The president of the Ontario Dental Association says the new Canadian dental plan is a wonderful initiative,

But Dr. Brock Nicolucci also told Zoomer Radio’s Fight Back with guest host Tasha Kheiriddin, the concern is how it’s going to be rolled out.

“Are they going to make it a simple administration? Are dentists and patients going to be able to access this program easily? Are the patients going to have the dentist of their choice? A lot of people don’t realize, but some patients have been with dentists for 30, 40, 50 years. If their dentist doesn’t want to participate in this program. Are they going to have to find a new dentist?” Nicolucci asks.

Dr. Nicolucci says the ODA is currently in negotiations with the federal government to resolve these issues among others.

The federal reimbursement plan closely resembles what the government pays as part of its benefits program for First Nations and Inuit, which is typically less than is recommended by provincial and territorial guides.

Nicolucci says that means dentists may not want to sign up to take part, or patients may have to pay the difference out-of-pocket.