This is how many dentists have actually signed up for Canada's new dental program

A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.

“I just assumed my dentist would enroll. Why wouldn’t he enroll?” Alexandra Morton told CTV News Toronto.

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“The benefits sound great, but why does it have to be with a participating provider? Why can't it be with my own dentist?"

However, some associations representing dentists have concerns about the plan's terms and conditions and claim too many details haven't been worked out.

“We haven't seen the details yet, and as we know the devil is in the details,” Dr. Brock Nicolucci, President of the Ontario Dental Association, said in an interview on Monday.

Dentists also have concerns about added paperwork, the fee structure, and the plan’s terms and conditions, Nicolucci said.

"We are trying to work this out with the federal government, but again these are concerns that we have raised and we are still not there yet,” he said.

Dr. Joel Antel, President of the Canadian Dental Association, echoed similar concerns to Nicolucci in a separate interview with CTV News Toronto.

"People are coming into the dental office and some feel they are going to have whatever they want done for free and that just isn't the case,” Antel said.

“To be fair,” he continued, “this is a very ambitious undertaking that would normally take years to roll out and the [government] is trying to do it in months."

In January, federal Health Minister Mark Holland told CTV’s Power Play, the Liberal government was working with dentists to address their concerns.

"They are not going to get everything they want and we are not going to get everything we want. That's the nature of negotiations," Holland said.

As for Morton, she was told if her dentist won't take part in the program, she should find one who will, but she doesn't want to switch.

"He has all my information and knows the work that has been done on my teeth. I don’t want to switch and that’s my biggest beef," Morton said.

The federal government has said that dentists can provide services under the new dental care plan without officially signing up. For information on who is eligible under the plan you can check the government's website.