Medicare has excluded routine dental since 1965, and a single implant now costs $4,500, which is enough to wipe out an entire year's Social Security COLA increase.
Medicare Advantage dental riders and standalone plans both cap annual benefits somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000, leaving $3,000 or more uncovered on a single implant.
Dental schools perform implants at prices 30 to 50 percent below what private practices charge, making them the highest-leverage option for a procedure Medicare will never cover.
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A 68-year-old on Original Medicare walks out of her dentist's office with a treatment plan for a single implant. The estimate: $4,500. She calls 1-800-MEDICARE to confirm coverage and receives the answer she hoped was wrong. Original Medicare will pay zero. The estimate is not her coinsurance. It is her bill.

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