Application Criteria

Before your application is reviewed by a Regional Committee, our staff will check to ensure it is complete. The online application is a step-by-step process that must be fully completed, with all 'documents' upoaded in order to be submitted for consideration. Incomplete applications will not be considered by a Regional Committee.

For complete applications, the first assessment criteria is financial eligibility.  We use the Federal Low Income Cut-Offs (LICO), as published by Statistics Canada, to do this.  Financial eligibility depends on family size and the type of area in which you live – the more urban the area, the higher the LICO.  The LICO criteria is used as a guideline; if you do not meet this criterion threshold, please submit additional information pertinent to your financial situation with your application.  The most recent criteria are in the table below:

*2020 data is approximate, as it has not yet been released at time of publication

Next, we look at the Personal Statement and Personal Reference.  These assist us in assessing how likely your child is to maintain the treatment.  We want the orthodontic treatment to succeed, and your child’s motivation and commitment to maintaining good dental health throughout his/her treatment will be very important.

Finally, we consider the digital photos and the Dental Examination Form you submitted as part of the application.  These help us determine your child’s need for orthodontic treatment and overall dental health.  As you can appreciate, many people want to participate in Smiles 4 Canada, and our aim is to help those who can benefit most, or who have the most to gain, from the treatment.

Based on our overall assessment of this material, the Regional Committee will determine if the applicant can be treated through the program.  We will then identify a participating orthodontist who will meet your child to discuss the potential orthodontic treatment plans.  If you agree to a treatment plan, you will be asked to submit a $500 administrative fee to Smiles 4 Canada.  This fee must be paid before treatment can begin.

Key 2022 Program Dates (estimated):

1. Incomplete applications will not upload and therefore will not be considered.
2. The administration fee will be invoiced after the orthodontist confirms that an initial consultation has resulted in a treatment plan. Treatment will begin AFTER the fee is received (even if past the deadline)