Canadian Dental Care Plan in Maple Ridge: What's Covered in 2026?
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) covers a broad range of everyday dental care — exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, root canals, gum treatment, extractions, dentures and some crowns — for Canadian residents with no access to private dental insurance and an adjusted family net income under $90,000.
It does not cover dental implants, bridges, veneers, whitening, night guards or mouth guards. Orthodontic coverage has been announced but is not available yet.
Kanaka Creek Family Dental accepts CDCP patients and bills Sun Life directly, so you don't pay the covered portion up front.
Quick self-check
Look at box 45 on your T4 — or box 015 on your T4A.
If it shows a 1, you do not have dental coverage through work or a pension, which means you may qualify. A 2, 3, 4 or 5 means you do have access, and you are not eligible.
Do you qualify?
You must meet all four requirements:
- No access to private dental insurance or coverage. This includes plans through your job, a spouse's job, a pension, a professional or student association, or any policy you bought yourself — including health spending accounts. You are ineligible even if you never use the plan, chose not to enrol, pay a premium for it, or it only covers part of your costs.
- You filed your Canadian tax return for the previous year — and so did your spouse or common-law partner, if you have one.
- Your adjusted family net income is under $90,000.
- You are a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
One narrow exception on the first requirement: if you are retired and opted out of pension dental coverage before December 11, 2023 and cannot opt back in, you may still be eligible.
Coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal social program does not disqualify you. If you have both, the plans coordinate so nothing is duplicated.
Calculating adjusted family net income: family net income (line 23600), minus universal child care benefit and RDSP income (lines 11700 and 12500), plus UCCB and RDSP amounts repaid (lines 21300 and 23200).
How much does the CDCP actually pay?
Your income decides your co-payment — the share of the CDCP's established fee you pay directly to your dental office.
| Adjusted family net income | CDCP covers | You cover |
|---|---|---|
| Under $70,000 | 100% of CDCP established fees | 0% |
| $70,000 – $79,999 | 60% | 40% |
| $80,000 – $89,999 | 40% | 60% |
Only oral health providers are reimbursed by the CDCP — patients cannot submit claims themselves.
The part most people miss: "additional charges"
The CDCP pays at its own fee schedule, which is not the same as the fee your dentist charges. If a clinic's fee is higher than the CDCP rate, the difference is billed to you — on top of any co-payment.
Two patients with identical coverage can walk out with very different bills depending on where they go.
At Kanaka Creek Family Dental we follow the BC Dental Fee Guide and don't charge above it, which keeps the gap between what the plan pays and what you owe as small as possible.
It's a fair question to put to any clinic you're considering: do you bill at, above, or below the BC Fee Guide?
What the CDCP covers
Some services are covered automatically; others need preauthorization, meaning your dentist submits the plan first and Sun Life confirms coverage before treatment.
Diagnostic and preventive
- Dental exams — complete, routine, specific and emergency
- X-rays and fluoride applications
- Cleaning (scaling)
- Sealants
Basic services
- Permanent and temporary fillings and other cavity treatment
- Pain control for diseased teeth
- Root canal treatment and pulpectomies (re-treatments need preauthorization)
- Gum treatment — cleaning under the gumline, treating abscesses, non-surgical gum disease management
Major services
- Crowns, cores and posts — preauthorization required
- Complete dentures, repairs, relines and rebases. Partial, immediate and overdentures need preauthorization
- Tooth and root removal, including surgical extractions; removal of cysts and tumours
Sedation
- Nitrous oxide and oral sedation
- Conscious sedation, deep sedation and general anesthesia — preauthorization required
What the CDCP does not cover
These are permanent exclusions — the plan will not cover them regardless of income or clinical need:
- Dental implants and all implant-related procedures, including bone grafts
- Bridges and all bridge-related procedures (fixed prosthodontics)
- Veneers in composite or ceramic
- Cosmetic treatment, including teeth whitening
- Night guards and mouth guards (bruxism and periodontal appliances)
- TMJ therapy and appliances
- Inlays and onlays; all three-quarter crowns; crown lengthening
- Extensive rehabilitation; precision attachment partial dentures
Exceptions can be requested through preauthorization, but Health Canada states approvals are expected to be extremely rare.
If the CDCP doesn't cover it, you still have options
We publish our starting prices openly so you can plan:
Does the CDCP cover braces or Invisalign?
Not yet. This is where a lot of the information circulating online is out of date. A specific range of orthodontic services has been announced for the CDCP, but as of the Government of Canada's current guidance those services are not available and no start date has been set. When they do launch, preauthorization will be required.
Until then, Invisalign and orthodontic treatment are paid privately or through private insurance. If you've seen a blog or social post claiming CDCP orthodontic coverage began in 2026, check it against canada.ca before you count on it.
How to use your CDCP coverage at our Maple Ridge office
- Apply and get your Sun Life member card. Apply through canada.ca. Sun Life administers the plan and sends your card and coverage start date.
- Book your appointment and tell us you're on the CDCP.
- We confirm your coverage before treatment and submit for preauthorization when a service requires it.
- We bill Sun Life directly. You pay only your co-payment and anything the plan doesn't cover — and we'll tell you those numbers before we start, not after.
You must confirm every year that you still have no access to private dental insurance. If your job or your partner's job adds a dental plan mid-year, you are no longer eligible and may have to repay the government for services covered while you weren't.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the CDCP free?
If your adjusted family net income is under $70,000, the plan covers 100% of eligible services at CDCP established fees, so there is no co-payment. You may still owe an additional charge if your provider's fee is higher than the CDCP fee, or if you receive services the plan doesn't cover.
- Can I use the CDCP if I have BC provincial dental coverage?
Yes. Coverage through a provincial, territorial or federal government social program does not disqualify you from the CDCP. If you qualify for both, the plans coordinate so benefits aren't duplicated.
- Does the CDCP cover dental implants?
No. Implants and all implant-related procedures, including bone grafting, are permanent exclusions under the CDCP and are not covered at any income level. Bridges are also excluded. Complete and partial dentures are covered, with partials requiring preauthorization.
- Does the CDCP cover a night guard for grinding?
No. Bruxism appliances, night guards and mouth guards are on the CDCP's permanent exclusion list, as is TMJ therapy.
- My income is $85,000 — is it still worth applying?
It can be. At $80,000 to $89,999 the CDCP covers 40% of eligible services at its established fees. On a treatment plan involving a root canal, a crown and several fillings, that is still a meaningful reduction.
- Does Kanaka Creek Family Dental accept CDCP patients?
Yes. We accept patients covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan and bill Sun Life directly, so you don't pay the covered portion up front. We also follow the BC Dental Fee Guide and don't charge above it.
Book with a Maple Ridge dentist who accepts the CDCP
We're accepting new patients at our Maple Ridge office, including patients covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Bring your Sun Life card to your first visit and we'll confirm your coverage before any treatment begins.
Or call us at 778-401-4001.
Coverage details in this article reflect Government of Canada guidance current as of August 2026 and are provided for general information. CDCP rules, fees and covered services can change — confirm your own eligibility and coverage at canada.ca or with Sun Life at 1-888-888-8110.