How to pay for needed dental work?

My neighbour, Mr. John, a senior patient, braved a needed root canal and went to one of the dental offices. I went with him since he didn't have anyone to accompany him. The doctors were so good to him and eased his nerves. They chatted about Mr. John's travel tales and shared laughter throughout the procedure. The doctor's gentle touch and soothing words turned a daunting experience into a comfortable one. Grateful for the caring environment, he left the clinic with a smile that reflects successful treatment and genuine connections that can blossom between patients and their dental care providers. So if you are looking for a dentist to do a root canal for your mother, connect with the best dentist, as their health is more of a concern. He consulted a doctor at

Dont do a root canal on an 89 year old with dementia. If you need to then pull the tooth but if it's not bothering her I would leave it alone.

NotBeenThereYet: As your profile states that your mother unfortunately suffers from dementia, perhaps it will be hard for her to undergo the needed dental work. Prayers sent.

Call your Area Agency on Aging. They may have a list of institutions that can provide dental care free or at a discount. If there's a dental school in your area, call them to see if they might take your mom.

I'm 86+ and recently had two teeth extracted and another tooth crowned a few weeks later. I have dental insurance but had used almost all of it up by the time I needed the crown (no root canal), which cost $1200. The yearly maximum insurance benefit is $1500 which definitely doesn't cover much these days. If multiple teeth need to be extracted, that might seriously interfere with your mom's ability to eat. Otherwise, speaking as a person close to her age, I think I would choose extraction. (If front teeth were involved, I might think twice, though--vanity can persist even for old people!)

Care credit would be an option for payment. Since you've used care credit in the past, you have a clear understanding of the repayment terms and interest rates.

I sincerely hope to make my "final exit" before anyone has to brush/floss my teeth or change my undies!

Call the county and ask about dental clinics and contact NDA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Dental_Association

I believe there's a reason old people end up with dentures.

I have just gone through a harrowing experience with dental work so this experience is fresh in my mind.

If you are NOT brushing and flossing your mother's teeth for her, you should. The dentist can show you how to do it. My dentist, my cousin, told me that I needed to do this, and it averted years of dental issues. I don't know if the problem your Mom has can be delayed until year end or not.

There are Medicare Advantage plans that include a certain amount of dental insurance. In addition, you could get her dental insurance, or as someone suggested maybe you are in one of the states where dental insurance is provided to Medicaid patients.

My Mom just came out of the hospital from oral surgery. I know she ended up there because I went on an extended "vacation" and no one cleaned her teeth the way I do. There was a tooth that we had been watching for years, and finally it got infected enough that it required extraction. So read on and read between the lines on my experience.

My Mom's MC contacted me because my Mom's cheek was swollen and she could only open her mouth about 3/4 inch before it hurt too much. This was not wide enough for anyone to see what what going on. Ironically, my cousin, our dentist, passed away 5 days earlier. We were referred to a new dentist who said that because she could not open her mouth wide enough to see what was going on, she had to be placed under anesthesia through an IV, and they could not do it. So we were referred to an oral surgeon. In talking to the oral surgeon, because of my mother's age, and the fact that she could only open her mouth for 3/4 of an inch, and we had no access to previous xrays, he suggested taking her to the emergency room at the hospital and he could do the surgery there. The hospital that he could do surgery at, is one that did not treat my Mom well in the past so I attempted to go to a more elderly friendly hospital, however, they cannot accommodate oral surgery so she was taken to the original hospital.

At the hospital, they did a CT scan and it did show the infection. The work that the oral surgeon did was terrific. Because she was admitted to the hospital, it is being billed through Medicare, not her dental insurance.

However, the hospital is not equipped to deal with dementia patients like my Mom. My Mom is over 100 years old, very hard of hearing, fall risk,and goes to the toilet a lot at night. In addition, she doesn't have the strength or the mindset to be able to use the call pad to call nurses or switch channels on the TV. She cannot hear or read fast enough to watch television.

The first night, she felt too awful to do anything. The second night, she was recovering from surgery and the anesthesia. The following day, you would not even guess she had memory issues. However, she didn't nap for over 12 hours. I was not allowed to stay with her and the head nurse was dismissive of my warnings. That night, she insisted on waiting outside of her room (that was her routine at MC) and started kicking and punching while they were try to get her into bed (she is short and fall risk so they have to steady her to get out of the chair and carry her up to the bed). In addition, they were not sure that they would be able to answer every call she made for the toilet (which she could not do anyway since they never provided a "soft touch pad" to call the nurses). She ended up being in "soft restraints" all night. This was also compounded by the hospital doctor not giving her the complete regimen for her arthritis pain. They also dug up some very old records and gave her anti-depressant to subdue her (she never had taken the drug before and the hospital physician did not follow the medication list from MC)

Bottom line: hospital stay was horrible, however, the surgery was a success. I had another opportunity to be "Mama Bear" and once again, I was reminded how important a detailed oriented patient advocate is.

What state is your mom in?

My opinion: no root canal and crowns. Either leave them alone or have them pulled. Don’t put your mom through that. Again, my 2cents, worth nothing

My mother has had problems with several of her teeth lately (she is 92) and her dentist has sent her to an oral surgeon to have them pulled. There is one tooth with a small cavity that she has an appointment to have filled so not everything requires pulling but at her age many have. The dentist had a partial made for the spaces left when some of the teeth were pulled but my mother refuses to give it a try and just complains about how hard it is to chew. Of course if her favorite foods weren’t things like steak she might not have the problems…. Just beware of dentists who want to remove a large number of teeth at once. My mother saw a couple of dentists who recommended that but her PCP and I agreed that it should be done in stages. I now take her to my dentist who is wonderful with her.
That being said, you can certainly try for care credit or another option for cutting the cost is if you have a school of dentistry in your area, look into whether they have a clinic there. I have known several people who have gone that route for their own dental care.

FYI. Most of us on Medicqre do not have adequate dental insurance and most do not cover crowns and root canals. Those plans act almost like a savings plan so mostly it is a wash.
My 95 year old aunt at the time needed work on a tooth. She was mentally intact and just opted for a tooth removal that did not impact her ability to chew.

Good Morning,

Maybe you could look into the Veteran's Aid & Attendance that is if your father was a Veteran during time of War.

Are you allowed to purchase Dental insurance for a specific amount of time? I would speak to the dentist and see what do most people do? Good oral hygiene is important, as without it, it can lead to infection or heart issues. Also, tell the dentist if your mother is on any kind of blood thinner.

My mother has dental. It is around $56 per month. Usually you have to get a prior authorization from the dentist when anything extensive needs to be done. Maybe you could have 1/2 of the work done in 2023 and the other in 2024 when you have a new year of services.

Also, depending upon where you live. In my part of the country, the Tufts Dental School has a clinic for procedures. You pay on a sliding scale. Also, if you have a Social Worker you can speak with perhaps, they have a dentist that is a provider for income levels that handles dementia patients, as they cannot sit long. I would go in with your mother. That is what I do.

I wouldn't let it go because your mother can't tell you if she is in pain. My mother's dentist, the one she has been going to for years is semi-retiring and working out of another dental practice. The main dental provider in our State which pretty much has a monopoly--well this new practice does not take this insurance. I couldn't believe it. But, my mother's health insurance provides 2 cleanings per year. So I am sticking with the same dentist, and using the health insurance coverage for a dental cleaning. I want my mother to stick with the same dentist and it is in the neighborhood.

Everything changes and you have to find out "each year" which provider takes your insurance and what is covered. I wouldn't let this go because you don't want your mother to be in pain at 2:00 in the morning.

I hope I was of some help...it may take a few phone calls.

Your profile says she has ALZ/dementia. This would be a determining factor, since she'd have to be able to comply with what the dentist needs her to do (sit still and keep her mouth open for a long time, for starters). My MIL had very bad back problems and couldn't manage sitting in that position for long.

The next challenge will be finding a dentist that accepts Medicaid AND knows how to handle cognitively impaired patients.

I may be in a minority that feels the teeth should be preserved (capped, crowned, implants) because eating without teeth robs elders of one of the few remaining pleasures later in life.

At her age there is no reason to have a root canal or a crown. Have it pulled out and be done with it.

The dentist just wants to make more money, IMO it is ridiculous to even consider this at age 89.

Have the tooth pulled. There is no reason to put her thru a root canal and crown work. I have been thru a few of both of these and its no picnic. I would not put my 89 yr old mother with Dementia thru what needs to be done. Its also several trips to the dentist.

If Mom's on Medicaid, check to see if your State is one of the 25 states now offering dental coverage to adults over 21. And taking the Benefits.gov questionnaire is always a good idea.

Ask the dentist if they have a payment plan. You might also want to consider whether an extraction may be a better option for a woman her age.
And it doesn't hurt to shop around, I was told I needed a root canal 10 years ago, obviously I didn't.

From the Care Topics/Dental Care of this website:

Benefits Counseling
How many times have you, either as a senior or as a family caregiver, wrestled with trying to figure out what type of help was available to you? Free benefits counseling is available through your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) that can point you in the right direction. AAA counselors can provide answers regarding health insurance coverage, food stamps, income assistance and other free government benefits for seniors.

Don’t feel like visiting your AAA in person? Try a virtual form of benefits counseling onBenefitsCheckUp.org. Seniors can use this website provided by theNational Council on Aging (NCOA) to search for specific resources or discover new local, state and federal benefit programs that can help save money. If necessary, AAAs can assist with applying for benefits as well.