When Bobby Moske went to a community clinic a few years ago with a toothache, he couldn't find a dentist in Marin County willing to take Medicaid to do a root canal. Marin Community Clinics referred the 75-year-old to a dentist about 20 miles away in San Francisco, but his tooth decayed while he waited months for authorization to cover the procedure. In the end, his tooth was pulled.
It was the sixth time in a decade Moske had lost a tooth for lack of dental care, he said. The behavioral health peer specialist wears a denture that must be removed at mealtime, making eating a chore. He often struggles to mash food between his gums, and he limits his diet to things he can easily chew.
Nuts and steak, for instance, are off the table. It can be embarrassing to sit down for a meal with clients or colleagues. "I feel like I give off the impression of somebody who doesn’t take care of himself, and I do take care of myself," Moske said.
"I try very hard. So, when I go out, I try not to smile." California is among a growing number of states that provide comprehensive dental benefits to adults enrolled in Medicaid, and some lawmakers want to add more dental cleanings, examinations, and implants to the safety-net program.
Yet many dentists don't accept Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, so new benefits would offer no guarantee that patients could get care. The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 21% of California dentists saw Medi-Cal patients of all ages, according.