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.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Tuesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
New study shows financial impact of homelessness on our health-care system
A new study out of London, Ont. lays out the cost of the homelessness crisis on our health-care system.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.