Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago.
But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your mouth to check teeth and gums went to the patient.
While some dentists wrote off the cost of the dental exam, many patients just stayed away from the dental chair and the potential bills it represented.
That changed July 1, when routine dental exams for adults were added to the state’s Medicaid coverage.
Health experts said it is a significant step in the state’s multiyear effort to improve dental access — and to boost overall health, beyond cavities, molars and gums.
“I was doing cartwheels when I heard that they were going to cover that,” said state Director of Oral Health Dr. Jacqueline Miller.
The move came less than a decade after Missouri restored limited adult dental benefits under MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid plan. And two years after it significantly increased the rates the plan pays dentists.
Although MO HealthNet still doesn’t cover expensive services like dentures and crowns, the state has gone from being one of the worst in the country for dental access two years ago to a model for other states.
Source: How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile / The Beacon News