P.E.I. senior struggles to find a dentist

Few options for Islanders seeking care under the federal dental program

After calls to several dentists and a plea on Facebook, Dale Paynter finally found a hygienist who is enrolled in the federal dental program after his original dentist refused to participate in the program.

Paynter, 73, who lives in Burlington P.E.I., said he had an upcoming teeth cleaning appointment with his longtime dentist. When he called the office to reschedule his appointment for when he gets his Canadian Dental Care Plan card, which would have provided him dental insurance, he got a disappointing response from the receptionist.

“She told me ‘oh, well, we're not going to be involved in that,’” he said.

Paynter contacted two other dentists but received the same response. He later made a request on Facebook for dental recommendations. A hygienist in Alberton who had already signed up for the program saw his post and contacted him. She was only able to offer him a teeth cleaning service.

In P.E.I., no dentist has signed up for the Canadian Dental Care Plan program yet. Only two dental professionals, both of whom are dental hygienists, have enrolled.

PAPERWORK BURDEN

Matthew Shaffner, president of the Dental Association of P.E.I., told Saltwire in an interview that the federal program was not developed in collaboration with any of the dental associations across the provinces and territories of Canada and, as a result, there were various significant issues in the program's implementation, which caused concerns among dentists throughout the country.

“There’s some administrative burden around the program that would cause significantly higher workloads for our administrative staff,” he said.

“If the (federal government) continue to implement the suggestions that the provincial and territorial dental associations have made, that I think we will get to a point where we will see a significant improvement in the uptake of the program by the dentists.”

Shaffner said they have given the federal government a few recommendations to improve the program. Some of these suggestions include reducing the administrative burden of the program, simplifying the terms and conditions for participating in it, and making it easier for dentists to get approval for care.

The association also asked that the government be transparent about the fact that the program is subsidized dentistry and not free dentistry.

“I think every dentist wants to provide care for this group

of individuals who would be covered," Shaffner said.

"Nobody, no dentist wants to deny care to anybody. However, the program that was initially developed was not sustainable for dentists to accept into their practice. So, with improvements to the program, I am sure that there will be dentists who will want to sign up.”

FUTURE EXPENSES

Shaffner said the dental association wants the federal government to implement suggestions from dental associations across the country, which he believes will increase dentist participation in the program.

“We want everyone to have access, equal access to care, and we're hoping that the federal government will allow us to do that.”

Paynter has managed to book his teeth cleaning appointment successfully. However, he is concerned about the potential expenses he might face in the future when he needs dental work done.

Paynter does not have dental insurance and he’s also ineligible for the provincial dental program.

“When I heard about the federal program, I thought, ‘It's great to be this old. I will have my dentistry done for free, this is wonderful.' But now I guess it’s not so wonderful.”

“When I heard about the federal program, I thought, ‘It’s great to be this old. I will have my dentistry done for free, this is wonderful.’ But now I guess it’s not so wonderful.”

Dale Paynter