Wisdom teeth surgery out of reach for young Sask. mom, who hopes national plan can help

A 23-year-old single mother from Prince Albert says she has been living in pain from her wisdom teeth for more than three years.

Recently, the pain has become unbearable, but Alexis Wintonyk can’t afford dental care. 

“I was able to get one pulled but my others are complicated, so I’ll need surgery to get the other ones out. And [for] surgery, I’m looking at $3,000,” she said.

She was recently laid off from her job as a server. After paying for living expenses for herself and her three-year-old daughter, she said she doesn't have the money for the down payment on the extraction — let alone the surgery. 

“It was devastating. I was like really upset. I’m in a lot of pain and oral gel, and over the counter stuff, can only do so much — so finding that out felt like a sentence,” she said.

Because she was employed, Wintonyk isn’t eligible for provincial social assistance dental care programs. She is now applying online for the Canadian Dental Care Plan and said she is anxious to see what procedures are covered and if the plan pays for wisdom teeth removal.

Earlier this year, the plan expanded significantly to cover 18 to 64-year-olds, in addition to the children and seniors who were previously eligible for coverage.

According to the federal government, all Canadians with an adjusted family net income of less than $90,000 are eligible to apply. Applicants need to have filed a 2024 tax return in Canada and not have access to dental insurance. The forms can be accessed online at canada.ca/dental. 

Oral surgery is listed under major services that "could be covered" when they're recommended by an oral health provider.

The program is estimated to save eligible Canadians an average of $800 per year on dental care services. It pays varying percentages, based on income, for basic oral health care such as dental cleaning, fillings and extractions.

“And then it can actually be elevated to even major dentistry, like crowns and root canals and dentures,” said College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan president-elect Dr. Raju Bhargava.

Dentists in the province have seen an overall increase in patient volume and are attributing it to the Canadian Dental Care Plan, he said, with some patients who haven't been to a dentist in years coming in, due to having the benefits now.

A survey conducted by the college found nearly 100 per cent of dentists in the province are signed up to administer the program to patients.

But dentists report that the plan has added “administrative burden” to their practices. Dentists said in the survey that filing claims added about one hour of extra work to their staff per day. Dentists have to send in proof to get preauthorization for major dentistry.