To join Sun Life's dental PPO networks, a dentist signs the Dental Health Alliance (DHA) Participating Dentist Agreement and passes credentialing built on NCQA standards. There is no fee to join. We prepare the application, follow it through approval, confirm your effective date and fee schedule, and make sure claims go out in-network from day one.
Start Sun Life credentialingYou join Sun Life's dental PPO networks by signing the Dental Health Alliance (DHA) Participating Dentist Agreement and passing NCQA-based credentialing. It is free to join. Call 800-434-2638 or email ppoinforequests@sunlife.com to start. DHA is also leased by Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare and MetLife plans, so one contract can bring several payers' members, at DHA's fee schedule. Check that schedule before you sign.
From Sun Life and Dental Health Alliance provider materials, checked November 2026. Confirm details with Provider Relations before you rely on them.
| PPO networks | Sun Life Dental Network and Sun Life Focus Network |
| How you join | Sign the Dental Health Alliance (DHA) Participating Dentist Agreement and pass credentialing |
| Apply (PPO) | Provider Relations 800-434-2638 (7:00 to 4:30 CT), ppoinforequests@sunlife.com, or the online form on dentalhealthalliance.com |
| Prepaid (DHMO) | Separate contract in 21 states: 800-443-2995, PrepaidDental@sunlife.com |
| Fee to join | None, per Sun Life |
| Credentialing standard | Based on NCQA standards; every general dentist and specialist is credentialed before acceptance |
| Provider portal | Sun Life provider portal (launched 2024); register with your TIN and zip code |
| Claims and portal help | 800-442-7742 (portal support 888-308-2026) |
| DHA | 800-522-1313, 2323 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 |
You do not sign a contract called "Sun Life". Sun Life's PPO networks, the Sun Life Dental Network and the Sun Life Focus Network, are made up of dentists contracted with Dental Health Alliance, L.L.C. (DHA), a member of the Sun Life group of companies, plus dentists under access arrangements with other networks. Joining means signing the DHA Participating Dentist Agreement.
A separate prepaid (DHMO) contract is available in 21 states (AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MO, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, UT, WI) through PrepaidDental@sunlife.com.
DHA is a leased network. Other payers buy access to it for their members. DHA's own list (current as of July 2025) includes Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare Dental Benefit Providers, United Concordia/Highmark, DenteMax clients, DentaQuest products such as WellCare and Fallon, Kansas City Life, and MetLife. Signing one agreement can put your practice in-network for members of several plans at once.
That cuts both ways. DHA's own notices say a different fee schedule may apply depending on the plan, and practices that already hold direct contracts with some of those payers can end up unsure which fee schedule governs a claim. Before signing, line up the DHA fee schedule against your current contracts for your top 20 procedures, and decide whether the extra patients are worth the rate. That is the step most practices skip.
Pick your state. This shows Sun Life's own plans, the MetLife arrangement status, Sun Life prepaid availability, and the other payers DHA lists as accessing its network (list current as of July 2025).
Put in what you are paid today for these procedures (or your full fee if these patients pay out of network), DHA's fee, and how many you would do each month for DHA-plan patients. The grey numbers are examples until you enter yours.
| Procedure | Paid today | DHA fee | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periodic exam | |||
| Adult cleaning | |||
| Two-surface composite | |||
| Crown | |||
| Molar root canal |
A rough model: it treats every listed procedure as moving to DHA's fee, which overstates the cut if only some patients' plans use DHA. Use your real fee schedules before signing.
Get the DHA fee schedule reviewedSince October 18, 2025, MetLife PPO members have had in-network access to DHA dentists in most states. California, Illinois and Virginia followed on November 17, 2025, and North Carolina, New Jersey and Washington were waiting on state approval. The arrangement covers commercial PPO plans only, excludes orthodontics, and DHA dentists could opt out. DHA fees apply unless another contract MetLife accesses applies. If you are in DHA but not MetLife's own PDP network, check network status before quoting a MetLife patient's estimate. See our MetLife credentialing guide.
Sun Life completed its acquisition of DentaQuest on June 1, 2022, and DentaQuest is now part of the Sun Life U.S. business. The Sun Life provider portal, launched in 2024, runs on DentaQuest's platform, which is why sunlife.com provider links land on a DentaQuest address. Dentists who see members of Sun Life's employer plans still contract through DHA, not through a DentaQuest Medicaid network. For DentaQuest's own Medicaid and CHIP networks, see DentaQuest credentialing.
DHA has also widened what it covers: Medicare Advantage plans from January 2024, then Exchange and FEDVIP plans. Being in DHA can therefore bring in patients from plan types you may not expect, which is one more reason to verify eligibility before each visit.
From the first application to every renewal after it.
Before you sign, we compare the DHA fee schedule with your current contracts on the procedures you do most, so you know what joining is worth.
DHA agreement, Dentist Profile, Office Profile, W-9 and fees prepared and submitted complete the first time, for every provider and location.
We check status every week and answer requests for missing items the same day, so the application does not sit in a queue.
Effective date and fee schedule confirmed in writing, then loaded into your practice management system so the front desk schedules correctly.
Provider portal registration and electronic payment set up so eligibility checks and payments work from the first claim.
Every provider's renewal dates and expiring documents tracked, so your network status never lapses.
Adding an associate or a new location? Get the Sun Life application in now so they can see Sun Life patients in-network from day one.
Start now
Ori Bekerman, Founder
Built and scaled a multi-location dental organization. Every new provider meant credentialing with every payer at every location. The paperwork, follow-ups, and timeline tracking were never handled well in-house.
PracticeAlpha was built to fix that. Credentialing managed as a revenue-critical process, not background paperwork.
Already in-network and just need to file? See the Sun Life dental claims guide: claims addresses, payer ID 70408, and how to submit.
Sun Life's PPO networks, the Sun Life Dental Network and the Sun Life Focus Network, are built on Dental Health Alliance (DHA), a Sun Life company. You join by signing the DHA Participating Dentist Agreement and passing credentialing. Start with Sun Life Provider Relations at 800-434-2638 or ppoinforequests@sunlife.com, or the online form on dentalhealthalliance.com.
No. Sun Life states there is no fee to join. Credentialing is still required for every general dentist and specialist before acceptance.
The published application packet includes the DHA Participating Dentist Agreement, a Dentist Profile, an Office Profile, a W-9, and your usual and customary fees if requested. Sun Life also keeps each dentist's individual NPI, license, DEA and state drug license numbers, the TIN, a Type 2 NPI for group entities, and EFT details on file.
Often, yes. DHA is accessed by other payers, including Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare Dental Benefit Providers, United Concordia/Highmark, DentaQuest products and MetLife (DHA's list, current as of July 2025). That brings more patients, but a different fee schedule may apply depending on the plan, so check which contract governs before you sign.
They are sister companies. Sun Life completed its acquisition of DentaQuest on June 1, 2022, and the Sun Life provider portal runs on DentaQuest's platform. Dentists who see Sun Life's employer-plan members still contract through DHA, not a DentaQuest network.
Sun Life does not publish a credentialing timeline. Plan on the 60 to 90 days typical of a commercial dental PPO, and start 90 to 120 days before a new associate's first patient.
PPO provider relations and joining: 800-434-2638. Prepaid provider services: 800-443-2995. Claims and the provider portal: 800-442-7742. Dental Health Alliance: 800-522-1313.
Dental Health Alliance (DHA) is a Sun Life company that holds the dentist contracts. Sun Life's PPO networks, the Sun Life Dental Network and the Sun Life Focus Network, are made up of DHA-contracted dentists plus dentists under access arrangements with other networks.
Sun Life does not publicly state a CAQH requirement for DHA. Keep your CAQH ProView profile current anyway, since most of the other payers you will credential with pull from it.
The DHA agreement is what makes you available to payers that access the network. When MetLife started accessing DHA in 2025, DHA dentists were given an opt-out for that arrangement. Ask Provider Relations what opt-outs apply before you sign.
Yes, as a separate contract in 21 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Contact PrepaidDental@sunlife.com or 800-443-2995.
We handle Sun Life (DHA) enrollment from application through approval. CAQH, documents, follow-ups included.