Dental bites big into senior budgets

Turns out, daily oral care for your pearly whites past age 50 can pay dividends beyond a strong bite and bright smile. People approaching retirement don’t always think about dental care costs adding to the bottom line of living expenses, and it’s a common misconception that basic Medicare covers regular trips to the dentist and certain oral procedures. It doesn’t. Kathy Finley, 68, got that surprise after she retired from teaching religious studies at Gonzaga University. Until about three years ago, Finley had medical and dental insurance through her employer and assumed Medicare would cover similar expenses. “I didn’t realize until I got to that point that there was no coverage at all for dental under Medicare,” Finley said. “With the supplemental (Medicare) stuff, it didn’t change how much we’d be paying per year out of pocket.”/ Treva Lind , SR. More here .