In short
- Medicare.gov says that in most cases Medicare doesn't cover cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures or implants.
- Medicare doesn't cover routine eye exams for glasses or hearing aids, but it does cover one pair of glasses after each cataract surgery with an implanted lens.
- Before you buy a standalone dental plan, check three things: the waiting periods, the annual maximum, and the network.
- Medicare Advantage dental, vision and hearing extras vary by plan and county and can change every January, so check them every fall.
- Since October 17, 2022, adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss can buy over-the-counter hearing aids without an exam or prescription.
A lot of people find out at 65 that Medicare doesn't cover their teeth, their glasses or their hearing aids. Usually they find out at the dentist's front desk. That's the wrong place to learn it.
Here's what Medicare does and doesn't pay for, the two main ways to fill the gap, and a few lower-cost options here in Lincoln.
What does Medicare cover for dental, vision and hearing?
Very little of the routine stuff. Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) is built for medical care, so routine dental work, eye exams for glasses and hearing aids are mostly on you. Medicare does cover some care in these areas when it's tied to a medical problem.
| Service | Original Medicare | The details |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanings, fillings, extractions | Not covered in most cases | You pay all costs |
| Dentures and implants | Not covered | You pay all costs |
| Dental care tied to certain medical treatment | Sometimes covered | Includes an oral exam before a heart valve replacement or certain transplants, treating a mouth infection before cancer treatment, and dental exams before and during dialysis for kidney failure |
| Routine eye exams for glasses or contacts | Not covered | You pay all costs |
| Eyeglasses or contacts | Usually not covered | One pair after each cataract surgery with an implanted lens; you pay 20% after the Part B deductible |
| Diagnostic hearing and balance exams | Covered by Part B when ordered | 20% after the Part B deductible; for some conditions you can see an audiologist once every 12 months without an order |
| Hearing aids and exams to fit them | Not covered | You pay all costs |
The Part B deductible is $283 in 2026. For the rest of the list of things Medicare skips, see what Medicare doesn't cover.
What are your options for dental, vision and hearing coverage?
You have three routes: a standalone plan you buy on its own, the extra benefits inside a Medicare Advantage plan, or paying as you go. Which one fits depends mostly on which kind of Medicare coverage you have.
| Standalone dental, vision or hearing plan | Medicare Advantage extras | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can get it | Anyone, including people with Original Medicare and a Medicare Supplement | Only people enrolled in that Advantage plan |
| Cost | A separate premium | Built into the plan's benefits |
| Network | Varies by plan; some let you see any dentist | Often limited to network providers |
| Annual limits | Set by the plan, often a yearly maximum | Set by the plan, often a yearly allowance |
| When it changes | At renewal, per the policy | Can change every January 1 |
If you have a Medicare Supplement, a standalone plan is the main way to add routine dental, vision or hearing coverage, because supplements follow Original Medicare and don't add those benefits. Supplements only work with Original Medicare, so if you move to an Advantage plan, your supplement doesn't come along. I lay out the bigger choice in Medigap vs Medicare Advantage in Nebraska.
If you're on an Advantage plan, your extras come with the plan. Plan availability, premiums, networks and benefits vary by county and change every year, and the right plan depends on your doctors, your medications and your budget before it depends on dental. More on how those plans work is on my Medicare Advantage page.
How do standalone dental plans work?
A standalone dental plan pays part of your dental bills in exchange for a monthly premium, up to a yearly limit. Many sort care into tiers, with preventive care paid at the highest level and major work like crowns and dentures paid at a lower one. The details are where plans differ, so read these before you buy:
- Waiting periods. Some plans have none. Others make you wait months before they'll pay for fillings, crowns or dentures.
- Annual maximum. The most the plan pays in a year. Once you hit it, you pay the rest.
- Network. Some plans pay the same at any dentist. Others pay more, or only, at network dentists. Ask your dentist which plans they take.
- Deductible and coinsurance. What you pay before the plan starts, and the share you pay for each tier.
- Dentures and implants. Whether they're covered at all, and at what share.
Here's the math with made-up numbers. Say your dentist quotes $1,200 for a crown and your plan pays 50% after a $50 deductible. The plan pays $575 and you pay $625. That $575 also counts against the plan's annual maximum, which matters if you need two crowns in the same year.
Several companies sell individual dental coverage in Nebraska, and some are based here. Delta Dental of Nebraska offers individual and family dental and vision plans. Ameritas, headquartered in Lincoln with an AM Best rating of A (Excellent) as of June 25, 2026, sells dental, vision and hearing coverage for individuals. Physicians Mutual in Omaha (AM Best A+, October 2025) and Mutual of Omaha (AM Best A+) both sell individual dental plans. That's company-level background, not a ranking or a list of who I represent. For a closer look, see the best dental insurance for seniors in Nebraska.
Is vision coverage worth adding?
It depends on how often you need new glasses and what you pay for them. Medicare won't pay for a routine eye exam for glasses, and it won't pay for the glasses, except for one pair after each cataract surgery that implants a lens. Some dental plans offer vision as an add-on, and some vision plans are sold on their own.
Do the simple math first. Add up a year's premium for the vision coverage, then compare it with what you'd actually spend on an exam and a pair of glasses. If you buy new glasses every two or three years, a plan has to pay for itself in the year you buy them. If your eyes change every year, the numbers can look better.
Remember that medical eye problems are a different story. Cataract surgery, for example, falls under your medical coverage, not a vision plan.
How can you pay less for hearing aids?
Start with a diagnostic hearing exam, then decide. Part B covers that exam when your doctor orders it, and it tells you how much hearing loss you're dealing with. From there, you have a few paths:
- Over-the-counter hearing aids. Since October 17, 2022, the FDA has allowed adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss to buy hearing aids in a store or online, with no medical exam, prescription or fitting required.
- Prescription hearing aids through an audiologist, for more serious hearing loss or a custom fit.
- Medicare Advantage hearing benefits, if your plan includes them.
- Standalone hearing coverage, which some companies sell alone or bundled with dental and vision.
Where can Lincoln-area retirees find lower-cost dental care?
If you live near Lincoln, the UNMC College of Dentistry treats patients at its clinics on the UNL East Campus, at 4000 East Campus Loop South. The college says costs there may be significantly lower than regional dental fees. Call the college to ask whether its clinics can take you as a patient for the care you need.
If you qualify for full Nebraska Medicaid, dental is part of your coverage. Since January 1, 2024, each Heritage Health plan provides its members' dental benefits, and the old $750 yearly cap on adult dental care is gone. People with both Medicare and full Medicaid may also look at a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, which coordinates the two programs. I don't enroll anyone in Medicaid; applications go through iServe Nebraska or Nebraska DHHS.
How do I help with dental, vision and hearing coverage?
I look at these gaps as part of your Medicare review, not as an afterthought. If you have a Medicare Supplement, we compare standalone options against what your dentist and eye doctor actually charge you. If you're on an Advantage plan, we check what the dental, vision and hearing benefits will be for 2027 before the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 to December 7, 2026.
If you want help sorting it out, here's what to expect from an annual review, or you can talk to me. My help costs you nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Original Medicare doesn't. Medicare.gov says that in most cases Medicare doesn't cover dental services like cleanings, fillings or extractions, or items like dentures and implants, so you pay all of the cost. Some Medicare Advantage plans include dental benefits that may help with dentures, and some standalone dental plans cover them as a major service, often after a waiting period and up to the plan's annual maximum.
No. Original Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids or exams for fitting them, and you pay all costs. Part B does cover diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor orders them, with 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible. Some Medicare Advantage plans include hearing aid benefits, and adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss can buy over-the-counter hearing aids without a prescription.
Yes. Medicare Supplement plans follow Original Medicare and don't add routine dental, vision or hearing benefits, so many people pair one with a standalone dental plan or a dental and vision plan. The standalone plan has its own premium, its own network rules and its own annual maximum. It works separately from your Medicare coverage, so you can change it without touching your supplement.
It depends on how much dental work you expect and which dentists you use. Advantage plan dental benefits come with the plan, but they vary by plan and county, may require a network dentist, and can change every year. A standalone plan costs extra, but you choose it on its own terms. Compare the annual maximum, the waiting periods and the network, and remember the right Medicare plan depends on your doctors, medications and budget first.
No. Medicare doesn't cover routine eye exams, sometimes called refractions, for eyeglasses or contact lenses, and it usually doesn't pay for the glasses themselves. The exception is cataract surgery: after each surgery that implants an intraocular lens, Part B covers one pair of glasses with standard frames or one set of contacts, and you pay 20% after the Part B deductible.
Yes, for people with full Nebraska Medicaid. Since January 1, 2024, each Heritage Health plan provides its members' dental benefits, and Nebraska removed the old $750 yearly cap on adult dental care. Medicare Savings Programs are different: they help pay Medicare premiums and cost sharing but don't add dental coverage. Applications for Medicaid go through iServe Nebraska or Nebraska DHHS.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Dental services (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Hearing aids (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Hearing and balance exams (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Eyeglasses and contact lenses (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare.gov: Eye exams (routine) (opens in a new tab)
- FDA: OTC hearing aids, what you should know (opens in a new tab)
- UNMC College of Dentistry: Patient care (opens in a new tab)
- Nebraska DHHS: Medicaid dental care (opens in a new tab)
