AmeriHealth Caritas Dental: Coverage by State, Providers and 2027 Dual Plans

Reviewed November 7, 2026. AmeriHealth Caritas dental coverage depends on your state. In Pennsylvania, Delaware, DC and Ohio, the AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid plan covers dental care itself; in Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina, adult dental runs through the state’s own dental program, though the Louisiana plan adds an extra adult dental benefit of up to $750 a year. Children under 21 are covered for medically necessary dental care in every state under Medicaid’s EPSDT benefit.

Quick answer: To find an AmeriHealth Caritas dentist, use the “Find a Provider” tool on your state plan’s website (in Pennsylvania, choose “Find a Dentist”), or call the dental or member services number for your state in the table below. In Pennsylvania, you don’t need a referral to see an in-network dentist. Benefits and limits differ by state and age, so check your member handbook.

AmeriHealth Caritas dental coverage by state

TTY numbers are on each plan’s website. Sources are listed at the end of this article.

Pennsylvania: AmeriHealth Caritas PA and Keystone First dental

Both Pennsylvania plans cover dental care for members and work with DentaQuest. According to the 2026 AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania member handbook, adults 21 and older get:

• One exam and one cleaning every 180 days.
• Fillings, extractions, emergency care, oral surgery and sedation.
• Dentures: one upper and one lower per lifetime. Another set needs special approval if your last one was received on or after April 27, 2015.
• Crowns, root canals, gum (periodontal) treatment and extra cleanings only with an approved benefit limit exception (BLE). The plan decides within 21 days if you ask before the service, or 30 days if you ask after.

Some services have copays. Members under 21 get all medically necessary dental care, and braces started before age 21 are covered until treatment ends or age 23. For counties and enrollment, see our AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania guide.

Delaware: AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware dental

AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware says adults 21 and older have a $1,000 yearly maximum for dental care such as cleanings, X-rays and fillings, plus up to $1,500 a year more for emergency or extended-criteria care. Delaware’s Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance notes that people with QMB-only or SLMB-only coverage aren’t eligible for the adult dental benefit. Children get preventive care, fillings and crowns, with braces only when medically necessary. More in our AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware guide.

District of Columbia: AmeriHealth Caritas DC dental

The AmeriHealth Caritas DC enrollee handbook lists, for adults, exams and cleanings every six months, fillings, extractions, root canals and crowns, full or partial dentures once every five years and full-mouth X-rays once every three years. Children get free dental care, with checkups twice a year from ages 3 to 20. Former Wellpoint DC members were moved to AmeriHealth Caritas DC on August 1, 2026; see our AmeriHealth Caritas DC guide.

Ohio: AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio dental

AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio covers Ohio Medicaid dental benefits and, as an extra benefit, one additional cleaning and exam a year for members 21 and older (member handbook issued August 1, 2026). Children’s dental is covered through Healthchek, Ohio’s EPSDT program. See our AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio guide, and compare with CareSource dental in Ohio.

Louisiana: state dental program plus an AmeriHealth Caritas extra

In Louisiana, core Medicaid dental goes through the state’s dental benefit program managers, DentaQuest and MCNA, not the health plan. For adults 21 and older, the Louisiana Department of Health lists dentures, relines and repairs (one per arch every eight years) and related exams and X-rays. On top of that, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana offers adult members a value-added dental benefit of up to $750 a year for exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions and X-rays at participating federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The plan posts a list of participating clinics.

New Hampshire and North Carolina

New Hampshire: Adult dental is the state’s NH Smiles program, which began April 1, 2023 and is administered by DentaQuest. It covers exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, limited gum treatment, extractions and oral surgery; dentures are limited to certain waiver members and nursing facility residents. Cost-sharing applies to non-preventive services, and there is a yearly limit.

North Carolina: AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina lists dental among the services it does not provide. Members use any dentist who takes NC Medicaid. Read does AmeriHealth Caritas NC cover dental for details.

AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care dental for 2027 (dual-eligible plans)

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care is the company’s dual-eligible special needs plan (HMO D-SNP). Its 2027 Summaries of Benefits list $0 exams, cleanings and fluoride every six months, dentures once per arch every five years and prior authorization for all comprehensive dental. The yearly comprehensive dental limit varies by state:

Source: AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care 2027 Summary of Benefits pages for each state. Compare other dual plans in our Wellpoint dental guide and UnitedHealthcare Medicaid dental by state.

How to find AmeriHealth Caritas dental providers

1. Go to your state plan’s website and open “Find a Provider.” In Pennsylvania, choose “Find a Dentist”; in Delaware, the link opens the DentaQuest dentist search.
2. In Louisiana, search the DentaQuest or MCNA directory for core dental, and the plan’s FQHC clinic list for the $750 extra benefit.
3. In New Hampshire, call NH Smiles; in North Carolina, use NC Medicaid’s dental provider search or call 1-888-245-0179.
4. Call the dentist to confirm they take your plan and are accepting new patients.

Frequently asked questions

Does AmeriHealth Caritas cover dental for adults?

Yes, but how depends on the state. The plan covers adult dental in Pennsylvania, Delaware, DC and Ohio; Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina cover adult dental through state programs.

Does AmeriHealth Caritas cover dental implants?

The Medicaid plan materials we reviewed don’t list implants as a standard adult benefit. The 2027 AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care plan in Michigan covers mini-implants and implant-supported lower dentures once every five years. Ask your plan about prior approval before treatment.

Does AmeriHealth Caritas cover braces?

For children, when medically necessary. In Pennsylvania, braces started before 21 are covered until treatment ends or age 23. Adult braces generally aren’t covered.

Who is AmeriHealth Caritas’s dental provider?

In Pennsylvania the plans work with DentaQuest, and Delaware’s dentist search uses DentaQuest. Louisiana uses the state’s DentaQuest and MCNA programs, and New Hampshire’s NH Smiles is run by DentaQuest.

Do I need a referral to see an AmeriHealth Caritas dentist?

No. In Pennsylvania, AmeriHealth Caritas says you don’t need a referral to see an in-network dentist.

This article is general information. Medicare365 is an independent website and is not affiliated with or endorsed by AmeriHealth Caritas, DentaQuest, MCNA, any state Medicaid agency or any government agency. Benefits change; check your member handbook or call Member Services.

Sources

• AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania: Dental benefits
• AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania: 2026 Member Handbook (PDF)
• Keystone First: Dental benefits
• AmeriHealth Caritas Delaware: Dental benefits
• Delaware DMMA: Adult dental services
• AmeriHealth Caritas DC: Enrollee Handbook (PDF)
• AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio: Member Handbook (PDF)
• AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana: Member benefits
• Louisiana Department of Health: Medicaid services
• AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire: Dental
• NH DHHS: Medicaid adult dental launch (March 31, 2023)
• AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina: Services the plan does not provide
• NC Medicaid: Find a dental provider
• AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care Pennsylvania: 2027 Summary of Benefits
• AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care Michigan: 2027 Summary of Benefits
• AmeriHealth Caritas VIP Care Florida: 2027 Summary of Benefits
• Medicaid.gov: Dental care