When You Don't Have Dental Insurance

As you age, your teeth become more susceptible to fracture and have a higher risk for decay. Over time, old fillings weaken your teeth. This isn’t a good time to put your dental health on hold, says Dr. Robert S. Minch, a private-practice dentist in Lutherville, Md.

And yet, many folks in their 50s and 60s don’t have dental insurance either because they’re self-employed, work part-time or have retired. Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care, such as cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, dentures, dental plates or other dental devices; Part A only pays for certain dental services you may get when hospitalized.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) makes dental insurance for children one of the required 10 essential health benefits, but there is no dental insurance requirement for adults, says Don Silver, author of The Best ObamaCare Guide. So no help there.

Although all this sounds grim for the uninsured, you still have a variety of options for getting good dental care at a reasonable cost: