Paying for Dental Work When Broke: Low-Income Grants

Help, I need dental work but have no money to pay for treatment!

If this lament fits your situation, follow our roadmap to resources to help you fix your bad teeth without breaking the bank.

Dental grants for low-income adults could lower your out-of-pocket costs. However, free money you do not have to repay is scarce and rarely dedicated to oral care, so you must be open to alternative avenues.

Dental financial assistance programs can also reduce treatment costs bite by bite. While no single path equates to free oral care, their cumulative effect can help you pay the dentist.

Dental Grants for Low-Income

Dental grants can help low-income adults when their teeth are rotting, but they have no money to pay the dentist. Unfortunately, they do not currently exist.

However, you can still find other pathways to lower treatment costs!

Government Grants

Government grants for dental work are unlikely to help low-income adults needing oral care but have no money to pay the dentist. Federal agencies award grants to institutions to foster a public good or stimulate the economy – not individuals.

For instance, government grants for dental implants are not legitimate. However, many recipients provide benefits that can lower specific costs and are worth pursuing.

Individual Grants

The government does not directly provide dental grants to individuals with no money. Still, benefits programs offered by grant recipients can help you afford to fix bad teeth.

A list of government grants for individuals has no entries unless you allow poetic license and redefine terms. Free money you never pay back is an appropriate synonym that opens the door to many opportunities. Use the savings to pay the dentist.

Medicaid Grants

For example, Medicaid is a substitute government grant for dental services helping low-income adults. The program pays the dentist directly if the patient qualifies, leaving them with zero out-of-pocket costs.

Even though a federal department oversees the program, Medicaid covers dental work for adults differently in each state.

StateEmergencyPreventiveRestorativePeriodontal
CaliforniaXXXX
TexasX   
FloridaXX  
New YorkXXXX
PennsylvaniaX XX

Single Mothers

Dental grants for single mothers with no money might be available through the recipients of federal funding. While few programs exist to support solo parents exclusively, benefits for low-income adults abound.

For instance, government help for single mothers without income is readily available, provided you understand the criteria. Each program calculates your percentage of the Federal Poverty Level, which has two components.

  1. Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)
  2. Number of household members

Single mothers frequently qualify because child support does not count towards MAGI, and the extra dependents inflate their household size. Use the money saved on childcare and housing to pay the dentist.

Senior Citizens

Dental grants for low-income senior citizens are readily available through three distinct channels where the recipients of federal funding provide benefits for adults over 65.

  1. Free dentures for seniors on Medicare are possible for those dual-eligible for Medicaid, which covers false teeth in thirty-three states. Older adults living in the other seventeen states have options to reduce costs.
  2. Inexpensive dental implants for seniors are viable for those enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan with oral care benefits. The discounts associated with in-network providers generate significant savings.
  3. Free government money for seniors over 60 reduces everyday living expenses such as home repairs, HVAC system upgrades, utility bills, internet service, and more. Use the savings to pay the dentist.

Disabled Adults

Dental grants for disabled adults with no money could be available at nonprofit organizations receiving federal funding. SSI and SSDI recipients often have bad teeth because of poor oral hygiene (brushing and flossing), so some charities cater to this need.

For example, Dental Lifeline Network is A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that nationally provides access to oral care and education for people who cannot afford it and:

  • have a permanent disability or
  • who are elderly: age 65 or older or
  • who are medically fragile

Recovering Addicts

Dental grants for recovering addicts with low income are more challenging to find because the recipients of federal money focus their resources on the root of the problem (substance abuse treatment) rather than one of the symptoms (bad teeth).

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awards grants to fund treatment programs that support addiction recovery. It also publishes resources to help people find suitable facilities near their homes.

However, two insurance programs could help adults recovering from an addiction to prescription painkillers because they have a medically necessary reason. A dry mouth increases acid levels, leading to tooth decay.

  1. Short-term disability might cover drug rehab if a licensed physician prescribed an addictive opioid to treat pain caused by a covered accident or illness and you needed to stop working because of your condition.  
  2. Health insurance might cover medically necessary dental services (see below) incidental to another covered treatment requiring prescription medications. A dry mouth increases acid levels, leading to tooth decay.

Native Americans

Low-income Native American adults previously benefited from a government-sponsored dental grant program promoting wellness for their teeth and gums.  

The Dental Preventive Clinical Support Program, run by Indian Health Services (IHS, a unit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), supported oral care clinics in specified tribal lands.

As with many programs, Native Americans cannot apply for the grant directly. Instead, they must seek care at the clinics receiving the IHS money. Also, the funding does not last forever and may not be available.  

Medical Grants

Medical grants for dental work can help low-income patients fix their teeth when they have no money. Health insurance will sometimes pay for oral care connected to accidents and illnesses.

The dental procedures covered by health insurance are medically necessary: care arising from non-biting accidents, certain diseases, and treatments considered integral to other services included in the plan.

For instance, many oral surgeries, including tori removal, bone-impacted tooth extractions, and orthognathic procedures addressing jaw fractures and cancerous lesions, are medically necessary.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry grants are not designed for low-income adults, although they are welcome to apply if they have no money. Private companies are operating what appear to be marketing schemes to lure patients needing extensive oral care.

Dentists cannot charge more than insurance allows for covered services when participating in-network. The allowed amount is a steeply discounted fee negotiated by the issuing company, which providers accept to fill chairs.

However, dental insurance rarely covers cosmetic procedures. Therefore, dentists fund “partial grants” to supplement new patient acquisition via similar discounts. Decide for yourself if these offers are legitimate.

Dental Financial Assistance

Financial assistance programs are another avenue to pay for dental work without money. In these cases, you might get help lowering expenses incrementally in many places, as no single resource will eliminate all out-of-pocket costs.

For instance, getting help with dental implants is like eating an elephant. Take one tiny bite at a time rather than swallowing it whole.

Charitable Organizations

Charitable and nonprofit organizations operate dental assistance programs, enabling patients with no money to fix their rotting teeth. These entities depend on their donors’ generosity.

Charities that help with dental costs fall into two categories, giving you several options when looking for assistance with oral care.

Dental offices provide services to the public in small geographic areas or during specific periods at fairs and other events.

  • Dental Lifeline Network
  • Smiles for Everyone
  • Give Back a Smile
  • Dentistry from the Heart
  • Charitable Smiles
  • Mission of Mercy

Grant-making organizations that raise money and distribute it to pro bono dentists serving patients directly.

  • Patterson Foundation
  • America’s Dentists Care Foundation
  • American Academy of Pediatric Dentists
  • DentaQuest Community Response Fund

Dental Schools

Dental schools often run clinics staffed by students, who provide financial assistance to local patients with little money as they hone their craft. Do not worry; trained faculty oversee your care.

The American Dental Education Association publishes a state-by-state list of accredited programs. Use this trusted resource to find a nearby clinic and apply for help as instructed.

Most dental schools do not provide free treatment. Instead, they offer low-cost services on a sliding scale based on income and other qualifications.

Dental Loans

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is not a government loan for dental work. However, patients without money to pay for oral care can use an FSA to get money to pay for treatment upfront. The IRS sanctions this program with hidden benefits.

No Credit Check

A hidden benefit of an FSA is that dental financing does not require a credit check. IRS rules require employers to allow all employees to participate without pulling a copy of their consumer report.

Employers must reimburse all qualifying expenses immediately, giving FSA participants up to 52 weeks to repay the loan using pre-tax payroll contributions.

Zero Interest

Interest-free medical loans are the second hidden benefit of this government financing for dental work courtesy of an FSA. The employer cannot charge origination fees or interest; you save money on taxes!

You repay the dental loan interest-free using pre-tax payroll contributions, reducing your exposure to three levies.

  1. Federal income
  2. State income
  3. FICA (7.65% in most cases)

Payment Assistance

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a terrific dental payment assistance program for patients whose teeth are rotting but have no money to pay for expensive treatments such as root canals, extractions, fillings, dentures, etc.

You can use an HSA to pay for dental work that is not cosmetic (tooth whitening or veneers to fill in gaps or cover stains). An HSA is a tax-favored account connected to a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).

An HSA has annual contribution limits, but you can reimburse yourself in the future for any qualified expense using pre-tax dollars, provided you continue with an HDHP. As with an FSA, you save money on three taxes.

  1. Federal income
  2. State income
  3. FICA (7.63% in most cases)

Free Treatment

Pro bono dentists might help you fix your teeth for free when you have no money. However, local providers offering this dental assistance program can treat only a few patients at no cost because they rely on donors’ generosity.

Fortunately, you might get free dental work when Medicaid covers all the costs because taxpayers fund the benefit, as might happen for dentures, extractions, and braces.

Free Dentures

Free dentures for low-income adults are feasible for patients enrolled in Medicaid and living in one of the thirty-three states supporting this benefit, provided they select the least-expensive set of false teeth.

In most cases, Medicaid pays for dentures in these states, leaving patients with no out-of-pocket costs. However, it will only cover the budget option rather than premium appliances.

Free Extractions

Free wisdom teeth removal is also possible for low-income adults with bone-impacted third molars – regardless of their residence state.

Medicaid is primarily health insurance with uniform coverage rules nationwide. Therefore, most patients will have zero out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary extractions: bone-impacted third molars requiring surgery.

Free tooth extractions are also possible for patients living in states with comprehensive oral care benefits for gum-impacted molars and uncomplicated procedures.

Free Braces

Medicaid offers free braces programs for adults, but only when an individual older than 21 has a medically necessary reason for orthodontia. For example, someone with a broken jaw might meet the criteria.

Meanwhile, children up to age 19 might be eligible for free braces if they meet one of two eligibility rules.

  1. Have a handicapping malocclusion as measured by a point system
  2. Treating a congenital disability requiring orthodontic correction