After slow start, more Nova Scotia dental care providers sign up for national plan

Despite changes aimed at making it easier to access coverage under the Canadian Dental Care Plan, some people in Nova Scotia looking for care that's covered will still have to ask their dental providers if they're participating. 

Beginning on July 8, the federal government will allow providers to directly bill Sun Life without formally enrolling in the program — something dental associations have said was a barrier. However, some providers may not be willing or set up to do that.

That's because the federal plan does not allow for patients to pay up front and then be reimbursed. Dr. Juli Waterbury, the president of the Nova Scotia Dental Association, said about 20 per cent of dental offices in the province are not set up to directly bill insurers.

In an emailed statement, Health Canada said direct billing is a widely used process and that the CDCP aims to limit out-of-pocket expenses for those covered. Services covered by the dental care plan that require pre-authorization will be available starting in November. 

Applications for the program have been open for people 65 and older. In June, adults with a valid disability tax credit certificate, and children under 18 will also become eligible.

New details have also been released by Health Canada that clarify how the plan will work alongside existing provincial programs in Nova Scotia.

The plan will be the primary payer for people who are covered by both the federal plan and the province. According to the Nova Scotia Dental Association, the province has decided to maintain all of its existing dental programs, like the Individuals with Special Needs Oral Health Program.

"We're happy to see that the Nova Scotia government recognizes the value of oral health care and they're willing to continue that investment that they've made historically," Waterbury said. 

However, Waterbury said the association has other concerns regarding the federal plan.

"Some of the more complex treatments like dentures for instance, those are going to require pre-authorizations, and those pre-authorizations require more information than a normal insurance plan would require," she said. 

For independent dental hygienist Melanie Thornton, lower compensation and the limits placed on the amount of treatment for different procedures are also a concern. For example, the federal plan covers an hour of scaling every 12 months for people 17 or older; any further coverage would require the provider to make a pre-authorization request.

Thornton said it's frustrating to only be able to provide a limited amount of care to people like seniors or those with gum disease who need to be seen more frequently.

At the same time, Fallon Phillips, who co-owns a dental hygiene practice with Thornton in Bedford, N.S., said the process of enrolling in the plan was straightforward. "We're just looking to see what the next few months brings ... but so far so good."

Their practice has patients who have signed up for the program, and their office is set up for direct billing. "It's just kind of like a normal plan for us," Thornton said.

Nine dental hygienists and more than a dozen Nova Scotia dentists were enrolled in the dental plan as of Friday.