Subsidized Dental Care for Seniors – Everything You Need to Know
Dental treatment reform for seniors aged 72 and older is expanding starting in July 2022: Which dental treatments can you get for free? Which dental treatments require a deductible ?and how much? And how will you choose the best dentist for you
What is the free dental care reform for seniors?
The low-deductible dental treatment reform within the health package for seniors aged 72 and over is excellent news for many, and may change their quality of life immeasurably – both in maintaining their health and restoring their self-confidence and the ability to continue their daily functioning.
Three years since the reform came into effect, the state decided to update the eligibility for patients and now, starting July 1, 2022, all those aged 72 and older will be entitled to the full range of preventive and restorative dental treatments included in the health package, which we will detail in the table below.
Teeth that are not treated properly can affect a person's daily life, and cause extensive health damage. Dental health is a factor that has a huge impact not only on our health, but also on our quality of life and our dignity.
Unfortunately, Prof. Horev's research for the Taub Institute indicated that about 40% of respondents answered that during the last year they had to forego dental care due to financial considerations. Many seniors cannot afford to finance dental care, and as a result they sometimes lose teeth – which may prevent them from eating many types of food, cause mouth and face deformities, and even damage their self-image.
Details of the treatments
Which dental treatments for seniors can you get for free? Which dental treatments are deductible, and what is the payment amount?
Preservative dental treatments in the health package for seniors aged 72 and over – starting July 1, 2022:
| Treatment | Details/Notes | Deductible |
| First aid (emergency) | Urgent care that cannot be delayed, such as pain relief, prescription medication or surgical treatment in acute conditions of inflammation | ILS 72.62 |
| Periodic examination by a dentist | Once a year including consultation and preparation of a treatment plan | Exempt |
| Routine check-ups and follow-up | As part of ongoing medical treatment | Exempt |
| Occlusal x-rays | Pair of occlusal x-rays as part of a periodic examination | Exempt |
| Status X-ray | Once every two years, as part of medical treatment | ILS 36.40 per X-ray |
| Panoramic X-ray | Once every two years, as part of medical treatment | ILS 36.40 per X-ray |
| Descaling (hygienist) | Twice per calendar year | Exempt |
| Fluoride treatment | Local application of fluoride using a fluoride varnish once a year | ILS 18.15 |
| Extraction | ILS 36.40 | |
| Surgical extraction or root separation | ILS 72.62 | |
| Root canal treatment or endodontic retreatment | ILS 145.25 | |
| Amputation of the root tip | Apicoectomy | ILS 145.25 |
| Tooth restoration (filling) | Composite or amalgam restoration | ILS 36.40 |
| Immediate structure | Completion of a tooth after root canal treatment or endodontic retreatment | ILS 36.40 |
| Root planning | Treatment for a quarter of the mouth (once every two years for each quarter of the mouth) | ILS 108.93 |
Table of restorative treatments
| Treatment | Details/Notes | Deductible |
| Immediate dentures | Preparation of complete and partial immediate dentures (upper and lower), including measurement and adjustment | ILS 217.87 |
| Partial mandibular denture | No more than one denture every 4 years for each mandible, except in the absence of only one molar tooth in the jaw (not including wisdom teeth).
Including laboratory production, measurements and adjustment. |
ILS 326.81 |
| Complete mandibular denture | Complete upper or lower denture – including measurements, adjustment, production in the laboratory. Preparation of one prosthesis for 7 years for each mandible. | ILS 326.81 |
| Dental appointment for fitting dentures performed in the clinic and removing pressure points |
|
ILS 36.40 |
| Soft or hard denture reline | Soft reline in the laboratory or hard reline (in the clinic or laboratory) up to twice (2 times). Complete denture every 7 years.
Soft/temporary reline (in the clinic) up to three times (3 times). Complete denture every 7 years. |
ILS 72.62 |
| Complete denture base renewal | Renewal and adjustment of the denture base in the laboratory up to once, complete denture every 7 years. | ILS 72.62 |
| Repairing fractures and/or adding teeth to a denture | Complete denture up to once every 7 years, or partial denture once every 4 years. | ILS 36.40 |
| Implants for lower denture | Up to 4 implants for supporting a complete lower denture – only if possible without preparatory treatment (which is not included in this package). CT scan required for diagnosis, with a separate deductible of ILS 34.54 | ILS 108.93 per implant |
| Denture connectors for two implants | Replacement of spherical connectors or locators – once every two years if required | ILS 36.40 |
| Dental rubber bands | Replacement rubber bands of spherical connectors or locators – once every six months if required. | ILS 36.40 |
| Tooth root | Laboratory reconstruction of a cut root under a denture. | ILS 108.93 |
| Deepening the vestibule | Surgical deepening of the area between the lip and gums for the denture | ILS 36.40 |
| Alveoloplasty | Smoothing the jawbone under a denture | ILS 36.40 |
| Crown | Crown only with partial denture support, up to 3 crowns per denture | ILS 217.87 |
- Transportation of complex nursing patients for emergency treatments.
- Transportation of complex nursing patients who are hospitalized for more than 3 months for denture treatments.
So how do you make a decision where to get dental treatments as part of the reform? After all, everyone knows – teeth are not to be taken lightly, and there are dramatic differences in the level of professionalism of different dentists. Inaccurate diagnoses, as well as reckless or negligent dental treatments, often lead to devastating results and great heartache.
Benefits for Holocaust survivors
Starting from April 2021, Clalit will grant a full exemption from paying deductibles as part of dental treatments included in the health package to Clalit policyholders over the age of 75 who are Holocaust survivors with a certificate of recognized diseases due to the persecution of the Nazis ( both Holocaust survivors who receive an annuity from Germany who are entitled to financed medical expenses and Holocaust survivors who receive rewards from the Ministry of Finance who have been determined to have a recognized disability by the Authority for the Rights of Holocaust Survivors at the Ministry of Finance).
Starting from November 20, 2022, Clalit extended the exemption from deductibles for dental treatments to all Holocaust survivors whose eligibility was reported to Clalit by the Authority for the Rights of Holocaust Survivors or the Bureau for Personal Compensation Matters from Abroad, even if they were not recognized as having diseases recognized as arising from the persecution.
Dental implants from a specialist dentist
Approximately only 8% of all dentists in Israel are specialists, while at Clalit Smile 1 out of every 4 dentists is a specialist (24%).
What do you really need to know about dental implants? The field of implants is a complex field that requires great professionalism and rich experience; therefore, Clalit Smile has an internal procedure according to which only specialist doctors are allowed to perform implants. Ongoing supervision allows us to provide you with the best professional treatment, along with use of the highest quality dental equipment and materials.
Dental treatments included in the health package for seniors are provided at any of the Clalit Smile dental clinics throughout the country, in addition to arrangement clinics, which are private clinics that are fully supervised by Clalit Smile, and are committed to the highest standard, in accordance with the procedures of the Ministry of Health.
Find out information about each of the approximately 70 dental health services in Clalit’s health package system
How do I make an appointment?
On WhatsApp: send us a message
On the website: book an appointment with the dentist on the website or the Clalit app
By phone: search for a Clalit Smile clinic by area or by the type of treatment you are interested in
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