Does Medicare pay for routine dental care, such as checkups and denture relining?

Medicare does not pay for dental care other than certain dental services received by the recipient in a hospital setting, according to Medicare.gov. Medicare Part A may pay for inpatient hospital care for recipients requiring complicated or emergency dental procedures, but it does not cover the dental care itself.

Some examples of dental services covered by Medicare include extractions undertaken to prepare for radiation treatment when required to treat neoplastic diseases of the jaw or treatment to reconstruct the jaw after an accidental injury, notes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare covers the cost of oral exams that precede heart-valve replacement or kidney transplant.