Adult dental care at reduced costs can be the most difficult to find of all. Private dentists usually do not provide dental
care at a reduced cost. Medicaid pays the dentist much less than other types of dental insurance. This payment is less than
what other people or insurers pay for the same dental care. Less than 10% accept Medicaid coverage for adults.
Dentists stop taking new patients with Medicaid coverage when Medicaid patients miss visits. Missed visits cost dentists money.
Dentists like to be called as soon as you know the visit time must be changed, so they can give the appointment to another
person. Last minute changes mean the time is not filled with another person.
Emergency dental care - See the Dental Resource
for community clinics that accept same day/walk in visits. After hours, visit a hospital emergency room. What is a dental emergency?
Dentists and Denturists that accept Medicaid coverage:
Crowns, bridges, implants and root canals are not covered services with Medicaid coverage(2007). Most private insurers only
cover these services at 50% because of their higher costs. Community clinics usually do not provide these specialty services at all.
Ask your dentist to explain the costs and benefits of alternatives to these treatments.
Lower cost alternatives to crowns might include
Delay treatment:
Larger filling
Repairing existing filling
Extraction (s)
Stainless steel crowns
Lower cost alternatives for bridges/implants might include:
Delay treatment
Leave the space
Space maintainer
Removable partials/dentures -single or multiple teeth depending on area of missing tooth
