Dentists praise Canadian Dental Care program, but also express concern over influx of new patients – CBC
4.5 million Canadians can qualify for the plan as it opens up to people between 18 and 64
Jun 02, 2025
A northern Ontario dentist says the Canadian Dental Care Plan has generally been positive, but he worries it could cause issues meeting higher demand for dental care over the long term.
In June, eligible Canadians between the ages of 18 and 64 can start receiving dental coverage under the plan.
Dr. Thomas Detert, a dental surgeon based in Blind River, said the dental plan is bringing in patients who haven’t been to a dentist’s office in years.
“Some of them are like over 10 or 15 years because when they retired, they lost their benefits,” he said.
In some cases, Detert said those patients had good oral hygiene habits and didn’t need significant dental care. But in other cases, they put off going to the dentist until they were in serious pain, and needed significant work.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/dental-care-program-expands-1.7548661
