Does Medicare cover dental?
Usually not covered
Original Medicare does not cover routine dental care — cleanings, fillings, dentures, or extractions — but many Medicare Advantage plans add their own dental benefits.
- Covered when You're on a Medicare Advantage plan that includes dental benefits — check your plan's Evidence of Coverage for what's included and the annual cap.
- Covered when The dental service is medically necessary and inseparable from a covered procedure (e.g., an exam before a transplant or cardiac surgery, jaw repair after injury).
- Not when You have Original Medicare only (Parts A and B) and the care is routine — cleanings, fillings, dentures, or extractions.
What flips the answer
- Covered when
You're on a Medicare Advantage plan that includes dental benefits — check your plan's Evidence of Coverage for what's included and the annual cap.
- Covered when
The dental service is medically necessary and inseparable from a covered procedure (e.g., an exam before a transplant or cardiac surgery, jaw repair after injury).
- Not covered when
You have Original Medicare only (Parts A and B) and the care is routine — cleanings, fillings, dentures, or extractions.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Usually not covered
- Applies to
- dental · Medicare
- Covered when
- You're on a Medicare Advantage plan that includes dental benefits — check your plan's Evidence of Coverage for what's included and the annual cap.
- Not covered when
- You have Original Medicare only (Parts A and B) and the care is routine — cleanings, fillings, dentures, or extractions.
- Verified
- 2026-07-02 · 2 primary sources
Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) excludes most dental care by law. Cleanings, exams, X-rays, fillings, crowns, dentures, and most tooth extractions come out of your pocket if Original Medicare is all you have.
There is a narrow exception: Medicare pays for dental services that are medically necessary as part of a covered procedure — for example, a dental exam before a heart valve replacement or an organ transplant, or jaw reconstruction after an accident. The dental work has to be inextricably tied to a covered medical service.
Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans are the practical route to dental coverage. Most Advantage plans bundle some dental benefit, but the benefit varies enormously — some cover only cleanings and X-rays, others include fillings, dentures, and implants up to an annual cap. The details live in your plan's Evidence of Coverage document.
What people typically pay
Under a Medicare Advantage plan with dental, preventive visits like cleanings and X-rays are often covered, while fillings, dentures, and implants typically involve cost-sharing and count against an annual cap. Once you exceed the cap, remaining costs are yours. For any Part B-covered dental service tied to a medical treatment, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after meeting the Part B deductible.
With Original Medicare only, you pay all costs for routine dental — cleanings, fillings, and dentures or implants can run into the thousands for more extensive work. Exact prices vary widely by dentist and region.
Dental pricing is not standardized under Medicare, so costs depend heavily on your plan's cap, your provider, and your state.
Common questions
If I only have Original Medicare, how do I get dental coverage?
You'd need to add it separately, since Parts A and B won't pay for routine dental. Options include enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan that bundles dental during a valid enrollment period, or buying a standalone private dental insurance plan on your own. Some retirees also keep dental through a former employer or a union plan.
Does Medicare ever pay for tooth extractions?
Only when the extraction is inextricably tied to a covered medical procedure — for example, removing an infected tooth to treat a mouth infection before cancer treatment like chemotherapy, or dental treatment before a heart valve replacement or transplant. A routine extraction because a tooth is decayed or cracked is not covered by Original Medicare. The determining factor is whether the dental work is linked to the success of another covered medical treatment, not the extraction itself.
How much dental does a typical Medicare Advantage plan actually cover?
It varies enormously by plan. Many cover preventive services like cleanings and X-rays, then apply an annual dollar cap to more extensive work like fillings, dentures, or implants. Once you hit the cap, you generally pay the rest out of pocket, so check your plan's Evidence of Coverage for the exact limit and covered services.
Will Medicare cover a dental exam required before surgery?
It can, if the exam is a medically necessary part of a covered procedure such as a bone marrow, organ, or kidney transplant or a heart valve replacement. In those cases the dental service is covered because it's linked to the success of the medical treatment. A general checkup unrelated to a covered surgery would not qualify.
Can I get help with dental costs if I also have Medicaid?
In many states, yes — adults who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid may have some dental covered through Medicaid, though adult dental benefits vary widely by state. Some states offer more comprehensive coverage while others cover only limited or emergency services. Check your state's Medicaid dental rules to see what applies.
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