AARP Hearing Center
No. Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental care, such as regular exams, cleanings and X-rays. It also doesn’t cover most procedures related to dental health, such as extractions, root canals, dentures and other dental services.
This is despite decades of data showing that abscesses in the mouth can lead to sepsis, a body’s overactive response to an infection that can be fatal at any age. Sepsis is especially risky for adults 65 and older and children younger than 12 months.
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Medicare covers some dental-related expenses but in very limited circumstances. These include surgery to treat jaw fractures, dental services to prepare for radiation treatment of oral cancer or an oral exam conducted in a hospital before a kidney transplant.
Medicare is making strides in expanding its limited dental coverage:
- In 2023, Medicare expanded its coverage to add dental exams and necessary treatments required before other types of organ transplant surgery and cardiac valve replacement.
- And in 2024, Medicare started to cover a dental exam as part of a comprehensive workup at the same time as Medicare-covered treatments for head and neck cancer.
Does Medicare Advantage cover dental care?
Medicare Advantage plans, the private alternatives to original Medicare, typically include dental care — 97 percent of Medicare Advantage plans provide some dental coverage in 2024, according to KFF. Most provide dental coverage automatically, but some charge an extra premium. You may also be able to add an extra level of dental coverage for an additional premium.
Dental benefits vary from plan to plan. Most Medicare Advantage plans cover preventive services, such as cleanings and X-rays, without a copayment. Members on average pay 20 percent to 70 percent copays for dental procedures like crowns, dentures, extractions, implants, root canals and treatments for gum disease, with 50 percent being the norm, according to a 2021 study by KFF, the most recent information available.
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