Dental care on Medicare: what is covered, and what to do about the rest
The short answer: Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care — no cleanings, fillings, crowns, dentures or implants. If you have recently retired, or lost the dental plan you had through work, this page explains your real options in plain terms, including the one we offer here in North Richland Hills.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Does Medicare cover dental?
Original Medicare — Part A and Part B — does not cover most dental care. That includes what most people need every year: check-ups and cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions, crowns, dentures and implants.
There are limited exceptions. Medicare can pay for dental services directly tied to certain covered medical treatments — for example, some dental care needed before an organ transplant or heart valve replacement, or during treatment for head and neck cancer. These are specific medical situations, not routine care.
Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plans do not change this. They help with costs Original Medicare leaves behind, and dental is not one of them.
Why this catches people out: many people keep good dental coverage right up to retirement through an employer plan. When that plan ends, they discover Medicare never included dental in the first place. KFF data shows nearly half of people on Medicare have no dental coverage at all.
Four ways to pay for dental care on Medicare
None of these is right for everyone. The best choice depends on how much care you expect to need, and whether you want to keep seeing a particular dentist.
1. Medicare Advantage with dental
Many Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans add dental benefits. Coverage varies widely: most use a network, cap what they pay each year with an annual maximum, and pay a smaller share for crowns, implants and dentures. Read your plan’s Evidence of Coverage before you book treatment.
2. Standalone dental insurance
You can buy an individual dental policy at any age. Expect a monthly premium, a deductible, an annual maximum, and often a waiting period before major work is covered.
3. An in-house membership plan
Offered directly by a dental practice. One annual fee covers your preventive care, plus a discount on everything else. No insurance company, so no waiting periods, deductibles or annual maximums. It only applies at the practice that offers it.
4. Paying the practice directly
Some patients simply pay as they go. If you choose this route, ask for the full written fee before treatment starts — every stage included — so there are no surprises later.
Want to see what option 3 looks like in practice? Ours starts at $429 a year.
How the options compare
How each option is typically structured. Details vary by plan.
| Medicare Advantage dental | Dental insurance | Membership plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiting period | Sometimes | Often, for major work | None |
| Annual maximum | Usually | Usually | None |
| Deductible | Sometimes | Usually | None |
| Choice of dentist | Plan network | Usually a network; some plans allow any dentist | The practice offering it |
| Approval needed | Sometimes | Sometimes | Never |
| How you pay | Included in some plans; extra premium in others | Monthly premium | One annual fee |
Coverage without insurance, built for life after 65
Our in-house membership plan was designed for exactly this situation. One annual fee covers your preventive care for a full year, and members aged 65 and over receive 15% off other services — fillings, extractions, crowns, bridges and dentures included.
Non-Perio Membership
$429 per year
- 2 professional cleanings
- 1 regular exam
- 1 oral screening
- All needed X-rays
- 1 emergency exam
- 2 fluoride treatments
15% off other services for members 65 and over (10% for other members).*
Perio Membership
$769 per year
- 4 one-hour periodontal maintenances
- 2 regular exams
- 1 oral screening
- All needed X-rays
- 1 emergency exam
- 4 fluoride treatments
15% off other services for members 65 and over (10% for other members).*
* Some services and lab-made products are excluded from the discount, including implants, abutments and orthodontics. New patients pay a one-time $150 establishment fee.
Keep your teeth for life — and plan for it
Losing dental coverage does not change what your teeth need. Regular check-ups catch small problems — a cracking filling, early gum disease — while they are still simple to fix. Skipping them is how a modest repair becomes an extraction or an implant.
When larger treatment is needed, we give you the complete written fee before anything starts, so you can plan for it. No teaser prices, and no second bill for a stage you were not told about.
Questions we hear every week
Straight answers about Medicare, retirement and dental care.
Does Medicare cover dental care?
Do Medicare Advantage plans cover dental?
Does a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plan cover dental?
What are my options for dental care after I retire?
Is a dental membership plan the same as insurance?
Can I be seen at Rufe Snow Dental Group without dental insurance?
Lost your dental coverage? Talk to us first.
Call the office and our team will walk you through the membership plan. Signing up takes about five minutes, and your benefits start the same day.