
I'm 74, still working and can't afford new teeth. Dental care is my election issue
Social Sharing
This First Person article is the experience of Gale Uhlmann, a superintendent in Stirling, Ont. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
Most people assume I wear a mask to places like the gas station, the bank and the grocery store because of COVID. But for me, it's something far more personal. Something I am too ashamed to reveal.
I wear it to hide the fact that I have no teeth.
I will turn 75 this July, and I'm still working — not by choice, but by necessity. Despite dedicating over 60 years of my life to the workforce, my pension is not enough for me to survive. But financial hardship is only part of my struggle. In December, I got the devastating news that I needed to have all my teeth removed.
The pain of losing my teeth was difficult enough, but what followed was even worse.
I believed the new Canadian Dental Care Plan would cover most of the cost. A few weeks later, I learned I was being denied my claim. The reason? I don't qualify for assistance because I have health insurance through my job.
That leaves me stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Much of my career was spent working different jobs, including driving a truck in the U.S. I receive a reduced monthly amount from the Canada Pension Plan, and I don't have a lot of savings to rely on.
My husband recently passed away, and while I have children, I refuse to become a burden. I have always been independent. As a mother, my role has been to take care of them, not the other way around.
People often ask why I still work. The answer is simple: the rising cost of living leaves me no other option. Groceries, rent, and basic necessities have skyrocketed, and without my job as a superintendent in an apartment building, I have no idea where I would live or how I would even be able to afford the rent.
The dental insurance my employer provides is minimal — just 60 per cent of a $750 maximum for all my benefits per year.
My first bill alone for extractions was $5,400. After that, I need an additional nearly $4,000 for dentures.
The cruellest irony? If I were fully retired, had no private dental insurance, and made up to $90,000 a year, my procedure would have been covered. But because I work — because I am trying to survive and contribute to looking after the community of the buildings and the occupants I take care of — I receive nothing. That is a disgrace.
Since Jan. 4, I have been toothless, unable to eat solid food, surviving on soup, and avoiding social gatherings out of embarrassment. I had to rely on a line of credit just to eat and to pay for the dentures. I endured the excruciating pain of having my teeth removed, only to face the humiliation of living without them for months.
I have shared my story with other seniors, and they were appalled that my dental expenses were not covered. One friend was so convinced there must have been a mistake that they urged me to call the program administrators and clarify. I only wish they were right — that this was simply an error.
Despite sending outraged letters from myself and my sister to the Prime Minister, the Health Minister and others, I remain ineligible for this coverage.
I have worked my entire life, yet I am left struggling to afford basic healthcare. No senior should have to endure what I have been through. This is why seniors' dental care must be on the federal election agenda and our government must do better.
I want to vote for a federal party that supports and plans to expand the dental care program. Even though the Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will keep the federal dental care program, I don't know if that promise is genuine, since his party has openly criticized the dental plan previously. He's also not committed to expanding dental coverage to seniors like myself who don't have coverage.
WATCH | NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Poilievre is just playing politics on the election campaign:
Singh says Poilievre is lying about keeping dental care
2 days ago
Duration 0:56
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying Poilievre's comments that he would keep programs like dental care and pharmacare were lies — pointing to the Conservative leader voting against the legislation. He said Poilievre is just playing politics 'on the eve of an election.'
My sister and her husband recently visited and brought me my favourite crispy egg rolls from Ottawa.
I froze them, waiting for a day that's felt painfully far away — when I can finally enjoy them again.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
15 hours ago
- Global News
RFK Jr. removes all 17 members of U.S. vaccine advisory panel
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to oust all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, has not said who he would appoint to the panel, but said it would convene in just two weeks in Atlanta. Although it's typically not viewed as a partisan board, the Biden administration had installed the entire committee. 'Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028,' Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. 'A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.' Story continues below advertisement Kennedy said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Committee members routinely disclose any possible conflicts at the start of public meetings. Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called Kennedy's mass ouster 'a coup.' 'It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation,' Benjamin told The Associated Press. 0:37 RFK announces COVID vaccine removal from immunization schedule for pregnant women and children Benjamin said the move raises real concerns about whether future committee members will be viewed as impartial. He added that Kennedy is going against what he told lawmakers and the public, and the public health association plans to watch Kennedy 'like a hawk.' Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'He is breaking a promise,' Benjamin said. 'He said he wasn't going to do this.' Dr. Bruce A. Scott, president of the American Medical Association, called the committee a trusted source of science- and data-driven advice and said Kennedy's move, coupled with declining vaccination rates across the country, will help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases. Story continues below advertisement 'Today's action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives,' Scott said in a statement. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a doctor who had expressed reservations about Kennedy's nomination but voted to install him as the nation's health secretary nonetheless, said he had spoken with Kennedy moments after the announcement. 'Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,' Cassidy said in a social media post. 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.' 9:34 RFK Jr. and Elizabeth Warren get into heated debate over vaccine question at confirmation hearing The committee had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting. Story continues below advertisement During Kennedy's confirmation, Cassidy had expressed concerns about preserving the committee, saying he had sought assurances that Kennedy would keep the panel's current vaccine recommendations. Kennedy did not stick to that. He recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the advisers. The webpage that featured the committee's members was deleted Monday evening, shortly after Kennedy's announcement.


Winnipeg Free Press
16 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. The 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting. Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the panel. Kennedy, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Committee members routinely disclose any possible conflicts at the start of public meetings. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
People call this hotline when they use drugs alone
An anonymous hotline has fielded over 20,000 calls from people across Canada who want support when using drugs alone, and as CBC's Jennifer La Grassa uncovers, the callers who rely on the National Overdose Response Service (NORS) are not who you might think they are.