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Big Book Of Toronto Smiles
Although numerous studies link good health and good teeth, dentistry is not yet covered by OHIP (unless it requires dental surgery that takes place in a hospital). Rumours abound about places in the GTA that offer inexpensive and even free dentistry. It turns out that these inexpensive dental options actually exist—and Torontoist has looked them up for you.
FREE DENTISTRY
If you can’t afford to go to a private dentist and don’t have insurance coverage, you may be able to get free dental care for your kids and parents from Toronto Public Health. They offer conveniently located (near TTC), year-round clinics across the city. Who qualifies? Low-income seniors, children up to grade 8, and high school students. Call 416-392-0907 for more information about these clinics.
If you’re an adult, the “Free” section of Craigslist sometimes yields more than just sofa beds and piles of wood. Student hygienists looking to pass their examinations often need your teeth to get their accreditation. Usually you must be available for several appointments and each session may last three hours. You may be also be asked to pay a small fee to cover x-rays.
ECONO DENTISTRY
Got a bit of cash in pocket but are still afraid to smile? Then schedule some face time with a student dental hygienist. At George Brown student clinicians perform a number of cleaning services—supervised by faculty members, all of whom, we should add, are registered professionals who wouldn’t let anything bad happen. These services aren’t free, but an examination and scaling and polishing should only set you back $35 (not counting x-rays). If you just want your teeth whitened, hey, they’ll do that too. Call 416-415-4547 for more information.
For more advanced dental work, the Patient Clinic at U of T’s Faculty of Dentistry is another place were students hone their skills under the watchful eye of trained dentists. On top of reduced rates, the facility offers fillings, dentures, braces, bridges, implants, children’s dentistry, root canals, crowns, treatment of gum disease, extractions of wisdom teeth, and more. But be forewarned: many of the programmes, particularly for braces and implants, have a long waiting list. Call 416-979-4927 to book a screening appointment (and avoid calling during peak times between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.)
Because these students are learning, procedures can take a little longer. But who wants to rush a student? And who are you to look an almost-gift dentist in the mouth? And because school does let out, clinics are generally closed over the Christmas holidays and the end of August. Plus patient care is extremely limited during July and August. Which makes now a perfectly good time to book an appointment. Another piece of free dental advice: They’re gonna tell you to brush and floss everyday anyway, so you’d better get on that.
Photo by Torontogal Photos from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.