Question:
Does basic Medicare cover regular dental visits?
A) Yes
B) No
C) I’m not sure…
If you answered A or C, you aren’t alone, as a recent Washington Dental Service Foundation survey showed 51% of respondents in Spokane believe Medicare covers dental. However, you would be wrong.
Correct answer: B) No, basic Medicare does not cover dental, and a lot of folks entering retirement are learning that the hard way. A recent article in The Spokesman Review talks about what steps folks approaching retirement should take for their oral health.
Good oral health relates to a lot more than just our teeth; our ability to chew effects the nutrition we receive, our ability to smile effects our confidence, and chronic conditions like Type 2 Diabetes can exacerbate dental decay.
Organizations like Smile Spokane, WDSF’s The Mighty Mouth, and our own DENT program are helping connect folks to the dental care they need, but for lasting change, we need a health care system that includes our mouths as part of our overall health. That’s why the BHT ACH has set full integration of Oral, Physical, and Behavioral health systems as one of our region’s main priorities.
Read the Spokesman article to learn more:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/aug/08/financial-decay-dental-care-can-threaten-retiremen/
