SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Diane Goodlife says she needs a root canal but she's out of luck - at least for now.

Yellowknife resident Diane Goodlife says she cannot get needed dental work done because of rigid government guidelines on uninsured dental coverage. She says there are other First Nation and Inuit people out there who face the same problem. - Mark Rieder/NNSL photo

As an aboriginal person her dental care is covered under Health Canada, but she's already reached her quota of that procedure - three in three years - meaning she'd have to foot the bill herself.

"A regular person cannot afford to get that (root canal) done, they can only afford to get teeth pulled because that's cheaper," she said.

Yellowknife Dentist Hassan Adam agrees with Goodlife that the rules are too rigid. He said he has tried to reason with Health Canada for years to try to give his patients the dental care they need.

"It's an ongoing battle with the (Health Canada) department to get coverage," he said. "They have lots of restrictions and lots of rules."

Under the benefits package for uninsured First Nations and Inuit people, dental work is granted on a by-procedure basis. For example, recipients can get up to three checkups a year, plus one crown or complete tooth reconstruction in one year.

The guidelines state that if an individual needs more than the allowed three root canals in a three-year period, for example, the dentist needs to fill out a pre-approval form before permission is given to proceed.

Health Canada couldn't provide an interview with Yellowknifer by press time, but spokesperson Andre Gagnon stated by e-mail "coverage of dental services is determined on an individual basis" and that "if a client requires root canal treatment and have reached the frequency limit ... subsequent procedures would require pre-approval."

"Pre-approvals are often rejected," Adam said.

But Gagnon also stated that "additional treatment would be covered as long as the criteria outlined in the guide have been met and the need is supported in the documentation submitted by the dental provider."

He concluded by stating that all clients have the right to appeal and there is a process to do so.

Goodlife said when she was growing up in Sachs Harbour there was a mobile clinic that provided regular dental care and problems like what she is currently experiencing did not happen.

She says she also knows other status aboriginal people who are becoming increasingly frustrated by the barriers.

"It's discouraging to a lot of people because they can't get work done," she said. "I think the (dental)- care system should be revised."

Adam said some private dental coverage has an annual benefit amount that allows the person to choose how the money is spent. The coverage offered by Health Canada for aboriginal people specifies how the funding should be used. He equated the coverage to a two-tiered system.

"It's a very unfair system the way they have it set up," he said.

Adam said he thinks that by specifying how the benefits are handed out, the government is trying to save money.

For example, he said there is little need for an individual to get three checkups a year but the guidelines allow for that many. The funds are saved if only one examination is used and cannot be transferred for other, necessary work, he said.

Adam continued on to say that everybody has different dental care needs and it's wrong to think one size can fit all.

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