Dental care improving, industry says, but misconceptions about ‘free’ care persist

By Canadian Press on September 19, 2025.

OTTAWA — The dental industry says that while it’s working through the early growing pains of the national dental care program, it’s still dealing with patients who think they don’t have to pay for care.

The Canadian Dental Association says that misconception is being driven by politicians suggesting the program is free.

The industry also says it’s dealing with a significant administrative burden, especially for complex treatment that requires pre-authorization.

Patients seeking such treatment are seeing their claims denied more than half the time, often because they’re incomplete.

The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association says the program doesn’t provide nearly enough coverage for preventive care.

More than half a million claims have been denied for things like cleaning and scaling, mostly because the patients reached their coverage limits.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press

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