Dentistry for children, from the first visit.

The first visit is mostly looking around. We show your child the chair, let them hold the mirror, and talk through what happens in plain words. A parent stays in the room.

If your child would rather wait and watch a sibling first, that is fine; one visit can cover brothers and sisters.

A check-up begins with an exam. Depending on what the dentist finds, a visit may also include x-rays, a cleaning, a fluoride application or sealants. The dentist decides what your child needs, and explains it to you first.

Source: canada.ca, Canadian Dental Care Plan, “What services are covered”.

Healthy Smiles Ontario is a government-funded dental program for children and youth 17 years old and under from low-income households. It covers preventive, routine and emergency dental services for eligible children.

You can apply for your children if they are 17 and under, live in Ontario, and come from a household whose income is within the program’s limits. The Ontario government page sets out those limits.

Source: ontario.ca, “Teeth cleaning, check-ups and dental treatment for kids”.

The CDCP is a federal plan. Its covered services include:

• Dental exams, including complete, routine, specific and emergency exams
• X-rays
• Cleaning (scaling)
• Fluoride applications
• Sealants
• Root canal treatments
• Permanent fillings
• Removal of teeth and roots

Orthodontic services are currently not available through the CDCP, and some services need preauthorization from the plan.

The plan pays its own fee schedule, which may not be the same as what a dentist charges, so extra charges can apply. The full list is on canada.ca.

To see whether the plan could cover your family, run the quick check on our home page.

Source: canada.ca, Canadian Dental Care Plan, “What services are covered”.