Member FAQ

The CDCP helps ease financial barriers for Canadian residents who have an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000 and don’t have access to  private dental insurance or coverage.

View the services that are covered by the CDCP.

Eligible Canadian residents will be able for apply to the CDCP through the Government of Canada.

Once deemed eligible, Canadian residents’ information will be shared by Service Canada to Sun Life for CDCP enrolment. Once enrolled, individuals that are covered under the CDCP will receive a welcome package with coverage details (including a member card and their coverage start date). 

The coverage start date is determined based on when an individual's application was received and when an individual was enrolled in the CDCP.

Members can register for my Sun Life online to access self-serve features, like:

• coverage details,
• printable member cards,
• claims history and statements, and
• the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide.

CDCP members are required to complete an annual renewal application to confirm their eligibility under the CDCP. The renewal application period is between April 15th through June 1st. For more information about the renewal process, visit the Government of Canada website during this time frame.

A CDCP member ID is assigned to one person. Each person who is declared eligible to the CDCP will receive their own member ID.

The CDCP is a federal government program. Sun Life’s role with the CDCP is to provide dental claims processing services. Personal information is only used when administering the CDCP and it's handled in accordance with the Privacy Act. For more information, visit the CDCP Privacy page.

Members can update their address by contacting Service Canada at 1-833-537-4342.

Members who renew or reapply for the CDCP will not receive a new welcome package. Their member ID will remain the same. Once a member’s coverage is reactivated, they will receive a letter from the CDCP confirming their eligibility and coverage start date. If a member no longer has their card, they can print a copy from the mysunlife.ca member website or use their member ID along with a piece of valid identification at their next appointment with an oral health provider.

No. Each CDCP member has a unique and permanent member ID. Their member ID remains the same, even if they experience a gap in active coverage.

A member’s coverage must be active at the time of their dental appointment.

Members need to make sure their appointment is booked on or after their coverage start date. The coverage start date is included in their welcome package, but does not appear on the member card. It also appears in the determination letter you received from the Government of Canada. 

Members can find their coverage start date, as well as their co-payment percentage, in the welcome package received with their member ID. They can also find this information in the determination letter from the Government of Canada. 

CDCP members can:

1. Contact any oral health provider and ask if they can accept CDCP clients, agree to bill and can receive payment directly from Sun Life for CDCP services. Oral health providers include dentists, dental hygienists, denturists, dental specialists, dental school clinics, etc.;
2. Use the CDCP Provider Search Tool and search for a participating provider by name, specialty or location (not all providers participating in the CDCP are listed in the search tool), or
3. Call Sun Life’s CDCP Contact Centre at 1-888-888-8110 for help finding a provider near you.

The CDCP Provider Search Tool works by selecting the centre point of your location (address, city and/or postal code) and populating providers within a 50 km radius.

The amount covered by the CDCP may be less than the total amount charged by the oral health provider. Members are responsible for paying their co-payment, if applicable, and any other amounts not covered by the CDCP. This may apply even when the CDCP covers 100% of its established fees.

Members may have to pay additional charges directly to the oral health provider if:

• the provider charges more than the amount covered by the CDCP; or
• the member agrees to receive services that are not covered by the CDCP.

An approved preauthorization does not guarantee payment. A claim is assessed based on the member’s eligibility and the CDCP coverage, fees and policies in effect on the date the service is provided. These may change between the date the preauthorization is approved and the date the service is provided.

Before receiving services, members should ask their oral health provider whether they will have to pay any costs not covered by the CDCP. 

No. A member ID is assigned to the individual and is not tied to a specific CDCP benefit period. When a member’s renewal or new application is completed and their coverage is confirmed, they will continue to use their existing member ID. 

CDCP providers who agree to treat CDCP members must agree to bill and can receive payment directly from Sun Life for services covered under the plan.  

Members should never pay the full amount for the services in advance. Sun Life will not reimburse members directly for services under the CDCP.  Sun Life will only reimburse CDCP providers.

Note: The CDCP may not cover the full cost of the treatment. Members are only responsible for paying any potential outstanding amount to providers in addition to their co-payment, as applicable.  It’s important for members to discuss coverage details and any additional costs not covered by the plan with their chosen oral health provider before receiving dental services.

CDCP members may have a co-payment based on your adjusted family net income. A co-payment is the percentage of the CDCP fees that isn’t covered by the CDCP, and that members will have to pay directly to the oral health provider. The co-payment is based on  adjusted family net income.

The CDCP fees may not be the same as what providers charge. Members may have to pay fees in addition to the potential co-payment if:

• the cost of oral health care services are more than what the CDCP will reimburse for these services, or
• members agree to receive care that the plan does not cover.

The CDCP will only pay providers for oral health care services covered within the plan and in accordance with the CDCP established fees. It’s important for members to discuss coverage details and possible co-payments required with their chosen oral health provider ahead of receiving services.

The CDCP will coordinate benefits with other federal, provincial and territorial social dental programs, where applicable.  To help understand how the CDCP will coordinate with provincial and territorial social dental programs, individual coordination of benefits factsheets have been developed, based on guidance provided by each provincial or territorial government.

There is no coordination with any privately funded or employer funded dental benefits program, as this would be considered to have access to dental insurance and applicants would not be eligible to the CDCP.

my Sun Life is a secure digital portal for members to access their plan details. It’s password protected, convenient and paperless. 

For CDCP members, my Sun Life provides access to self-serve features, like coverage details, claims history and a printable CDCP member card.

Members don’t require a my Sun Life online account to receive CDCP services. Members looking for their coverage details can also call the Sun Life CDCP Contact Centre at 1-888-888-8110.

Members can’t register for a my Sun Life online account with an email that’s already associated with a previous account. Members must use a different email for CDCP.

If a member is certain they entered the email, plan number or member ID correctly, then they should call the Sun Life CDCP Contact Centre at 1-888-888-8110 for assistance.