Low-Cost Dental Care For Seniors

10 Free Or Low-Cost Dental Care Organizations For Seniors

A healthy mouth is vital to your physical health. Without oral health, it is difficult to be in the best possible physical condition, especially if you are a senior. Recent studies also support the correlation between overall body health and oral health.

The more you think of your mouth as the basis to wellness, the more effort you will put in taking care of your dental health. Investment in oral health will help you chew food properly, be pain-free, reduce the probability of developing other health problems, and also save money in the long-term.

Maintaining oral health should be even more of a priority for seniors as with age comes susceptibility to disease. Usually, frequent dental check-ups and timely treatment to resolve oral problems do the job. However, it can be difficult for seniors to have access, that too affordable, to regular dental care.

Medicaid coverage has limits, and Medicare doesn’t provide dental cover. Moreover, out-of-pocket payment can put a financial strain on those with a fixed income. However, help is here, and we have put together a list of 10 low-cost or free dental care options for seniors. Reach out to these organizations to receive quality, affordable, or free dental care.

• Older adults can visit the site toothwisdom.org, which is dedicated to health resources. Use the care locator tool, and it will help you find affordable dental care in your community. Select your state on the website, and it will list excellent resources. Oral Health America, which is based in Chicago, runs the site. The national nonprofit organization is committed to change lives by bringing together communities with resources to enhance access to care, advocacy, and education for all Americans, especially the neediest.
• When searching according to service (legal, health, transportation, etc.) or state use the Eldercare Locator service of the Administration on Aging. Contact an information specialist at 1-800-677-1116. For a detailed discussion, use the chat window, and an Information Specialist will answer your queries between 9 AM to 8 PM EST from Monday to Friday.
• United Ways sponsor the 2-1-1 Information and Referral Search service to connect people with service providers in their area. All you need to do is to dial 211, and you will be connected to a trained professional who will respond to queries or suggest a suitable organization or agency that can assist.
• A Medicaid and Medicare program that enables people to meet health care needs, including dentistry, in their community is PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly). To avail PACE, the person must be at least 55 years old, eligible for home care nursing, and residing in the area where services are offered.
• Those with limited income and no insurance can contact the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which aids federally-funded health centers. Quite a few health centers offer the facility of sliding scale payment depending on affordability. Call 1–888–275–4772 or visit their site to get details.
• The Dental Life Network, which was the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped in its former avatar, provides access to a wide range of dental services for people who are elderly, have disabilities, or are medically at-risk. The organization’s flagship program Donated Dental Services has a country-wide network of 17,000 volunteer dentists and 3,700 dental laboratories. All dental treatments are offered free of charge. To ascertain whether you are a beneficiary, call 303-534-5360 or visit their website.
• With the philosophy of providing free dental care to those who need it, the non-profit Dentistry From The Heart utilizes volunteer dentists and hygienists for events around the nation. As it services many patients at every event, it may provide only fillings, extraction, or cleaning dental treatment services.
• To search for inexpensive dental care, visit Freemedicalcamps.com
• For low-cost dental care, dental schools are a practical option, as many have clinics where students work on patients. The American Dental Association has a list of schools by state. Seniors can also try dental hygiene schools to receive preventative care.
• The non-profit National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFCC) believe that availing health care is not a privilege; it is a right. The organization is meant for the medically underserved with the aim to widen access to affordable health care. NAFCC provides dental and medical services to the uninsured and the poor. The organization’s objective is to have 1,200 clinics across the country. Avail free services by visiting their website or call 1-703-647-7427.