Medicare does not cover most routine dental care like examinations and cleanings, leaving many recipients worried about the cost of dental services. While supplemental dental plans are available, they can be expensive. However, some lower-cost options for dental care include community health centers that offer reduced fees, donated dental services programs where dentists volunteer, and dental schools where students provide low-cost care under supervision.

1. Dental Care for Medicare
Recipients
By Trueman Tryhus

2. Introduction
• Trueman E. Tryhus, Jr., DDS, provided dental care for
patients in Fargo, North Dakota, for close to 40 years. Dr.
Trueman Tryhus is now retired and lives in Arizona, where he
remains involved in public wellness as a donor to the
Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation.
Medicare patients often worry about the cost of dental care, as
the system does not pay for any dental services that do not
incorporate medical or hospital care. For example, Medicare
may cover the extraction of a tooth if its decay stems from a
systemic disease, but not if the decay is an isolated issue.
Medicare also does not cover routine dental examinations or
other procedures solely concerned with oral health, and many
such procedures can be cost prohibitive for those on a limited
income.

3. Dental Care
• Supplemental and stand-alone dental plans, available
through the private market, do offer dental care coverage
for Medicare patients, but they can be pricy. Those who
cannot afford such coverage, or for whom such coverage
is unavailable, may be able to find affordable care at a
community health center that offers free, reduced-fee, or
sliding-scale services. Many communities also have
reduced-cost clinics or donated-dental-services
programs, where dentists volunteer their time to provide
care for patients with limited resources. Furthermore, at
many dental schools across the country, students
perform low-cost services under the close supervision of
credentialed dentists.