What CDCP covers for cleanings

Reviewed by Dr. Samar Fadavi, DDS

Short answer: The Canadian Dental Care Plan includes the main parts of a routine cleaning visit: exams, x-rays, scaling, polishing, fluoride and sealants. Each service has frequency limits, some extra scaling needs approval in advance, and you may have a co-payment based on your family income. Ask the clinic before treatment about anything the plan will not cover.

Why this guide

Many people in Scarborough and East Toronto have joined the Canadian Dental Care Plan, often called CDCP, and the first thing most of them want is a check-up and cleaning. It is common to have questions: Is a cleaning covered? How often? What about a deep cleaning? Will I owe anything? This guide explains how cleaning visits work under the plan in plain words, so you know what to expect before you book.

This is general information. Plan details are set by the federal government and can change, so always check the official Government of Canada CDCP coverage page and your member information for the current rules. For how the plan works at our clinic, see our CDCP dentist page.

A quick refresher on the plan

The Canadian Dental Care Plan is a federal program that helps eligible Canadian residents who do not have access to dental insurance. To qualify, you must not have access to dental coverage through an employer, a pension, a professional or student association or a plan you bought, you and your spouse or common-law partner must have filed your taxes in Canada, your adjusted family net income must be below the plan’s limit, and you must be a Canadian resident for tax purposes. Eligibility is reviewed each year.

Once you are enrolled, you receive member information with your coverage start date. Services you receive before your coverage starts are not covered, so check that date before booking.

What a cleaning visit usually includes

A routine dental visit is made up of several separate services. Under the plan, each one is a covered service with its own rules:

• Exam. The dentist checks your teeth, gums, bite and the soft tissues of your mouth, including an oral cancer screening. Exams are covered, with limits on how often a routine recall exam can be billed.
• X-rays. Bitewing x-rays show decay between teeth and bone levels; other views are taken when needed. X-rays are covered, with frequency limits. Our guide to dental x-rays explains the types.
• Scaling. Removal of plaque and tartar from the teeth, above and below the gum line. This is the main part of what most people call a cleaning. Scaling is covered, measured in time units, with a yearly limit.
• Polishing. Smoothing and polishing the tooth surfaces after scaling. Polishing is covered, with a yearly limit.
• Fluoride. A fluoride varnish or gel to help prevent decay. Covered, with frequency limits that differ for children and adults.
• Sealants. A thin protective coating on the chewing surfaces of back teeth, most often for children and teens. Covered, with limits.

Because each service has its own limit, two people with the same plan may have different visits covered in a given year, depending on what they have already used.

How often can I have a cleaning?

The plan sets frequency limits on scaling, polishing, fluoride and exams. For most adults, the yearly scaling allowance covers routine cleanings for healthy gums. Children have their own limits for polishing and fluoride. The exact limits are listed in the Government of Canada’s CDCP dental benefits guide, which is updated from time to time.

Your dentist recommends how often you should come in based on your gums and your risk of decay. Some people with healthy gums do well with a check-up and cleaning once or twice a year. People with gum disease, dry mouth or many fillings may need visits more often. Our guide how often should you see a dentist? explains how the interval is chosen.

If your dentist recommends more cleaning than the plan’s yearly allowance, our team will explain what is included, whether a request for approval can be sent and what would not be covered, before any extra treatment.

What about a deep cleaning?

A deep cleaning, also called scaling and root planing, is used when gum disease has formed deeper pockets around the teeth. Under the plan, scaling and root planing are covered as periodontal services, counted against the scaling allowance. When more scaling is needed than the yearly allowance includes, additional units can be requested through preauthorization, which means the plan must approve them before treatment starts.

If you need a deep cleaning, our team will check what you have already used this year, send a preauthorization request if needed and give you a written estimate before starting. Our guide deep cleaning (scaling) explained walks through the treatment itself.

Co-payments and extra charges

Two things can affect whether you owe anything at a cleaning visit:

• Co-payment. Depending on your adjusted family net income, you may have a co-payment, which is a share of the plan’s set amount for each service. Your co-payment level is shown in your member information.
• Charges above the plan’s set amounts. The plan pays according to its own schedule of amounts. If a clinic’s usual fee for a service is higher, or if a service is not covered, the difference may be charged to you. The Government of Canada advises members to ask their oral health provider about any costs the plan will not cover before treatment.

At our clinic, we explain what the plan covers for your visit and what, if anything, you would owe before we start. You will get this in writing for any treatment beyond a routine visit. We never want a patient to be surprised at the front desk.

Booking your first CDCP cleaning, step by step

1. Check your coverage start date in your member information. Book your visit for on or after that date.
2. Call the clinic and say you are a Canadian Dental Care Plan member. Ask whether the clinic accepts CDCP patients; we do.
3. Have your member information ready, including your member identification number, when you book and when you arrive.
4. Bring photo identification and a list of your medicines and health conditions.
5. Ask about costs before treatment: what the plan covers for this visit, whether you have a co-payment and whether anything would not be covered.
6. Sign the forms the clinic needs to bill the plan on your behalf.
7. Book your next visit before you leave, at the interval your dentist recommends and within the plan’s limits.

Cleanings for children and teens under the plan

Children in eligible families are covered too. A child’s cleaning visit usually includes an exam, polishing, fluoride and, when needed, x-rays and sealants. Fluoride limits for children are more frequent than for adults, because developing teeth benefit from regular fluoride. Sealants on the permanent back molars are one of the most useful things you can do to prevent cavities in children.

Our children’s dentistry page explains how we care for young patients, and our guide your child’s first dental visit helps you prepare.

Cleanings for seniors under the plan

Older adults are one of the largest groups in the plan. A senior’s cleaning visit often needs a little more attention: root surfaces exposed by gum recession, dry mouth from medicines, existing crowns and bridges, and dentures. If you wear a complete denture and have no natural teeth, your visit focuses on checking the gums and soft tissues, the fit of the denture and an oral cancer screening, and the denture can be cleaned.

If mobility is limited, let us know when booking. Our clinic is wheelchair accessible, with step-free access and parking behind the building. Our seniors’ dental care page explains more.

Things the plan does not cover at a cleaning visit

A few services that are sometimes added to a visit are not covered by the plan, or are covered only in specific cases. Examples include tooth whitening, cosmetic polishing beyond the plan’s limits and night guards. Orthodontic services are not currently available under the plan. If your dentist recommends one of these, our team will tell you before treatment that it is not covered.

How to get the most out of your covered cleanings

• Keep your appointments. Regular visits catch small problems while they are small, which often means simpler treatment.
• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth daily. A cleaning removes tartar, but daily care keeps plaque from building up again.
• Tell the clinic about changes in your health, medicines or coverage.
• Ask questions. If you are not sure what a service is or whether it is covered, ask before it is done.
• Keep your member information current with the plan, including your address, so you receive renewal and eligibility notices.

What to avoid

• Booking before your coverage start date.
• Assuming every recommended service is covered; ask first.
• Waiting for pain before booking a check-up. Gum disease and early decay often cause no pain at first.
• Skipping your yearly eligibility review or tax filing, which can affect your coverage.
• Giving up on care because of a misunderstanding about costs. Ask the clinic to explain; we are happy to.

If you have other coverage

The plan is for people who do not have access to dental insurance. If you gain access to coverage through a new job, a spouse’s plan or a pension, you must tell the plan, because you may no longer be eligible. Some provincial and territorial social programs can work alongside the plan. Our guide on how dental insurance works in Canada explains private plans, and our insurance and billing page explains direct billing at our clinic.

Common mix-ups at a first CDCP cleaning

A few misunderstandings come up often when people book their first visit under the plan. Knowing them ahead of time saves frustration.

• “My card means everything is covered.” Being a member means the plan covers eligible services up to its limits. Some services have frequency limits, some need approval first and some are not covered. Your co-payment level also applies.
• “I can come in every three months for a cleaning.” You can, if your dentist recommends it, but the plan’s yearly scaling and polishing allowance may not cover every visit. Our team will tell you ahead of time.
• “The cleaning is one service.” A cleaning visit is usually several services: exam, x-rays, scaling, polishing and fluoride. Each is billed and counted separately.
• “My old dentist used up my allowance, so I cannot be seen.” You can still be seen. Our team can explain what remains in your allowance and what would not be covered.
• “I have to pay first and send in a claim.” At clinics that bill the plan, the claim is sent for you. You pay only your share, if any, at the visit.

If anything about your coverage is unclear, ask at the front desk before your appointment starts. Our team speaks English, French and Farsi, and we can help family members who are helping a parent or grandparent understand their visit.

When to see a dentist

Book a check-up and cleaning as soon as your coverage starts if you have not seen a dentist recently, and sooner if you have bleeding gums, a toothache, a broken tooth, a loose filling or a sore that has not healed in two weeks. For urgent problems, our emergency dentist page explains same-day visits. For how CDCP visits work at our clinic, see our CDCP dentist page.

Questions about CDCP and cleanings

Is a regular cleaning covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan?

Yes. Scaling and polishing are covered preventive services, along with exams, x-rays and fluoride, each with frequency limits.

How many cleanings can I have in a year?

The plan sets a yearly allowance for scaling and polishing. Your dentist will recommend an interval, and our team will explain how it fits within the plan’s limits.

Will I have to pay anything at my cleaning?

You may have a co-payment based on your family income, and there may be charges for amounts above the plan’s set amounts or for services that are not covered. We explain this before treatment.

Is a deep cleaning covered?

Scaling and root planing are covered periodontal services. Extra units beyond the yearly allowance may need approval before treatment.

Do I need a referral to see a dentist under the plan?

No. You can book directly with a dental office that accepts CDCP patients.

Can my whole family come to the same clinic?

Yes. Each eligible family member is covered under the plan, and we see patients of all ages.

Can I use the plan for an emergency visit?

Emergency exams and many urgent treatments are covered. Call us and mention that you are a CDCP member.

Related guides

• What to bring to a first CDCP visit
• CDCP and crowns, bridges, dentures
• Dental care for newcomers to Canada