A welcoming team member at the seesmile reception desk

Insurance and payment

Dental insurance, direct billing and CDCP in North York

How direct billing and CDCP work at our studio, and what you may still pay.

Book online →Call (647) 474-7980

Insurance and CDCP

We accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), and we bill dental insurance directly. This page explains how both work at our studio on Sheppard Avenue East, near Yonge and Sheppard, what you may still pay, and how to check your coverage before a visit.

At a glance

The short version

  • Direct billing: yes. We send your claim to your insurer for you.
  • CDCP: yes, we accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan. For covered care, you pay only your CDCP co-payment. If CDCP covers 100% of your care, you pay nothing for covered care.
  • No fee-guide difference: we never charge CDCP patients the difference between the CDCP fee guide and the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) fee guide.
  • Our fees: we never charge more than the ODA fee guide.
  • Payment for any balance: debit, credit card, cash or Interac e-Transfer.
  • Larger treatments: 0% financing is available on larger treatments, such as implants and orthodontics; the term depends on the case.
  • Before treatment: you get the fee, and we can ask your insurer for an estimate of what they will pay.

Direct billing

Direct billing: how it works

Direct billing is the everyday name for what insurers call "assignment of benefits". You authorize your plan to pay us directly, and we send the claim electronically, often getting the answer while you are still at the front desk.1

  • Your insurer pays its share to us.
  • You pay the part your plan doesn't cover, at your visit.
  • If your plan pays less than expected, or the claim is refused, the balance is still your responsibility.1 That is why we explain the fee first.

What to bring

  • Your insurance details: the plan or policy number, your member or certificate number, and the plan holder's name and date of birth
  • Details of a second plan, if you or your child are covered by two

Two plans (coordination of benefits)

If you are covered by two plans, for example your own and your spouse's, the plans coordinate: one pays first, and together they can't pay more than 100% of the eligible cost. For children covered by both parents, the plan of the parent whose birthday falls earlier in the year usually pays first.2 Bring the details of both plans to your visit.

Predetermination

Getting an estimate before treatment

If you are unsure what your plan will pay, we can send a predetermination (a pre-treatment estimate) to your insurer before we start.1 Your insurer can tell you what it will pay, but decisions about your treatment stay between you and your dentist.1

Your dentist may not know every detail of your plan, such as yearly maximums or how often a service is covered. Your employer or benefits provider can confirm these.1

About fees

The Ontario Dental Association publishes a Suggested Fee Guide. Dentists set their own fees, and many insurance plans base their coverage on the guide, sometimes on an older year's edition.3 This is one reason a plan may not cover 100% of a fee.

At seesmile, we never charge more than the ODA fee guide.

Canadian Dental Care Plan

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP)

The CDCP is a federal government plan that helps cover dental care for eligible Canadian residents who don't have access to dental insurance. Since May 2025, eligible adults aged 18 to 64 can apply, which completed the rollout to all age groups.4

Who qualifies

To qualify, you must:5

  • Have no access to dental insurance, including through an employer, a pension, or a health spending account that covers dental. Having access counts even if you don't use it.
  • Have an adjusted family net income under $90,000
  • Have filed your tax return for the previous year (and your spouse or common-law partner too)
  • Be a resident of Canada for tax purposes

How much you pay (co-payment)

Your co-payment depends on your adjusted family net income:6

  • Under $70,000: 0% co-payment
  • $70,000 to $79,999: 40% co-payment
  • $80,000 to $89,999: 60% co-payment

These levels can change when you renew, so check your current co-payment in your Sun Life account.

What CDCP covers

CDCP covers a range of services, including exams, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride, sealants, fillings, root canals, gum care, extractions, some crown work, and sedation, including nitrous oxide.6 Orthodontics is not currently covered.6 Some services need preauthorization first, including crowns, root canal re-treatment and some types of sedation.6

Will I pay anything beyond my co-payment?

Not for covered care. CDCP pays set amounts, and under the plan's rules a provider's fee can be higher than what CDCP pays, with the patient asked to pay the difference.6,7 At seesmile, we never charge that difference between the CDCP fee guide and the ODA fee guide.

  • CDCP covers 100% of your care (0% co-payment): you pay nothing for covered care.
  • You have a co-payment (40% or 60%): you pay only your CDCP co-payment.

This applies to care CDCP covers. For services CDCP doesn't cover, such as orthodontics, you get the fee before any treatment.

How to apply

Apply online through your My Service Canada Account or Canada.ca, or by phone at 1-833-537-4342 (TTY 1-833-677-6262).8 Once you are approved, Sun Life, which administers the plan, mails you a welcome package and member card.7

Before your visit

  • Confirm your coverage is active, and check your benefits, in your Sun Life online account.7
  • Bring your CDCP member card or number to your appointment.
  • Renew every year. The benefit period ends on June 30. If you miss the renewal, care during the gap is not covered.9

Ontario programs

Other programs

  • Healthy Smiles Ontario is the Ontario program for children and youth 17 and under from low-income households.10 seesmile does not accept Healthy Smiles Ontario. If your family has no access to dental insurance, your child may qualify for CDCP instead, which we accept (see who qualifies, above).5
  • Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program provides free routine dental care for eligible low-income seniors aged 65 and over.11 Check the program page for how to apply and where care is provided.

Payment

Paying for your care

  • Debit, credit card, cash and Interac e-Transfer
  • 0% financing on larger treatments, such as implants and orthodontics; the term depends on the case. Ask us whether your treatment qualifies.
  • New patients: our $99 new-patient visit: a full exam, X-rays as the dentist decides are needed, and a standard cleaning for healthy gums. Deeper cleaning may need extra appointments and fees. See the new-patient visit.

Visiting seesmile

Visiting the studio

  • 175 Sheppard Avenue East, North York, near Yonge & Sheppard. About a 10-minute walk from Sheppard–Yonge station, with free underground parking.
  • Step-free access by elevator or ramp from the parking and the street.
  • Monday to Friday 9 am to 8 pm, Saturday 9 am to 4 pm, closed Sunday.
  • Our team speaks English, Farsi, Spanish and Tagalog, so you can ask about coverage in the language you're most comfortable with.
  • Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is available for adults and children from age 6.
  • Patients come to our North York studio from across Toronto. We're a short trip on Line 1 (Yonge) and Line 4 (Sheppard).
The seesmile Dental Studio storefront, with a person at the entrance

Book online or call us.

Have your insurance or CDCP details ready, and we can check them before your visit.

Book online → Call (647) 474-7980

Questions

Questions, answered.

Yes. seesmile Dental Studio accepts the Canadian Dental Care Plan, and we bill Sun Life directly.

Yes. We send your claim electronically to your insurer, and you pay the part your plan doesn't cover.

Only your CDCP co-payment, if you have one (0%, 40% or 60%, based on income). If CDCP covers 100% of your care, you pay nothing for covered care. We never charge the difference between the CDCP and ODA fee guides.

No. We never charge more than the Ontario Dental Association fee guide.

No. Children in families without access to dental insurance may qualify for CDCP, which we accept.

Not at this time. Orthodontics is not currently covered by CDCP. Ask us about Invisalign, braces and 0% financing.

No. CDCP is for people without access to dental insurance. If you have access to a plan through work, a pension or a health spending account, you don't qualify, even if you don't use it.

We can send a predetermination for planned treatment. For general questions such as yearly maximums, your insurer or employer has the full details of your plan.

You don't need to wait for the card to get care once you are approved, but only care on or after your coverage start date is covered. Bring your member number to your visit.

References

Sources

Related pages: New-patient visit · Cleanings and check-ups · About seesmile · Family dentistry · Dental implants · Emergency visits

  1. Ontario Dental Association. Understanding your dental benefits: a handy guide for patients (2025). https://www.oda.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/For-Patients_Dental-Plans_Understanding-Dental-Benefits_EN_ODA_Web.pdf
  2. Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. Understanding the coordination of benefits. https://www.clhia.ca/en-ca/Consumers/Understanding-the-Coordination-of-Benefits
  3. Ontario Dental Association. Dental costs explained. https://www.oda.ca/visiting-the-dentist/dental-costs-explained/
  4. Health Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to include millions of new eligible Canadians (news release, 22 March 2025). https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2025/03/canadian-dental-care-plan-expands-to-include-millions-of-new-eligible-canadians.html
  5. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: do you qualify (modified 2026-09-22). https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/qualify.html
  6. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: services covered (modified 2026-08-27). https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/coverage.html
  7. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: after you apply (2026-08-21). https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/after-apply.html
  8. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: apply (modified 2026-09-24). https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/apply.html
  9. Government of Canada. Canadian Dental Care Plan: renew (modified 2026-09-22). https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/dental/dental-care-plan/renew.html
  10. Government of Ontario. Get dental care (Healthy Smiles Ontario; updated 4 November 2026). https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-dental-care
  11. Government of Ontario. Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (updated 31 July 2026). https://www.ontario.ca/page/dental-care-low-income-seniors
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