Healthy Smiles
Healthy Smiles Ontario – Free Dental Screening
Healthy Smiles Ontario is a free dental program for eligible children and youth 17 and under. Good oral health is important to the overall health of children and youth. It’s essential to start seeing a dentist when your child is 12 months old and to keep going regularly. Healthy Smiles Ontario covers regular check-ups, preventive care, and treatment.
Why is oral health important? Cavities and gum disease can be painful and lead to serious infections, affecting the growth of adult teeth. Pain can result in loss of sleep, affect a child’s ability to eat, and affect their ability to learn and attend school.
With Healthy Smiles Ontario, you can prevent oral health problems before they start. The screening ensures that all children in the family get that first visit, children may not have seen a dental care provider before. Babies can get cavities as soon as teeth appear, that is why it is important to have them screened by the time they turn one year old. This screening can help identify if your child needs emergency treatment and prevent decay. The Healthy Smiles Ontario program cares for lower-income families in need of support. Healthy Smiles Ontario is a government-funded dental program. It provides free preventive, routine, and emergency dental services for children and youth 17 years old and under from low-income households.
This program includes regular visits to a licensed dental provider and covers the cost of treatment including:
- check-ups
- cleaning
- fillings (for a cavity)
- x-rays
- scaling
- tooth extraction
- urgent or emergency dental care (including treatment of a child’s toothache or tooth pain)
The program does not cover cosmetic dentistry, including teeth whitening and braces.
Please contact us if your child needs this service and we can make the arrangements to get you into the program. Call 519-664-3794 ext. 223 to leave a message for the Oral Health Peer Workers.
