What counts as a cleaning under the CDCP?
The plan's coverage page lists cleaning, which it calls scaling, among the diagnostic and preventive services it may cover when your oral health provider recommends them. Scaling, polishing and topical fluoride, which includes fluoride varnish, each have their own limit.
Within those limits, none of the three needs preauthorization, which is approval from the plan before treatment starts. This page calls it pre-approval.
The limits here come from the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide effective April 1, 2026, and Sun Life's 2026 Ontario benefit grid for dentists, which applies to services from April 1, 2026. The plan pays under the rules in effect on the day you get the service, so confirm your coverage is active before each appointment.
How much cleaning do children, teens and adults get?
Your limits depend on which of the plan's three age groups you are in. The adult group starts at 17, not 18. The table at the end of this page sets the limits side by side.
"In any 12 months" is a rolling period, not a calendar year. The Guide's own example: a recall exam on April 1, 2025 makes you eligible for the next one on April 2, 2026.
- Ages 0 to 11: half a unit of scaling and half a unit of polishing in any 12 months, and one fluoride treatment in any 6 months.
- Ages 12 to 16: 1 unit of scaling and half a unit of polishing in any 12 months, and one fluoride treatment in any 6 months.
- Ages 17 and over: 4 units of scaling in any 12 months, with root planing counted toward the same 4 units; half a unit of polishing in any 12 months; and one fluoride treatment in any 12 months.
Do seniors get different cleaning limits?
No. The plan's cleaning limits use only three age groups, with no separate group for seniors, so a 70-year-old has the same scaling, polishing and fluoride limits as a 30-year-old.
If you qualify for both the CDCP and the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program, the two do not coordinate their benefits. You choose which one to use.
Can you get more cleaning than the limit?
Scaling above your limit may be covered, but it needs pre-approval before treatment starts. Your provider, not you, sends the request to Sun Life, and it is assessed against clinical criteria set by Health Canada.
The plan weighs several factors, including how severe your gum (periodontal) disease is, based on clinical records from the last 12 months, and any medical condition relevant to gum disease, including prescribed medication.
The request includes a claim form and a dated, complete periodontal chart from the last 12 months, or a written reason if the chart is missing or incomplete, along with any relevant clinical findings or notes.
The plan says its criteria are stricter than those of private insurance plans and that not every request is approved. It does not publish how many extra units it may approve.
If a request is turned down, you can ask for a reconsideration; your provider sends it within 60 days of the denial, with new or additional clinical information. There is one level of reconsideration, and its decision is final. You can still choose to have the cleaning and pay your provider for it directly.
Does the CDCP give people with diabetes more cleanings?
No. The plan has no separate cleaning allowance for diabetes or for any other named medical condition. None of the plan's official rules mention diabetes.
A person with diabetes has the same limits as anyone their age. Your provider can ask for more scaling through pre-approval, sending a recent gum (periodontal) chart; the plan weighs how severe your gum disease is and any medical condition relevant to it, including prescribed medication. The plan does not publish which conditions count, each request is decided on its own, and not every request is approved.
How many check-ups and x-rays does the CDCP cover?
Exam and x-ray limits are the same at every age, apart from a first dental visit for children up to and including age 3, covered once in a lifetime. A recall (check-up) exam is covered once in any 12 months. A complete oral exam is covered once in any 60 months (5 years), and when you have one it takes the place of the recall exam for that period.
- Intraoral x-rays (periapical, bitewing and occlusal images): up to 8 in any 12 months.
- A complete series of intraoral x-rays (12 to 16 images): once in any 60 months (5 years).
- Panoramic x-ray: once in any 60 months, and up to 3 in a lifetime.
Who can clean your teeth under the CDCP?
In Ontario, Sun Life's 2026 grids list scaling for dentists and for independent dental hygienists. The grid for independent hygienists lists scaling, root planing, polishing and fluoride with the same limits as the grid for dentists, within the hygienist's scope of practice.
Whoever you choose, confirm that they accept CDCP members and bill Sun Life directly. Your dental office can check with Sun Life that your coverage is active and which frequency limits apply to you before booking or treating.
Do you pay anything for a cleaning under the CDCP?
You may. The co-payment applies to cleanings as it does to other covered services. It is a percentage of the CDCP fee: the fee the plan sets for each covered service, often different from what providers charge.
On top of any co-payment, you may pay the difference if your provider's fee is higher than the CDCP fee, and you pay for any service you agree to that the plan does not cover. Ask your provider about these costs before treatment.
Do not pay the full cost up front: the plan pays providers and does not reimburse patients. To qualify for the CDCP at all, adjusted family net income must be under $90,000. Below that, your co-payment depends on your income, and the plan uses the level you have on the day of the service:
- Under $70,000: a 0% co-payment, though other charges may still apply
- $70,000 to $79,999: a 40% co-payment, with the plan covering 60% of the CDCP fee
- $80,000 to $89,999: a 60% co-payment, with the plan covering 40% of the CDCP fee
| Age | Scaling | Polishing | Topical fluoride |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 11 | ½ unit in any 12 months | ½ unit in any 12 months | 1 treatment in any 6 months |
| 12 to 16 | 1 unit in any 12 months | ½ unit in any 12 months | 1 treatment in any 6 months |
| 17 and over | 4 units in any 12 months, shared with root planing | ½ unit in any 12 months | 1 treatment in any 12 months |
From the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide effective April 1, 2026, and Sun Life's 2026 Ontario grid. The plan does not define a unit. A Government of Canada factsheet on co-payments, dated November 2024, describes 2 units of scaling as 30 minutes of cleaning, which works out to about 15 minutes a unit; that is arithmetic from the example, not a rule the plan states.