Medicare and Medicaid, because they primarily deal with medical and not dental conditions, do not supply much support for oral care — especially if you’re trying to keep up with your routine dental exams that keep severe conditions from occurring in the first place.

Medicare only helps with dental care that’s related to medical conditions (such as certain kinds of extractions that must be performed before an operation can take place). The majority of Medicaid programs also do not include dentistry, and even in states with Medicaid dental programs, relatively few dentists accept them or can take new patients.

Most dental insurance through the Affordable Care Act is only sold as a bundle with health insurance plans. If you purchase a stand-alone dental plan, you must purchase medical insurance at the same time. Since most seniors already have medical coverage through Medicare, this option usually doesn’t make much sense. For more information, check out the dental coverage page at Healthcare.gov.

PPO

Many seniors are most comfortable with PPO plans because they received them through their employers. You might be here because you lost your PPO plan after you retired.

However, PPO plans are really designed for large groups. Your employer can get much better benefits for a much lower rate than you can as an individual. Individual plans often come with more expensive premiums that you no longer have an employer to help with, and they often have annual maximums of $1,000-$1,500 — which means you could find yourself paying hundreds of dollars each year for a plan that practically can only save you a few hundred dollars when all is said and done. As a point of reference, a full-price crown with accompanying buildup can easily cost $1,500.

Add the fact that you frequently have to wait a year to be eligible for savings on a crown (and that whole time you’re already paying premiums), plus the fact that pre-existing conditions are often excluded, and many seniors find that PPOs aren’t worth the cost.

DMO (Dental equivalent of HMO)

A DMO can be a good, low-cost option with strong savings, but you typically do not have as much freedom to choose your dentist. This can be a big problem if you have a bad experience with the dentist you are assigned or if you suddenly have a dental emergency while traveling.

One type of plan seniors should watch out for is any plan that does not publish a list of savings for you to view. They may claim to have spectacular savings, but you’ll want to make sure you can see specific prices on their savings charts.

Discount dental plans, sometimes called dental savings plans, are a simple, practical option for seniors (AARP agrees). For a low annual rate, you save hundreds to thousands of dollars on a wide variety of dental procedures. Think of it like a Costco membership: Dentists all over the country have agreed to lower their rates for members, so you receive these savings every time you visit without limits or restrictions.

There are many different discount dental plans available today, some with national networks, some regional, and some that your local dentist may offer as an in-house plan. At Senior Dental, we specialize in a discount dental plan called the Careington Care 500 network because we truly believe it’s the strongest option out there. We and our families have used the plan for years.

Careington Care 500 Plan Details:

• Over 100,000 dental access points across the country, including general dentists and specialists.
• Savings range 20-60%, and many members frequently get their dental bills cut in half.
• All in-network dentists:
• Have already undergone a 5-year work history evaluation
• Had their current state licensure verified
• Have agreed to charge specific discounted rates for dental procedures

Here is an example of paying out of pocket vs. with the Careington Care 500 plan: