CDCP One Year On: How Has the Plan Changed Canadian Dentistry?
The Canadian Dental Care Plan has now completed its first full year of broad national operation. What began as a campaign promise has become one of the largest expansions of public health coverage in Canada in decades. One year on, what has actually changed?
For Patients: Real Access, Real Difference
The most significant impact has been on the Canadians who had no dental coverage before CDCP. For millions of households — particularly seniors, lower-income families, and working Canadians without employer benefits — the plan provided their first meaningful access to dental care in years or ever.
Dental visits for previously uninsured populations rose sharply in the first year of the plan. Emergency dental visits, which are both the most painful and most expensive form of dental care, decreased among CDCP-covered populations as preventive care increased.
For Clinics: New Patients, New Workflows
CDCP brought a wave of new patients to Canadian dental practices — but it also brought administrative change. Clinics needed to register with Sun Life, train staff on direct billing procedures, and adapt to new claim formats and timelines.
Clinics that embraced CDCP early and built efficient systems around it have reaped significant rewards. Those that delayed registration missed a substantial patient acquisition opportunity.
The Digital Discovery Shift
One underreported consequence of CDCP is the acceleration of online dental discovery. Patients looking for a CDCP-accepting dentist searched online rather than relying on referrals — a behaviour shift that has permanently changed how new patients find clinics. Directories like DrGreat became primary channels for this discovery.
What's Ahead
Year two of CDCP is expected to bring further eligibility expansion, improved provider tools, and continued growth in patient enrollment. For clinics not yet registered, the opportunity is still significant. For patients not yet enrolled, now is the time to check your eligibility.
DrGreat: Your CDCP Search Partner
Search for CDCP-accepting dental clinics across Canada on DrGreat — filtered by location, specialty, language, accessibility, and more.
