The CDCP annual maximum is the total amount the plan will pay toward your dental care in a single benefit year. The CDCP provides up to $650 in dental benefits per eligible person per benefit year. Once that ceiling is reached, any remaining treatment that year is your responsibility. The maximum resets on January 1, and each eligible person on your household plan has their own separate annual maximum.
This is one of the most practical things to understand about the Canadian Dental Care Plan — not because most patients hit the ceiling on routine care, but because if you need significant restorative work, it affects how you plan and sequence your treatment. For a full overview of what the CDCP covers before getting into the annual limit specifics, see What Does the Canadian Dental Care Plan Cover?.
How Much Is the CDCP Annual Maximum?
The CDCP provides up to $650 in dental benefits per eligible person per benefit year. The benefit year runs from January 1 to December 31. Any unused portion of your annual maximum does not carry forward — it expires at year end.
This $650 represents what the CDCP pays — not the total treatment cost. Because the plan covers 40 to 80 percent of the eligible fee depending on your income bracket, your $650 in benefits can stretch to cover $812 to $1,625 in eligible treatment depending on your coverage level:
- Under $70,000 AFNI (80% coverage): $650 in CDCP benefits covers approximately $812 in eligible treatment costs
- $70,000 to $79,999 (60% coverage): $650 in CDCP benefits covers approximately $1,083 in eligible treatment costs
- $80,000 to $89,999 (40% coverage): $650 in CDCP benefits covers approximately $1,625 in eligible treatment costs
| CHECK CANADA.CA FOR CURRENT AMOUNTS | The CDCP annual maximum is set by the federal government and may be adjusted over time. The $650 figure above reflects the current benefit year. Verify the current amount at the Government of Canada CDCP page before planning treatment around it. |
Does Each Family Member Get a Separate Maximum?
Yes. Each eligible person covered under the CDCP has their own independent annual maximum. The annual maximum is per person, not per household.
This means a family of four where all members are eligible each has their own $650 in annual benefits — the household does not share a single pool. It also means that if one family member uses their full annual maximum, the others are unaffected.
For children, the annual maximum works the same way — each eligible child under 18 has their own separate $650. For more on how children are covered under the plan, see Does the CDCP Cover Children’s Dental Care?.
What Counts Toward the Annual Maximum?
Every CDCP-covered service you receive draws from your annual maximum — including preventive care. This is worth knowing because patients sometimes assume that routine cleanings and exams are separate from the annual limit.
What draws from your annual maximum:
- Dental exams and x-rays
- Dental cleanings: Each professional cleaning counts against your annual benefit
- Fluoride treatments and sealants
- Fillings: See Does the CDCP Cover Dental Fillings? for details
- Root canals: See Does the CDCP Cover Root Canals? for details
- Dental crowns: See Does the CDCP Cover Dental Crowns? for details
- Dentures: See Does the CDCP Cover Dentures? for details
- Extractions and other eligible procedures
Services that are excluded from the CDCP entirely — implants, whitening, orthodontics, cosmetic treatment — do not draw from your annual maximum because they are not covered in the first place. You pay 100% of those costs regardless.
What Happens If I Hit the Annual Maximum?
Once your annual maximum is reached, the CDCP stops paying for that benefit year. Any treatment you receive after that point is billed to you directly — your co-payment no longer applies because there is no CDCP benefit left to apply it against. You pay the full fee for any remaining treatment until your maximum resets on January 1.
If you have private dental insurance in addition to the CDCP, that coverage may help once your CDCP maximum is exhausted. For more on how the two plans interact, see our post on using the CDCP alongside private insurance.
How to Get the Most From Your CDCP Annual Maximum
The annual maximum is finite, so a bit of planning goes a long way — especially if you need more treatment than one year of benefits will cover. At Northland Smiles, we talk through this with CDCP patients at the treatment planning stage so there are no surprises.
A few things that help:
- Book your cleaning and exam early in the year: Getting your preventive care done early gives you a clearer picture of what treatment you may need and how much annual benefit you have remaining to apply to it.
- Prioritize by urgency and cost: If you need a root canal and a crown on the same tooth, those two treatments together may approach or exceed your annual maximum. We review sequencing with you so the highest-priority work happens first.
- Split larger treatment plans across two benefit years: If non-urgent work is needed, it sometimes makes sense to do part of it before December 31 and the rest after January 1, giving you two separate annual maximums to draw from.
- Know your balance before booking additional treatment: If you’ve already had significant treatment this year, ask us to check your remaining CDCP benefit before scheduling more. We can confirm this at any time.
| AT NORTHLAND SMILES | We review your CDCP benefit balance at the treatment planning stage and let you know exactly where you stand before we recommend a sequence. If splitting treatment across benefit years is in your interest, we will tell you — we would rather plan it right than have you hit the ceiling unexpectedly. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the CDCP annual maximum reset every year?
Yes. The annual maximum resets on January 1 each year. Unused benefits from the prior year do not carry forward — the maximum is a use-it-or-lose-it benefit for each calendar year. This is one reason we encourage CDCP patients to get their routine preventive care done consistently rather than skipping years.
What if I need more treatment than my annual maximum covers?
Once your annual maximum is reached, you pay the full cost of any remaining treatment that year out of pocket. Options at that point include waiting until January 1 when your maximum resets, using private dental insurance if you have it to cover the gap, or asking us about payment options. We would rather work through this with you at the planning stage — call us at (403) 286-5030 or request an appointment and let us know you are a CDCP patient.
Does the annual maximum apply separately to each tooth, or to all my dental care combined?
The annual maximum applies to all your CDCP-covered dental care combined — not per tooth or per procedure. Every eligible service you receive throughout the year draws from the same single annual maximum until it is reached. There is no sub-limit by treatment category; a cleaning and a crown both draw from the same pool.
Plan Your CDCP Treatment at Northland Smiles
Understanding your annual maximum helps you get the most from your CDCP coverage — and we make that easy. When you come in as a CDCP patient, we review your benefit balance, explain your coverage for each recommended treatment, and help you sequence work strategically if needed. Call us at (403) 286-5030 or request an appointment online. Let us know you are a CDCP patient when you book.
For the full picture on what the CDCP covers, visit our NW Calgary CDCP hub page.
