What dentures does the CDCP cover?
Removable dentures are on the plan's list of services it can cover when an oral health provider recommends them. That includes complete dentures, partial dentures, repairs, relines and rebases (maintenance work on a denture you already have), and tissue conditioning: a lining put in a denture to condition the tissues of your mouth for comfort and healing.
The plan decides coverage person by person, looking at your oral health and medical conditions. Each kind of denture has a limit on how often the plan will consider it, some kinds share one limit, and some kinds need preauthorization, also called pre-approval: approval from the plan before treatment starts.
This page reflects the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide in effect since April 1, 2026, which the Government of Canada last updated on August 28, 2026, and Sun Life's 2026 Ontario benefit grids, which apply to care from April 1, 2026.
Complete dentures: how often, and is pre-approval needed?
A standard complete (full) denture does not need pre-approval. The plan covers one per arch, upper or lower, in any 8 years (96 months).
A complete overdenture, or a complete denture with a long-term soft liner (a soft lining meant to stay in the denture), does need pre-approval. It has the same limit.
The plan will consider a complete denture as the first one the CDCP pays for on that arch, or to replace a complete denture the CDCP covered once it is at least 8 years old.
What about immediate and transitional dentures after extractions?
When teeth are removed, the plan can cover one of two complete dentures for that arch, not both: a transitional (provisional) denture, which is a short-term denture worn before a long-term one, or an immediate denture. The two share a single limit of one per arch in your lifetime.
A standard immediate or transitional complete denture does not need pre-approval. An immediate overdenture does, and it counts toward the same lifetime limit.
Which one you get affects what comes next. After a transitional denture, the plan will consider another type of denture after 6 months. After a complete immediate denture, it will consider another complete denture only after 8 years.
The plan also sets timelines from the day of the extractions: a transitional denture must be put in within 7 days, and an immediate denture should be put in within 45 days. The plan's payment for an immediate denture includes the tissue conditioner, but a processed reline or rebase later on is a separate service with its own limit.
Partial dentures: pre-approval, conditions and limits
Your first partial denture always needs pre-approval, and so does a transitional (provisional) partial denture. Acrylic partial dentures, whether standard, immediate, overdenture or transitional, are limited to one per arch in any 5 years (60 months). Cast partial dentures are limited to one per arch in any 8 years (96 months). After a partial immediate denture, the plan will consider another acrylic partial after 5 years, or a cast partial after 8 years.
The conditions the plan checks for a partial denture include:
- You are missing at least one front tooth, or at least two back teeth on one side of your upper or lower jaw, not counting second and third molars.
- All basic treatment is finished: decay, gum disease and infection at the root tips are under control for all your teeth, and major damage to the teeth that will hold the denture has been restored.
Can the CDCP replace a denture you already have?
A partial denture you got and paid for outside the CDCP does not count against the plan's limits, so you can be eligible for a new one, subject to pre-approval. For a complete denture, Sun Life's Ontario benefit grid for denturists says that, as a new member, you could be eligible for a new one even if you already have a complete denture made and paid for outside the plan. Your dental office can send Sun Life an estimate before treatment to confirm what the plan will cover.
If the CDCP paid for your current denture, the plan normally considers a new one only after its limit: 8 years for a standard complete denture or after a complete immediate denture, 6 months after a transitional denture, 5 years for an acrylic partial and 8 years for a cast partial. Apart from a transitional partial denture, replacing a partial denture the CDCP paid for does not need pre-approval once the old one has reached that age.
Your provider can ask for an earlier replacement through pre-approval, with a reason, and not every request is approved. That option does not exist for a complete transitional or complete immediate denture, which are limited to one per arch in a lifetime.
After a reline or rebase of your denture, the plan will not pay for a new denture for 2 years (24 months), whatever the other limits allow, because it treats the reline or rebase as extending the denture's life. In Sun Life's example, a denture relined on December 15, 2025 cannot be replaced under the CDCP until December 16, 2027. Limits run on rolling periods counted from your last service, not by calendar year.
Repairs, relines and rebases: how often?
None of these needs pre-approval, but each has its own limit per arch:
- Repairs and additions: once in any 12 months.
- A reline or a rebase: once in any 2 years (24 months).
- Tissue conditioning: once in any 2 years (24 months).
What comes with a new denture, and what about adjustments?
The plan's payment for a new complete or partial denture includes 3 months of follow-up care after it is put in. Depending on the type of denture, that can include adjustments, repairs, relines and tissue conditioning.
An adjustment done on the same day as a new denture, a repair, a reline, a rebase or tissue conditioning is part of that service, not a separate one. In Ontario, a separate adjustment is covered without pre-approval after the first 3 months, or sooner if it is done by a provider other than the dentist who made the denture.
Since December 2025, the limits on denture services such as relines, rebases, repairs and tissue conditioning apply no matter which provider or office did the earlier service.
Who can make a denture under the CDCP?
Dentists and denturists can both bill the CDCP, and Sun Life publishes a 2026 Ontario benefit grid for each that lists complete and partial dentures, relines, rebases and repairs. Whoever you choose has to accept CDCP patients and bill Sun Life directly.
If one type of provider received a pre-approval for your denture and you then have the same treatment done by another, such as a denturist instead of a dentist, a new request is not needed unless the treatment plan changes.
How does pre-approval work for a denture?
Your dental office sends the request to Sun Life, which decides it under the plan's rules; you do not send it yourself. Not every request is approved. An approval is normally valid for up to 12 months, as long as you are still covered on the day of treatment.
An approval is not a promise of payment. The plan assesses the claim on your eligibility and its rules and fees on the day of service, and for a denture that is the day it is put in, not the day it is made. If you are no longer covered on that day, the claim is denied.
If a request is denied, your provider can ask for one reconsideration on your behalf within 60 days, with new clinical information. The reconsideration decision is final, and items on the plan's list of exclusions cannot be reconsidered at all.
What does the CDCP not cover?
Some items are exclusions: they sit outside the plan at all times and are never eligible. For dentures and replacing missing teeth, the list includes:
- Complete or partial dentures supported by implants, including an overdenture held by implants.
- Dental implants and every implant-related procedure.
- Bone grafts and ridge augmentation.
- Precision attachment partial dentures.
- Bridges and every bridge-related procedure.
What might you pay for dentures under the CDCP?
The CDCP pays providers its own set fee for each covered service. Your share of that fee, the co-payment, depends on your adjusted family net income:
- Under $70,000: no co-payment.
- $70,000 to $79,999: the plan pays 60% of its fee and you pay 40%.
- $80,000 to $89,999: the plan pays 40% of its fee and you pay 60%.
Can you still be charged with no co-payment?
Yes. Whatever your co-payment, you may pay more if your provider's fee is higher than the CDCP fee, or if you agree to a service the plan does not cover, such as an implant. The plan also does not cover procedures linked to a service it does not cover. Ask before treatment what will not be covered and what you will pay.
Your co-payment level is in your enrolment letter from the Government of Canada, and it can change when you renew. Your provider bills Sun Life for you, so do not pay the full cost up front: the CDCP pays only providers, and you cannot claim money back from it.
| Denture or service | Pre-approval needed? | How often the plan covers it |
|---|---|---|
| Standard complete denture | No | Once per arch in any 8 years (96 months) |
| Complete overdenture, or complete denture with a long-term soft liner | Yes | Once per arch in any 8 years (96 months) |
| Immediate or transitional complete denture | No | Once per arch in a lifetime: one or the other, not both |
| Immediate overdenture | Yes | Once per arch in a lifetime, shared with immediate and transitional complete dentures |
| Acrylic partial denture (standard, immediate or overdenture) | Yes for the first one; not to replace a CDCP-paid one that has reached its limit | Once per arch in any 5 years (60 months) |
| Transitional (provisional) acrylic partial denture | Yes | Once per arch in any 5 years (60 months) |
| Cast partial denture | Yes for the first one; not to replace a CDCP-paid one that has reached its limit | Once per arch in any 8 years (96 months) |
| Repairs and additions | No | Once per arch in any 12 months |
| Reline or rebase | No | Once per arch in any 2 years (24 months) |
| Tissue conditioning | No | Once per arch in any 2 years (24 months) |
| Denture supported by implants | Not covered | Never: it is an exclusion |
From the CDCP Dental Benefits Guide in effect since April 1, 2026, and Sun Life's 2026 Ontario benefit grids. Replacing a denture sooner than its limit needs pre-approval, and is not an option for an immediate or transitional complete denture. Limits count from the date of your last service, and the plan decides each claim.