Yes, but Medicare Part B only covers dental expenses that are a medically necessary part of another covered service. It doesn't cover routine dental services,. It doesn't cover routine dental services, such as cleanings or other standard procedures, such as dentures, crowns, or fillings. Medicare beneficiaries often wonder if their coverage includes dental services.
Unfortunately, Original Medicare doesn't cover routine dental care. Original Medicare doesn't cover routine dental care. Medicare Part A and Part B will only cover dental services if they are required for another medical procedure and a doctor deems them medically necessary. Parts A and B of Original Medicare‡ do not cover dental care, except in certain circumstances.
For example, if you are in the hospital for dental surgery, Part A will cover hospitalization costs. For other dental care, such as dental cleanings and root canal treatments, you'll pay 100% of the cost. We chose Aetna as the best option for nationwide coverage of its operations in all 50 states. Aetna has approximately 12.7 million dental members and its network includes approximately 1.2 million healthcare professionals, with more than 700,000 doctors and primary care specialists.
It's important to know that while Medicare can cover these initial dental services, Medicare will not pay for any follow-up dental care after the underlying health condition has been treated. In addition, Medicare Part A and Part B may cover dental treatment as part of or related to an emergency. Medicare Advantage plans that include routine dental care will generally offer dental cleanings and dental exams annually or twice a year. Dental benefits are generally not covered by Medicare, except in limited circumstances, and many people who receive Medicare don't have any dental coverage.
If this is important to you, you can contact your elected representatives to urge them to work to add dental benefits to Medicare. Most Medicare supplement plans don't include dental and vision care, so there are options to buy separate coverage. Bills are routinely introduced in Congress to add dental care to Medicare's list of covered services, but have so far been unsuccessful. There is no way to really know how much Medicare would have paid your oral surgeon to treat your dental abscess without knowing what coverage you had and reviewing an itemized bill for the services provided.
If you need dental care, look for resources or other forms of insurance that can help pay for dental services. Medicare Original Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Medicare Part B (medical insurance) do not cover routine dental care, such as cleanings, fillings, crowns and dentures. We focus on Medicare Advantage plans because they have become the primary source of dental coverage among Medicare beneficiaries. Given the continued interest in adding a dental benefit to Medicare, legislators will need to weigh a variety of factors when designing this benefit, including the scope of covered benefits, the cost-sharing of specific services, and how different levels of dental coverage can affect Medicare costs and premiums.
In addition, it's common to need more complicated dental procedures, dentures, crowns, bridges, and implants as you age. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, contact your plan for information about dental services that might be covered.
