Dear Dr. Fondriest;
I have struggled for years with missing teeth and its effect on my health. I have had an eight-tooth upper partial denture for almost 25 years. I would like to get it replaced with dental implants. My partial denture has made it difficult to chew and eat and, now, it doesn’t fit as well as it used to. Can I get my medical insurance to cover some or all of the cost since this has had such effects on my general health?
Thanks,
Sally in Rhode Island
Dear Sally,
Unfortunately, most medical insurance policies are written to specifically exclude coverage of dental health issues. Otherwise, almost every dental problem could be covered because the condition of our teeth does impact our health in many ways and can lead to serious illness if one is not careful.
The exception is usually if your teeth are lost or damaged in an accident (such as a car accident), then health insurance will usually cover repairs.
If you have dental insurance, it likely would cover at least part of the cost of dental implants, though most insurance plans will only cover the basic necessities of care — for example a new partial denture, in your case. You might be able to pay the difference between the cost of a new partial and the cost of the implants.
Another option would be to pursue financing through a third-party health care credit company. Many dentists can provide you with information about signing up for this type of plan, which lets you spread the cost of procedures over many payments.
