Dental Help for Adults With Disabilities

Who Qualifies for Special-Care Dentistry?

Special care dentistry (SCD) is a branch of dentistry that facilitates care for impaired patients with physical, intellectual, sensory, mental, emotional, medical, or social disabilities.⁴

Special care dentistry is taught as a postgraduate course that equips dentists to offer dental services to patients with special care needs. 

International organizations like the Special Care Dentistry Association (SCDA) are made up of oral dental professionals dedicated to promoting the oral health of persons with special needs.

How is Dental Care Different for People With Disabilities or Special Needs?

People with disabilities usually have greater challenges with finding access to affordable dental care. One reason for this is that many disabled people have dental coverage through Medicaid. Some dentists are unwilling to accept dental insurance for the disabled through Medicaid because they would make less money.

Another reason is that most dental offices are unwilling to treat people with disabilities either because of a lack of training or equipment. 

Also, people with severe physical disabilities might find it more challenging to care for their oral health as oral hygiene (such as routine visits to the dentist) may be difficult to practice.

For these and other reasons, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities tend to have more dental problems and poorer oral health compared to people without disabilities.⁷

Does Disability Insurance Cover Dental Work?

Disability insurance is insurance coverage for disabled people. It replaces a portion of a person's salary if an injury or illness prevents the person from working. Depending on the type of insurance and the insurance company, some coverage comes with a waiting period, while some do not have a waiting period. 

In 2005, the Social Security Administration (SSA) awarded a contract to MDRC, a nonprofit social policy research organization, to carry out a project called Accelerated Benefits (AB) demonstration. This project was designed to figure out the benefits and costs of altering the waiting period for Medicare, particularly for disabled people.⁶

Disability insurance is primarily meant to protect a portion of your monthly income in case of a disability occurrence. It typically doesn't offer dental coverage. However, some insurance like Basic Social Security Disability Insurance will provide dental coverage.¹

According to the United States Government, people with disabilities have three options for health insurance through the government: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, they usually do not offer full coverage for adult oral care services.⁸

Most Medicare and Medicaid enrollees do not have comprehensive health insurance that covers routine dental care or other dental services.³ 

Medicaid only covers some dental services for children and under-65 adults with disabilities under the Medicaid disability dental coverage. Medicare has some plans that only offer partial dental insurance coverage. ACA also provides dental insurance coverage for children. 

Can You Get Free Dental Work With Disability Living Allowance?

Disability living allowance (DLA) is a tax-free benefit, typically in monetary form meant for people with disabilities who need extra care, support in their daily lives, and help with mobility. 

A disability living allowance might not give you access to free dental work. However, you might be eligible for other free benefits such as housing, higher child tax, universal credit, and travel support. DLA can also help reduce the cost of prescription fees or doctor’s fees that are not already subsidized.

Programs That Provide Low-Cost Dental Care for People With Disabilities 

The U.S. government defines a disabled person as:

• Someone unable to do substantial gainful work
• Someone with a disability that is expected to last for up to a year or more
• Someone whose impairment is on Social Security's list of disabling medical conditions²

Some programs that may provide low-cost dental care for such people include:

1. Donated Dental Services (DDS)

Donated Dental Services is a program offered by the Dental Lifeline Network. This is a nonprofit organization that offers education and dental care access to people who cannot afford it as well as people with disabilities. 

This nationwide program has a network of over 15,000 volunteer dentists and offers comprehensive free care to people who cannot afford standard treatment fees.

2. Aspen Dental Healthy Mouth Movement

Healthy Mouth Movement, provided by Aspen Dental, is a program that helps people that find it difficult to access dental care around the country (whether because of a disability, lack of funding, or both). 

They also focus on dental care for disabled veterans. Aspen Dental has a dentist office on wheels, called MouthMobile, which travels the country to provide free dental services to veterans living in remote communities.

3. Dentistry Schools 

Schools like UW School of Dentistry train dentists and providers to offer specialized dental care to patients with special needs. UW School of Dentistry’s DECOD clinic is partly supported by private donations and provides care to patients with acquired or developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.⁵

Another school that offers this program is the NYU College of Dentistry. This school dedicated its oral health center to providing support and sensitive essential care to people with disabilities. The school’s dental clinic is fully equipped to accommodate the needs of caregivers, patients, and families.

4. Illinois Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped

The Illinois Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped through the Donated Dental Services programs offers free or very low-cost dental services to the elderly and other people living with disabilities. Qualified applicants must be elderly, chronically ill, or permanently disabled.

5. Community Dental Programs

Some community dental clinics offer dental services at a low cost. Your local hospital may be able to refer you to one, or you can search on the internet for “community dental clinics.” 

Are There Specific Dentists for People With Disabilities?

Many dentists can treat people with special dental needs. However, some patients with certain disabilities may require specialized services from dental clinics. 

Dentists or dental specialists (orthodontists and periodontists) are trained to provide comprehensive care to people that need dental treatment regardless of who the patient is. 

But recently, different continuing education programs have been developed to assist dentists in learning better techniques for providing dentistry care to patients with special needs (e.g., MSc in Special Care Dentistry).

There are also dental clinics that prioritize oral health care for disabled adults. These clinics work with volunteer dentists and might offer affordable dental care for disabled adults. 

Tips for Finding a Special-Care Dentist

If you are looking for a special-care dentist, the first step is to ask around. For example, ask your local dentist, family members, friends, or even disability services. They might know a clinic with a dental team that provides special care to people with disabilities.

Aside from getting referrals and recommendations, here are more tips to help you find a special-care dentist:

• Research the credentials of the dentist that you were referred to
• Search special-care dental clinics in your browser and find dental clinics near you
• Check for a school of dentistry that offers special needs program; they are likely to have the dentist you are looking for
• Look beyond your locality; telemedicine makes it possible to treat patients using telecommunications and minimizes trips to the dentist office
• Check for the dentist's experience; the more experience a dentist has with treating people with special needs, the better your treatment results are likely to be
• Read patient reviews online, as this can provide insight into a dentist's practice