brackets is the date each page shows. If something here disagrees with canada.ca, canada.ca is right, and we would like to hear about it at our contact page.

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