Dear Savvy Senior: I had dental insurance through my work for many years but lost it when I retired. Where can retirees find affordable dental care? — Searching Senior Dear Searching: Finding affordable dental care can be challenging for seniors living on a tight budget. Most retirees lose their dental insurance after leaving the workplace, and original Medicare does not cover cleaning, fillings or dentures. While there’s no one simple solution to affordable dental care there are a number of options that can help cut your costs.
Dental discounts
One way you can reduce your dental expenses is to join a dental discount network. How this works is you pay an annual membership fee — around $80 to $200 a year — in exchange for 10 to 60 percent discounts on service and treatments from participating dentists. To find a network, go to DentalPlans.com (or 888-632-5353), where you can search for plans and participating dentists by zip code, as well as get a breakdown of the discounts offered. A free alternative to people in select locations is Brighter.com.
Medicare Advantage
If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, you probably already know that original Medicare (Part A and B) and Medigap supplemental policies do not cover routine dental care. But there are some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans that do provide dental coverage.
See medicare.gov/find-a-plan or call 800-633-4227 to check into Advantage plans in your area that offer them. You can switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan each year during the open enrollment period, which is between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7. If you’re approaching age 65, you may want to consider enrolling in an Advantage plan that covers dental.
Dental schools
Dental school clinics offer savings opportunities. All 65 accredited dental schools in the U.S. offer affordable care provided by dental students who are overseen by their professors. You can expect to pay about half of what a traditional dentist would charge and still receive excellent, well-supervised care.
Another option is to check with local colleges that offer dental hygiene programs. For training purposes, many programs provide teeth cleanings by their students for a fraction of what you’d pay at a dentist’s office.
To search for nearby dental schools or dental hygiene programs, visit ada.org/267.aspx.
Veterans benefits
If you’re a veteran enrolled in the VA health care program, or a beneficiary of the Civilian Health and Medical Program, the VA is now offering a dental insurance program that gives you the option to buy dental insurance through Delta Dental and MetLife at a reduced cost.
The VA also provides free dental care to vets who have dental problems resulting from service. To learn more about these options, visit va.gov/dental or call 877-222-8387.
Low-income options
If you’re low income, there are various programs and clinics that provide dental care at a reduced rate or for free. To look for options nearby, contact your state dental director (see astdd.org) or your state or local dental society (ada.org/statelocalorg.aspx).
You may also be able to get discounted or free dental care at one of the federally funded HRSA health centers around the U.S. (findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov, 877-464-4772), or at a privately funded free clinic.
Check with the Dental Life Network (888-471-6334), which provides free dental care for low-income elderly and disabled, Remote Area Medical, which offers free health, eye and dental care to people in select locations, and Indian Health Service, which provides free dental care to American Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of a federally recognized Indian tribe.
Also see toothwisdom.org (or 312-836-9900), a website created by Oral Health America that will help you locate low-cost dental care.
