Appearance
Chapter 24: Dental, Eye Care, Vaccines & Women's Health โ The Stuff Other Guides Skip โ
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 (ๅฃ่ ็ง / ็็ง) โ
Good news: China is excellent and cheap for routine dental work โ cleanings, fillings, even crowns and implants cost a fraction of US/UK prices.
Where to Go โ
- Public hospital stomatology department (ๅฃ่ ็ง) or a dedicated dental hospital (ๅฃ่ ๅป้ข) โ cheapest, high volume, very competent. Downside: Chinese only, long waits, no hand-holding. A cleaning runs ยฅ150โยฅ400; a filling ยฅ100โยฅ600.
- International / private dental chains โ the foreigner-friendly option. Arrail Dental (็ๅฐ้ฝฟ็ง), SDM Dental (ๅบ็้ฝฟ็ง), BOC Dental, and Bybo (ๆๅ) have English-speaking dentists in major cities, Western-style clinics, and direct-billing with some insurers. Expect 3โ6x public prices (a cleaning ยฅ500โยฅ1,200), but zero language stress.
Cost Reality (rough, private/international) โ
| Procedure | Public (RMB) | Private/Intl (RMB) |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning (ๆด็) | ยฅ150โยฅ400 | ยฅ500โยฅ1,200 |
| Filling (่กฅ็) | ยฅ100โยฅ600 | ยฅ600โยฅ1,500 |
| Root canal (ๆ น็ฎกๆฒป็) | ยฅ800โยฅ2,500 | ยฅ3,000โยฅ8,000 |
| Crown (็ๅ ) | ยฅ1,500โยฅ4,000 | ยฅ5,000โยฅ12,000 |
| Implant (็งๆค็) | ยฅ6,000โยฅ15,000 | ยฅ12,000โยฅ30,000 |
Tips โ
- Dental emergency (toothache, knocked-out/broken tooth)? Go to a ๅฃ่ ๅป้ข โ the big ones have walk-in/emergency hours. Search "ๅฃ่ ๅป้ข ๆฅ่ฏ" 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 (็ผ็ง / ้ ้) โ
Eye Emergencies โ
Chemical splash, a foreign object you can't flush out, sudden vision loss, eye trauma, or a red painful eye that's getting worse โ these are real emergencies. Go to the ophthalmology department (็ผ็ง) of a major hospital, or a dedicated eye hospital. Aier Eye Hospital (็ฑๅฐ็ผ็ง) 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) โ
This is one of the genuinely great deals in China:
- Glasses: Walk into any optical shop (็ผ้ๅบ) or an eyewear market (็ผ้ๅ). Get a free/cheap eye exam (้ชๅ ), pick frames, and you often have new glasses the same day for ยฅ150โยฅ800. Bring your existing prescription to skip the exam if you prefer.
- Contacts & solution: Cheap and everywhere โ optical shops, pharmacies, and JD/Taobao (see Chapter 2). Stock up.
- LASIK / refractive surgery: China does enormous volumes at low prices (ยฅ10,000โยฅ25,000). Quality at top eye hospitals is high, but research the specific surgeon and clinic carefully โ this is elective surgery.
Tip โ
If your glasses break or you lose a contact lens supply, don't stress โ replacing them in China is faster and cheaper than almost anywhere. Carry a copy of your prescription (or screenshot it).
Adult Vaccines & Rabies (ๆไบบ็ซ่ / ็็ฌ็ ๆด้ฒๅๅค็ฝฎ) โ
Rabies โ Treat Every Animal Bite/Scratch as Urgent โ
This is the one to take dead seriously. A bite or scratch from a dog, cat, bat, or monkey โ including stray animals on a hike or in a temple โ 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 ็ฌไผค้จ่ฏ (dog-bite / rabies-exposure clinic) โ these are attached to many hospitals and CDC centers, widely available, and open long hours. Search "็ฌไผค้จ่ฏ" 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 โ
- Travel/port vaccines (yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A/B, typhoid): the International Travel Healthcare Center (ๅฝ้ ๆ ่กๅซ็ไฟๅฅไธญๅฟ), 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 (็ ดไผค้ฃ) at the treating hospital.
- Flu shot (ๆตๆ็ซ่): seasonal, available at community health centers (็คพๅบๅซ็ๆๅกไธญๅฟ) and private clinics.
Women's & Maternity Health (ๅฆ็ง / ไบง็ง) โ
Routine & Urgent Gynecology โ
- Public hospitals have a gynecology department (ๅฆ็ง); many cities also have dedicated women's & children's hospitals (ๅฆๅนผไฟๅฅ้ข / ๅฆไบง็งๅป้ข) โ these are often the strongest option and used to female patients in volume.
- For English: an international department (ๅฝ้ ๅป็้จ) 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) โ the ๅฆ็งๆฅ่ฏ (gynecology emergency) at a women's hospital or a general hospital ER. Don't wait on these.
Contraception & Supplies โ
- Emergency contraception (็ดงๆฅ้ฟๅญ่ฏ) is sold over the counter at most pharmacies โ 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 โ exact equivalents aren't guaranteed.
- Pads are everywhere; tampons are much less common in China โ if you prefer tampons, bring a supply or order online (JD/Taobao).
Prenatal Care & Giving Birth โ
- 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 โ at a high price (a package birth can run ยฅ80,000โยฅ250,000+). If you're pregnant in China, sort out your hospital and insurance early โ 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 โ
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 ๅฆ็งๆฅ่ฏ first โ language second.
๐ Get the Complete Guide โ
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 โ the AI loophole that sends drugs to your hotel room
- The Concierge Proxy Protocol โ book any hospital without a +86 phone number
- All 24 chapters + 4 appendices โ prescription refills, insurance claims, medical evacuation, TCM, pediatric care, and the complete hospital contact directory