Low-income seniors and children from low-income families in the Strathroy area will now be able to access dental services closer to home.
The Middlesex London Health Unit opened a new dental office at The Shops on Sydenham at 51 Front Street East in Strathroy on Monday. Once fully staffed, the clinic will be able to see up to 20 patients a day. Only seniors over the age of 65 and kids under the age of 17 who qualify through the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program and the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program will be seen at the clinic.
"We know that good oral health is an essential part of overall health. The public health dental services and procedures we will be able to offer in this new Strathroy location are in such high demand right now, that we have a waiting list that grows every day,” Dr. Alex Summers, the region's medical officer of health, said in a statement. “With the opening of this new clinic today, we will be able to address that backlog and ensure that people who are in need are able to access the services they require more quickly.”
Until now, the health unit only offered these free dental services through its clinic at Citi Plaza in downtown London. Demand for the free service had grown so high that patients have had to wait several months to see a dentist.
Services being offered at the new clinic to qualifying seniors and children include check-ups and cleanings, x-rays, cavity fillings, oral surgery, endodontic services, and gum condition and diseases treatment.
The new Strathroy dental clinic was funded through a $1.05 million grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Seniors who would like to apply for the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program can do so online at www.ontario.ca/page/dental-care-low-income-seniors or by calling the health unit at 519-663-5317. Families can apply for the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program by visiting www.ontario.ca/page/services-covered-by-healthy-smiles-ontario.
