Does Social Security cover any dental work?

No, Social Security does not cover dental work, particularly routine dental work.

The Social Security Act (in Section 1862(a)(12)) states that such dental care and treatment will not be paid for. This includes not just routine treatment for the teeth, but also its supporting structures, such as the gums, the jaw, tooth sockets and so on.

Under Medicare, dental work can only be covered when these are needed to be done to treat a covered illness. Additional conditions include: the need for the dental work to be done during the patient's hospital stay, the fact that the dental procedures done are intrinsically part of the treatment for the illness for which the patient was hospitalized in the first place.