For a lot of people past 60, the question isn’t what the best treatment is. It’s what’s possible on the income they have. People search it in their own words, “my teeth are falling apart and I have no money,” and most of what comes back is advertising.
So here’s the straight version.
The short answer: sadly, there aren’t many third parties that will pay for extensive dental work. Dental insurance is limited, Medicare generally doesn’t cover dental, and we don’t bill Medicare in our office. On a fixed income, that reduces the options. It often means choosing a less expensive option, or spreading treatment out over time.
Who pays for what
- Dental insurance is limited. Most plans cap what they’ll pay in a year, and that cap has barely moved since the 1960s. It helps with cleanings and smaller work. It won’t carry a large case. How dental insurance works here.
- Medicare generally doesn’t cover dental. According to Medicare.gov, in most cases it doesn’t cover cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures or implants. We don’t bill Medicare in our office. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan or a separate dental plan, check what its dental benefit actually pays.
What a fixed income usually changes
When the money isn’t there for the ideal plan, the choices usually look like this:
- Having a tooth removed instead of restoring it. Less expensive now. The trade-off is the gap it leaves: the teeth around it tend to drift and tip, and the bite shifts with them.
- A removable partial instead of implants or a bridge, to fill the spaces from missing teeth.
- A denture, when enough teeth are failing that saving them isn’t realistic on the budget. An upper denture can do well. A lower one is usually much harder to get used to. Your options, and when a denture is the right call.
- Spreading the treatment out over time, starting with what’s urgent and doing the rest in stages over months or years.
None of these is a failure. They’re real choices, and the right one depends on your mouth, your health and what you can do. What matters is that you see all of them, with the costs, before you decide.
Ways to make it more manageable
- Phasing. Large cases can be sequenced over months or years, so the cost comes in stages rather than all at once.
- Our Optimal Dental Health Program. Prepay a year of hygiene visits, exams and X-rays at a reduced fee, plus 10% off most treatment. It’s a savings benefit, not insurance, and it works whether or not you have coverage.
- 5% off when a treatment plan of $1,000 or more is paid in full up front.
- Outside financing, through CareCredit or Cherry, if you want it. We don’t push it.
- The dental school, if you have the time. For people on a fixed income who can give it the time, the UNLV School of Dental Medicine is a great option. Treatment there is done in its student clinics, and it starts with a screening appointment, at 702-774-2400, to see whether your needs are a good match. Becoming a patient at the UNLV School of Dental Medicine.
More on the program, financing and insurance.
Where to start
A comprehensive exam tells you what’s urgent, what can wait, and what each option would cost, so you can decide what fits. If it’s been a while, here’s what to expect. And if you’re wondering whether it’s worth it at your age, that question has its own answer.
Call 702-734-0776 or tell us what’s going on.
General information, not financial or insurance advice. Medicare coverage details: Medicare.gov, Dental services. UNLV student clinic details: UNLV School of Dental Medicine, Patients page.