Does Medicare Cover Dental Care?
In most cases, Medicare doesn’t cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions (removals), or items like dentures and implants, according to medicare.gov. Medicare may cover some dental services you get when you’re admitted as a hospital inpatient for a dental procedure, either because of your underlying medical condition or the severity of the procedure, and specific services directly related to certain covered medical treatments, where the dental service is linked to the success of the medical treatment you need, such as before a heart valve replacement, a bone marrow, organ or kidney transplant, or Medicare-covered dialysis.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Reviewed November 2, 2026 · Methodology & sources
The general rule
Medicare.gov says:
“In most cases, Medicare doesn't cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions (removals), or items like dentures and implants.”
The Medicare & You handbook words it similarly (it says “Original Medicare”) and lists covered services that the dental services must be closely related to:
“In most cases, Original Medicare doesn’t cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions (removals), or items like dentures. However, in some cases, Original Medicare may pay for some dental services closely related to certain covered services like: • A heart valve repair or replacement. • An organ transplant. • Cancer-related treatments. • Dialysis services for treating End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).”
The rule behind this is in the Code of Federal Regulations, which opens its list of exclusions with:
“The following services are excluded from coverage:”
“(i) Dental services —
(1) Basic rule. Dental services in connection with the care, treatment, filling, removal, or replacement of teeth, or structures directly supporting the teeth.”
The rule then makes an exception for inpatient hospital services (the eCFR text prints “f or” with a space):
“(2) Exception. Except f or inpatient hospital services in connection with such dental procedures when hospitalization is required because of—
(i) The individual's underlying medical condition and clinical status; or
(ii) The severity of the dental procedures.”
When Medicare may cover dental services
Medicare.gov lists the situations in which Medicare may cover some dental services:
“Medicare may cover:
Some dental services you get when you're admitted as a hospital inpatient for your dental procedure, either because of your underlying medical condition or the severity of the procedure.
Specific inpatient or outpatient dental services directly related to certain covered medical treatments. In these cases, you must get the dental service because it’s linked to the success of the medical treatment you need, like:
An oral exam and dental treatment before you get a heart valve replacement or a bone marrow, organ, or kidney transplant.
A procedure (like a tooth extraction) to treat a mouth infection before you get cancer treatment services like chemotherapy.
Treatment for a complication you experience while getting head and neck cancer treatment services.
Dental or oral exams before and while getting Medicare-covered dialysis services (if you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)).
Medically necessary tests and treatments to remove an oral or dental infection before and while getting Medicare-covered dialysis services (if you have ESRD).”
The rule gives its own wording and its own examples. It says the dental exclusion does not apply to services that are “inextricably linked” to a covered medical service, and the examples it lists are introduced with “include, but are not limited to”:
“(3) Inapplicability.
(i) Dental services that are inextricably linked to, and substantially related and integral to the clinical success of, a certain covered medical service are not excluded; payment may be made under Medicare Parts A and B for services furnished in the inpatient or outpatient setting. Such services include, but are not limited to:”
“(A) Dental or oral examination performed as part of a comprehensive workup prior to, and medically necessary diagnostic and treatment services to eliminate an oral or dental infection prior to, or contemporaneously with, the following Medicare-covered services: organ transplant, hematopoietic stem cell transplant, bone marrow transplant, cardiac valve replacement, valvuloplasty procedures, chemotherapy when used in the treatment of cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy when used in the treatment of cancer, and administration of high-dose bone-modifying agents (antiresorptive therapy) when used in the treatment of cancer.
(B) The reconstruction of a dental ridge performed as a result of and at the same time as the surgical removal of a tumor.
(C) The stabilization or immobilization of teeth in connection with the reduction of a jaw fracture, and dental splints only when used in conjunction with covered treatment of a covered medical condition such as dislocated jaw joints.
(D) The extraction of teeth to prepare the jaw for radiation treatment of neoplastic disease.”
“(E) Dental or oral examination performed as part of a comprehensive workup prior to, medically necessary diagnostic and treatment services to eliminate an oral or dental infection prior to or contemporaneously with, and medically necessary diagnostic and treatment services to address dental or oral complications after, treatment of head and neck cancer using radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, or any combination of these.
(F) Dental or oral examination performed as part of a comprehensive workup prior to, or contemporaneously with, Medicare-covered dialysis services when used in the treatment of end stage renal disease (ESRD); and medically necessary diagnostic and treatment services to eliminate an oral or dental infection prior to, or contemporaneously with, Medicare-covered dialysis services when used in the treatment of ESRD.”
The rule also covers services and supplies that come with covered dental services:
“(ii) Ancillary services and supplies furnished incident to covered dental services are not excluded, and Medicare payment may be made under Part A or Part B, as applicable, whether the service is performed in the inpatient or outpatient setting, including, but not limited to the administration of anesthesia, diagnostic x-rays, use of operating room, and other related procedures.”
What you pay
Medicare.gov says for services Medicare does not cover:
“You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most dental services.”
For dental services that Part B covers, medicare.gov says:
“For Part B-covered dental services, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet the Part B deductible. If you get the covered service in an outpatient hospital or other facility setting, you’ll also pay a copayment to the facility.”
The CMS 2026 fact sheet gives the Part B deductible for 2026:
“The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $283 in 2026 […]”
For inpatient hospital stays that Part A covers, medicare.gov begins its 2026 list with:
“For Part A-covered inpatient hospital stays, what you pay for each benefit period in 2026 depends on how long you're getting care:
Days 1-60: After you pay the Part A deductible ($1,736), you pay $0 each day. […]”
The full list of 2026 Part A amounts is on Medicare Part A: what it covers and 2026 costs.
Medicare Advantage and Medigap
On the hearing aid page, medicare.gov says:
“Some Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) offer extra benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover - like vision, hearing, or dental. Contact the plan for more information.”
The Medicare & You handbook says:
“Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Cost Plans may cover some extra benefits, like fitness programs and vision, hearing, and dental services.”
How and when people can change coverage is on Medicare open enrollment. The handbook also says about Medigap policies:
“Generally, Medigap doesn’t cover long-term care (like care in a nursing home), vision or dental services, hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-duty nursing.”
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare cover dental care?
Medicare.gov says: “In most cases, Medicare doesn't cover dental services like routine cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions (removals), or items like dentures and implants.” It then lists situations in which Medicare may cover some dental services.
When may Medicare cover dental services?
Medicare.gov says Medicare may cover some dental services you get when you're admitted as a hospital inpatient for your dental procedure, either because of your underlying medical condition or the severity of the procedure, and specific inpatient or outpatient dental services directly related to certain covered medical treatments. In those cases, you must get the dental service because it’s linked to the success of the medical treatment you need, such as dental or oral exams before and while getting Medicare-covered dialysis services (if you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)).
What does the Medicare rule say about dental services?
42 CFR 411.15(i)(1) excludes “Dental services in connection with the care, treatment, filling, removal, or replacement of teeth, or structures directly supporting the teeth.” Paragraph (i)(2) makes an exception for inpatient hospital services in connection with such dental procedures when hospitalization is required because of the individual's underlying medical condition and clinical status or the severity of the dental procedures. Paragraph (i)(3) says dental services “inextricably linked to, and substantially related and integral to the clinical success of, a certain covered medical service are not excluded,” and its examples, which “include, but are not limited to” such services, are dental or oral examination and treatment of infection before or with an organ transplant, cardiac valve replacement, chemotherapy used in the treatment of cancer, or Medicare-covered dialysis for end stage renal disease (ESRD), and the extraction of teeth to prepare the jaw for radiation treatment of neoplastic disease.
What do you pay when Medicare covers a dental service?
Medicare.gov says that for Part B-covered dental services you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you meet the Part B deductible, plus a copayment to the facility in an outpatient hospital or other facility setting. The CMS 2026 fact sheet gives the 2026 Part B deductible as $283. For Part A-covered inpatient stays, medicare.gov gives a $1,736 deductible per benefit period in 2026.
Do Medicare Advantage Plans cover dental care?
Medicare.gov says some Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) offer extra benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, like vision, hearing, or dental, and to contact the plan for more information. The Medicare & You handbook says these plans “may cover some extra benefits.”
Does Medigap cover dental services?
The Medicare & You handbook says: “Generally, Medigap doesn’t cover long-term care (like care in a nursing home), vision or dental services, hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-duty nursing.”
Related Medicare pages
- Medicare Part A: What It Covers and What It Costs in 2026
- Does Medicare Cover Hearing Aids?
- Does Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?
- Does Medicare Pay for Assisted Living?
- Medicare vs Medicaid
- Medicare Savings Programs
- Medicare open enrollment
- Medicare Part B premium and deductible history
- Medicare Part D
- Medicare late enrollment penalty calculator
- IRMAA brackets
Sources
All retrieved November 2, 2026. Quotes are verbatim; “[…]” marks every omission.
- Medicare.gov: Dental services
- Medicare.gov: Hearing aids
- Medicare.gov: Hearing & balance exams
- Medicare.gov: Cataract surgery
- Medicare.gov: Eyeglasses & contact lenses
- Medicare.gov: Long-term care
- Medicare.gov: Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care
- Medicare.gov: Hospice care
- Medicare.gov: Inpatient hospital care
- Medicare.gov: What Part A covers
- Medicare.gov: Medicare costs
- CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, Nov. 14, 2025)
- 42 CFR 411.15 (eCFR)
- Medicare & You 2027 handbook (medicare.gov)