Dentists in P.E.I. are slowly getting on board with Ottawa’s new dental care program for seniors, according to the head of the association that represents practitioners on the Island.
“Initially it was slow, there was lots of confusion — there still is lots of confusion — but the number of dentists that are participating now [has] increased,” said Dr. Mike Connolly, CEO of the Dental Association of P.E.I.
Launched in May, the federal government’s Canadian Dental Care Plan was met at first with frustration and confusion from both dentists and the seniors it was meant to serve.
Some patients were under the impression services would be free, while dentists were left with extra administrative paperwork in order to claim reimbursement from Ottawa.
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Seniors with household incomes above $90,000 a year are not eligible for the program. For seniors with incomes between $70,000 and $90,000, there is a co-pay.
In March, 90 per cent of the dentists surveyed by the P.E.I. association indicated they would not sign on to deliver services through the program.
By mid-April, though, dental associations left a meeting with federal Health Minister Mark Holland satisfied that some of the program’s wrinkles could be ironed out.
Connolly said many of those initial issues no longer exist.
