Chapter 24: Dental, Eye Care, Vaccines & Women's Health — The Stuff Other Guides Skip
Most "medical care in China" advice stops at hospitals and emergencies. But the things that actually send foreigners looking for care are often more mundane: a cracked tooth, broken glasses, a dog bite on a hike, or a routine women's health visit. Here's how each one works.
Dental Care (口腔科 / 牙科)
Good news: China is excellent and cheap for routine dental work — cleanings, fillings, even crowns and implants cost a fraction of US/UK prices.
Where to Go
- Public hospital stomatology department (口腔科) or a dedicated dental hospital (口腔医院) — cheapest, high volume, very competent. Downside: Chinese only, long waits, no hand-holding. A cleaning runs ¥150–¥400; a filling ¥100–¥600.
- International / private dental chains — the foreigner-friendly option. Arrail Dental (瑞尔齿科), SDM Dental (固瑞齿科), BOC Dental, and Bybo (拜博) have English-speaking dentists in major cities, Western-style clinics, and direct-billing with some insurers. Expect 3–6x public prices (a cleaning ¥500–¥1,200), but zero language stress.
Cost Reality (rough, private/international)
| Procedure | Public (RMB) | Private/Intl (RMB) |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning (洗牙) | ¥150–¥400 | ¥500–¥1,200 |
| Filling (补牙) | ¥100–¥600 | ¥600–¥1,500 |
| Root canal (根管治疗) | ¥800–¥2,500 | ¥3,000–¥8,000 |
| Crown (牙冠) | ¥1,500–¥4,000 | ¥5,000–¥12,000 |
| Implant (种植牙) | ¥6,000–¥15,000 | ¥12,000–¥30,000 |
Tips
- Dental emergency (toothache, knocked-out/broken tooth)? Go to a 口腔医院 — the big ones have walk-in/emergency hours. Search "口腔医院 急诊" in your maps app.
- Most travel insurance excludes routine dental. Check your policy; many expat plans cover it partially.
- China is a good place to get a cleaning or filling done. For complex, multi-visit work (full implants, orthodontics), weigh doing it on a planned trip vs. at home for continuity of care.
Eye Care & Glasses (眼科 / 配镜)
Eye Emergencies
Chemical splash, a foreign object you can't flush out, sudden vision loss, eye trauma, or a red painful eye that's getting worse — these are real emergencies. Go to the ophthalmology department (眼科) of a major hospital, or a dedicated eye hospital. Aier Eye Hospital (爱尔眼科) is a large private chain across most cities with some English capability and walk-in service. For a chemical splash, flush the eye with clean water for 15+ minutes before you leave for the hospital.
Glasses & Contacts (the easy part)
This is one of the genuinely great deals in China:
- Glasses: Walk into any optical shop (眼镜店) or an eyewear market (眼镜城). Get a free/cheap eye exam (验光), pick frames, and you often have new glasses the same day for ¥150–¥800. Bring your existing prescription to skip the exam if you prefer.
- Contacts & solution: Cheap and everywhere — optical shops, pharmacies, and JD/Taobao (see Chapter 2). Stock up.
- LASIK / refractive surgery: China does enormous volumes at low prices (¥10,000–¥25,000). Quality at top eye hospitals is high, but research the specific surgeon and clinic carefully — this is elective surgery.
Tip
If your glasses break or you lose a contact lens supply, don't stress — replacing them in China is faster and cheaper than almost anywhere. Carry a copy of your prescription (or screenshot it).
Adult Vaccines & Rabies (成人疫苗 / 狂犬病暴露后处置)
Rabies — Treat Every Animal Bite/Scratch as Urgent
This is the one to take dead seriously. A bite or scratch from a dog, cat, bat, or monkey — including stray animals on a hike or in a temple — needs immediate post-exposure care. Rabies is essentially 100% fatal once symptoms start, and China handles it aggressively and well:
- Wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes immediately.
- Go straight to a 犬伤门诊 (dog-bite / rabies-exposure clinic) — these are attached to many hospitals and CDC centers, widely available, and open long hours. Search "犬伤门诊" in your maps app, or go to a hospital ER.
- You'll get wound care + a course of rabies vaccine (multiple visits over ~2 weeks) and, for higher-risk bites, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG). Keep the vaccination schedule card they give you.
- Do not wait to "see if it's fine." Start the same day.
Other Adult Vaccines
- Travel/port vaccines (yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A/B, typhoid): the International Travel Healthcare Center (国际旅行卫生保健中心), run by customs/port health in major cities, is the standard place. Some private hospitals (United Family, etc.) also offer adult vaccines.
- Tetanus: after any dirty or deep wound, ask about a tetanus booster (破伤风) at the treating hospital.
- Flu shot (流感疫苗): seasonal, available at community health centers (社区卫生服务中心) and private clinics.
Women's & Maternity Health (妇科 / 产科)
Routine & Urgent Gynecology
- Public hospitals have a gynecology department (妇科); many cities also have dedicated women's & children's hospitals (妇幼保健院 / 妇产科医院) — these are often the strongest option and used to female patients in volume.
- For English: an international department (国际医疗部) or a private hospital (United Family is popular with expat women) gets you an English-speaking OB/GYN.
- Urgent issues (severe pelvic pain, heavy abnormal bleeding, suspected ectopic pregnancy) → the 妇科急诊 (gynecology emergency) at a women's hospital or a general hospital ER. Don't wait on these.
Contraception & Supplies
- Emergency contraception (紧急避孕药) is sold over the counter at most pharmacies — no prescription needed.
- Oral contraceptive pills: some are OTC, some need a prescription; a pharmacy or gynecologist can sort it out. Bring your specific brand from home if you rely on it — exact equivalents aren't guaranteed.
- Pads are everywhere; tampons are much less common in China — if you prefer tampons, bring a supply or order online (JD/Taobao).
Prenatal Care & Giving Birth
- Public maternity care is competent and inexpensive but Chinese-language and high-volume.
- Private/international maternity (United Family and similar) offers English-speaking care, private rooms, and a Western birth experience — at a high price (a package birth can run ¥80,000–¥250,000+). If you're pregnant in China, sort out your hospital and insurance early — good private maternity slots book out.
- Insurance note: maternity is excluded or has long waiting periods on most policies. Check yours the moment you're planning a pregnancy.
Tip
For anything routine and non-urgent, the international department or a private clinic is worth it for the language alone. For a genuine emergency, go to the nearest capable hospital's 妇科急诊 first — language second.
JSON-LD Structured Data
📖 Get the Complete Guide
This is a free chapter of The Digital Hospital Survival Manual. The full 24-chapter guide adds the operational layer:
- Meituan 30-min medication delivery — the AI loophole that sends drugs to your hotel room
- The Concierge Proxy Protocol — book any hospital without a +86 phone number
- All 24 chapters + 4 appendices — prescription refills, insurance claims, medical evacuation, TCM, pediatric care, and the complete hospital contact directory