TIL Medicare doesn't cover dental... and my dad just found out the hard way

He's 72 and needs a root canal. We thought his plan B would cover some of it but nope, zero. Dentist quoted $1,400 out of pocket. Did anyone else's parents get blindsided by this? What did you do, just pay it or find some kinda discount plan?

3 comments

3 Comments

green.noah13d agoMost Upvoted

That same thing happened to my uncle, and what @carr.abby said about asking for a cash discount really helped us out.

carr.abby13d ago

Yeah, it's a nasty surprise for sure. We ended up paying cash and asking the dentist for a discount, which they gave us 10% off for paying same day. Also look into CareCredit if you have to charge it, they offer 6-12 months zero interest if you pay it off in time.

walker.julia13d ago

wait wait wait, hold on. So Medicare Part B literally covers zero dental? Like not even a cleaning or an exam? I thought that was one of those things people just kinda assumed but it turned out not to be true... but man, $1,400 for a root canal is brutal. That's like a whole month of social security for some people. My grandma had to pay cash for a crown last year and the office gave her a 15% discount just for not using insurance, but we had to actually ask for it, they didn't offer upfront. It's crazy that we have to haggle with dentists like we're at a car dealership.