Does Medicare cover dental care? The answer is usually no. Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B do not cover dental. Some Medicare Advantage plans do offer dental coverage, but they are usually more expensive to compensate.
As a note, the Sharp Medicare Advantage plan offered by SDPEBA does not cover normal dental procedures. We offer retirees dental through MetLife. There is a dental component to Sharp Medicare Advantage, but it is only for dental procedures that have to do with accidents or injuries.
Do you need Dental Insurance in Retirement?
Dental Insurance is a nice thing to have, but obviously it eats into your monthly budget. Once you’re retired and on a completely fixed income, that might make dental insurance an easy choice or something you really need to consider.
As you get older, your enamel gets thinner and you’re more likely to experience dental issues. For that reason, it’s easy to recommend dental insurance to those who can afford it. Dentures, partial dentures, and other prosthetics are common in older folk, and most dental plans offer some sort of coverage for these “prosthodontics,” meaning there’s a good chance you’ll save money with dental insurance.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to see how much dental insurance will cost you and if it’s worth it for you. You can always contact your dentist and ask what they charge for exams, cleanings, and fillings without insurance and do the math to see if that cost is worth it.
How can you get Dental Insurance when Retired?
There are a couple of options for getting dental insurance. The easiest way for SDPEBA members is to sign up for MetLife Dental when you retire, but that’s not your only choice. You can also see if there are any plans available through other retiree groups, like AARP or you can sign up for a particular provider on your own.
We recommend you check to make sure there are in-network providers near wherever you choose to retire before you sign up for insurance, and also be sure to check out a summary of benefits for your individual plans ahead of time, that way you know what’s covered and how much you’ll pay for services. If you think you’ll need dentures, it’s important to make sure your provider offers coverage!
If you want to check on MetLife’s summary of benefits and see if there are in-network providers near you, you can click the links below:
MetLife’s PPO Plan - https://www.sdpeba.org/benefits/retiree/metlife/retiree-benefits-metlife-dental-ppo
MetLife’s HMO Plan - https://www.sdpeba.org/benefits/retiree/metlife/metlife-dental-hmo-2
Does Dental Insurance cost more for Retirees?
The unfortunate answer is yes. Most plans are more expensive for retirees. Insurance companies set their premiums based on the cost of services that their policy holders get in a given year. Since retirees tend to need to see the dentist much more often (and get more services done), that means their price is higher.
You can still save by going with group plans, like SDPEBA’s MetLife plan or by finding a Medicare advantage plan that offers dental coverage.