We often get asked if Medicare will provide dental insurance. The short answer is: no. You should always get a dental insurance plan. With that out of the way, there is a more nuanced answer. In select cases medicare can cover or at least defer the cost of dental treatment. Read more below to learn how.

You can get many benefits when your dental treatment costs are covered by dental insurance Medicare. You will visit the dentist more often and get your teeth checked for any abnormalities which helps improve your overall body health. Buying dental insurance saves you money because it covers preventive care that may require you to undergo expensive procedures.

What is Medicare Insurance?

Medicare is the Federal government’s program that provides healthcare insurance to American citizens who are above the age of 65 and have Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Once you become eligible and enroll for Medicare, you can get covered for your dental treatment depending on the type of insurance coverage.

There are two forms of insurance plans with Medicare insurance:

1. The Original Medicare

This is a Federal government’s fee-for-service program which has both inpatient and outpatient coverage. Dental coverage provided by Medicare is minimal. For example, if you have the Original Medicare insurance plan, you will not be covered for dental services such as fillings, tooth extractions, dental exams, and routine cleanings.

According to the Medicare guidelines, if you have the inpatient coverage (Part A), you will not be insured for these limited dental services. Part A insurance may only pay for a dental service if it involves the treatment of another part of the body such as the jaw.

For example, tooth extraction may be covered if it is done in preparation for treatment of the jaw bone. Medicare will cease to cover the follow-up dental treatment as soon as the original condition such as the jaw bone, in this case, has been treated.

2. The Medicare Advantage Plan

Private health coverage offered by companies that are in contract with the Medicare Insurance Company. This plan comes with more benefits in addition to providing the coverage by the Original Medicare Plan. You are also allowed to add extra coverage to your Medicare Advantage Plan by paying an additional premium.

Medicare Advantage Plans vary in the type of dental services they offer. The majority of the plans will provide preventive services such as filings, X-rays, and oral exams. Primary services such as extractions and oral surgery may be provided by a few Medicare Advantage Plans. If you do not have this type of coverage, you have to pay for your dental services using your own money which is usually very expensive.

Dental Insurance Medicare can only be provided through the Advantage plans which allows for additional coverage at higher premiums. Because most dental procedures are expensive when using out-of-pocket payments, it’s cheaper to enroll for Medicare Advantage Insurance plans.

Want to know how to get around waiting periods with dental insurance? Read our article here.