Dental & Eye Health

Dental

Residents of Ontario must pay for their own dental care. Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) pays for some dental surgery when it is carried out in a hospital but does not cover routine visits to the dentist.

Some people receive dental benefits through their employer that pay for part of their dental costs.

Kingston's public health department regularly screens students in the elementary grades for dental problems. Children whose parents can't afford to pay for dental care are referred to the Children in Need of Treatment program.

The public health department maintains a Dental Treatment Assistance Fund to help low-income residents over the age of 18 obtain basic dental care.

To find a dentist in Kingston who is accepting new patients, you can use the online Find a Dentist service of the Ontario Dental Association.

Eye Health

Eye examinations in Ontario are usually done by an optometrist, a health professional who is licensed to diagnose certain eye conditions and prescribe corrective lenses (glasses). A specialist physician called an ophthalmologist treats people with more serious eye conditions and diseases of the eye.

Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) pays for optometry exams every year for people under the age of 20 and 65 years of age and over. OHIP also covers an eye exam once every 12 months for individuals aged 20 to 65 who have medical conditions requiring regular eye examinations. Most visits to an ophthalmologist are covered by OHIP.

Many workers contribute to a workplace vision plan that covers regular eye examinations not paid by OHIP. Some workplace health benefits include part of the cost of corrective lenses or eye glasses.