Care we provide at Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks
If you’re eligible for VA dental care, we offer a full range of quality dental services like:
- Routine exams and teeth cleaning
- Restorative procedures, including fillings and crowns
- Comprehensive surgical care, including extractions (pulling teeth) and oral cancer screening
- Routine and advanced prosthodontic care, including bridges, dentures, and dental implants
- Routine and advanced periodontal care, including root canals, gum treatments, and supporting bone care
- Oral and facial reconstruction surgery to repair damage from traumatic injury or serious illness
Dental Eligibility
Veterans often have questions about whether or not they can get dental care at the VA. Federal law limits the dental benefits provided by the VA. Below are some common questions about who may qualify for outpatient VA dental care.
Who is eligible for routine outpatient dental care?
- Veterans who receive money for a service-connected dental disability, or those who are rated 100% service-connected (a temporary 100% rating is not eligible).
- Veterans who were prisoners of war.
- Veterans recently discharged from active duty who did not have their dental treatment completed before discharge. They can receive one-time treatment if their DD214 shows dental treatment was not completed. An application must be made within 180 days of separation from active duty.
Who is eligible for emergency dental care?
Treatment for patients not otherwise eligible is limited to treating a dental condition that endangers the patient's life or health. These patients will be billed for the treatment and referred to the private sector for routine care needs. The present fee for emergency care is $236.00 per visit.
If I received routine dental care while I was in the service, are my teeth service-connected?
No. Only those Veterans that have been rated under the 9900 series of the schedule for rating disabilities are service-connected for a dental condition.
Do any other Veterans receive outpatient dental care?
- Veterans receiving outpatient medical care may receive focused dental care if the dental condition is determined by their VA medical and dental care providers to be complicating a medical condition currently under treatment by the VA.
- Veterans approved for a VA vocational rehabilitation program that are referred by their rehabilitation counselor may receive focused dental care necessary to enable them to enter or remain in their rehabilitation training.
- Veteran with a non-healing oral lesion might be seen for a head and neck oral cancer screening examination. Biopsies may be done to rule out oral cancer.
- Patients who received dental treatment while hospitalized in the VA Medical Center may receive limited outpatient dental care to follow up on their dental condition from that hospitalization.
If I am not eligible for routine dental care from the VA, can I get information about reduced fee dental services available in the community?
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks does not have a comprehensive list for all of our catchment area. We advise you to look in your local community for further information.
The laws that determine who qualifies for dental care are even more complex than the summary given above. You may discuss your problems with your health care provider who can review your conditions. Your health care provider may refer you for a Dental Consult to determine if you are eligible for outpatient dental care.
If I am eligible for VA Dental Care, but choose to go to a private dentist instead, will the VA pay for my dental care?
A VA beneficiary may be referred for non-VA dental care with a valid and justifiable reason. This justification may include, but is not limited to, the need for timely access to care, geographic considerations or the inability to provide required services within VA.