Buswell Dental Centre

We care about you and your dental health

Buswell Dental Centre

Canadian Dental Care Plan

What is the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)?

The CDCP will help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for up to nine million uninsured Canadian residents with an annual family income of less than $90,000.

The CDCP will help ease financial barriers to accessing oral health care for Canadian residents who do not have access to dental insurance. . The CDCP will reimburse a percentage of eligible expenses at the established CDCP fee rates. A co-payment is the percentage of CDCP fees that is not covered by the CDCP, and that people covered under the CDCP will have to pay directly to the oral health provider.

For Kids under the age of 18 in BC, CDCP will coordinate benefits with BC Healthy Kids or BC Employment and Assistance Program. CDCP is the primary payer and the BC Healthy Kids or BC Employment and Assistance Program dental program is the secondary payer.

The percentage of co-payments will depend on the adjusted family net income as follows:
  • No co-payment for those with an adjusted annual family net income under $70,000
  • A 40% co-payment for those with an adjusted annual family net income between $70,000 and $79,999
  • A 60% co-payment for those with an adjusted annual family net income between $80,000 and $89,999

Buswell Dental Centre will provide the dental treatments managed by CDCP.


Who qualifies?

To qualify for the CDCP, the following criteria must be met:

  • No access to dental insurance
  • An adjusted family net income of less than $90,000
  • Be a Canadian resident for tax purposes
  • Have filed their tax return in the previous year
  • Canadian residents who have access to dental benefits through a social program offered by their province or territory and/or by the federal government will be eligible for the CDCP if they meet all the eligibility criteria

How to apply?

Canadian residents who may qualify will be able to apply to the CDCP through Service Canada. Starting in December 2023, letters will be mailed to potentially eligible seniors informing them that they may qualify for the plan and inviting them to apply. This letter will include a personalized application code and instructions on how to apply.

Only those who meet the following criteria will receive a letter with instructions on how to apply:

  • Are 70 years old, or will be 70 years old or older by March 31, 2024
  • have an adjusted family net income less than $90,000 based on their and/or their spouse’s or common-law partner’s 2022 tax returns
  • Were a resident of Canada in 2022 for tax purposes

From December 2023 until end of April 2024, seniors who receive invitation letters may call Service Canada to apply via an automated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. When applying, they will be asked for two pieces of identification and whether they currently have access to any type of dental benefits. The applicant will immediately be notified whether they have been successful in applying and are eligible. They will also receive a letter confirming this information.

Seniors aged 65 to 69 years and seniors who received a letter but were not able to apply by phone will be able to apply online starting in May 2024, followed by persons with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate and children under the age of 18 years in June 2024.

Once an individual is determined to be eligible, Service Canada will share the applicant’s information with Sun Life, the contracted service provider, for the purpose of enrolment into the CDCP. Sun Life will enrol eligible applicants in the CDCP and will send them a welcome package, including information on the CDCP, coverage details, their member card, and the start date of their coverage.

Canadians who are enrolled in the CDCP will be able to start seeing an oral health provider as early as May 2024, starting with seniors. The start date to access oral health care will vary based on when each group can apply, when the application is received and when enrolment is completed.

Appointments with an oral health provider should be scheduled as of their coverage start date, and no sooner, for the oral health care services to be covered under the plan. The CDCP will not reimburse oral health care services received before the start date provided in the welcome package from Sun Life.

When applications open?

Applications will first open for seniors aged 87 and above in December 2023, expanding in phases to those aged 77 to 86 in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February 2024, then those aged 70 to 71 years in March 2024.

Individuals in these age groups who may be eligible will receive letters inviting them to apply, with instructions on how to validate their eligibility and apply by telephone.

In May 2024, an online application portal will open for seniors 65 and older. Persons with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate and children under the age of 18 will be able to apply online as of June 2024. All remaining eligible Canadian residents will be able to apply online in 2025.

Group Applications open
Seniors aged 87 and above Starting December 2023
Seniors aged 77 to 86 Starting January 2024
Seniors aged 72 to 76 Starting February 2024
Seniors aged 70 to 71 Starting March 2024
Seniors aged 65 to 69 Starting May 2024
Persons with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate Starting June 2024
Children under 18 years old Starting June 2024
All remaining eligible Canadian residents Starting 2025

Canada Dental Benefit

What is the Canada Dental Benefit?

The Canada Dental Benefit would provide payments up to $650 per child per year for two years for families with adjusted net income under $90,000 per year and without dental coverage.

  • $650 would be provided for each eligible child if the family’s adjusted net income is under $70,000
  • $390 would be provided for each eligible child if the family’s adjusted net income is between $70,000 and $79,999
  • $260 would be provided for each eligible child if the family’s adjusted net income is between $80,000 and $89,999

The benefit can be used for any dental treatment provided by Buswell Dental Centre.


Who can apply?

Parents or guardians:

  • Have a child under 12 years of age, who does not have access to private dental care coverage
  • Have an adjusted family net income under $90,000 per year
  • Have filed last year tax return
  • Receive the Canada Child Benefit for each eligible child
  • Have or will have dental care expenses for each eligible child that have not been fully reimbursed under another federal, provincial or territorial government program

How can you apply?

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) My Account will be the quickest, easiest and most secure way to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit. You will need to provide information on the dental care visit, including the name of your child's dental care provider(s) and your employer information.

If you're unable to apply for the Canada Dental Benefit online, call 1-800-715-8836 to get your application started. Make sure you have your Social Insurance Number, address, date of birth and a copy of your income tax return from last year.

When can you apply?

Parents can apply starting December 1,2022 for dental care received by their eligible child back to October 1,2022, so long as their child will still be under 12 on December 1. For the second payment, parents can apply starting July 1,2023.

Covid-19

COVID-19 Information for Dental Patients

Buswell Dental Centre and our dental team have been experts at infection control for a long time. As we enter Phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic in BC, dental patients have an important role to play in keeping everyone safe.

  • Contact our dental office in advance of any visit and advise them if you are at all unwell or have any flu-like symptoms, or have traveled outside BC
  • Complete the patient screening form and Patient Acknowledgement Form in advance of your visit (see the below links)
  • Clean your hands
  • Limit your wait time in our office and/or wait outside our office if you are accompanying another person to the appointment
  • Observe physical distancing requirements in our dental office, before and after, treatment
  • Observe any other policies or procedures noted by our dental office

We thank our patients for your understanding and patience as our dental office adapts to new office changes to meet evolving public health policies.

We're all in this together!


Patient Screening Online Form:

Patient Screening Online Form

Patient Forms:

Patient Screening Form
Patient Acknowledgement Form