Dentists That Take Medical Assistance in Berks County

If you're on Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania's name for Medicaid (the ACCESS card is its ID card, and some people also carry a plan's card), you do have adult dental coverage, with limits on how often, and a child on it or on CHIP gets broader dental coverage. The fastest way to a dentist is your plan's directory or member services line, the state's call center if you have no plan, or one of two Berks health centers that say they take it. This post is for a Berks adult or parent with the card in hand, and the full list of dentists in Berks County is where to look once you know your plan.

Does Medical Assistance cover dental for adults in Pennsylvania?

Yes. An adult on Medical Assistance is eligible for exams, X-rays, cleanings, fillings, dentures, extractions, and other surgical and emergency services related to pain and symptoms. What you get depends on your eligibility category, and the page of the state Department of Human Services, which runs the program, says some adults may be eligible for more than that list; your county assistance office or your plan can tell you which category you're in.

So how often can you go? The state covers one exam and one cleaning every 180 days for an adult 21 or older. Medical Assistance pays for one denture for the upper jaw and one for the lower in a lifetime, whether full or partial. Only dentures Medical Assistance has paid for since April 27, 2015 count toward that limit.

What about the bigger jobs? Crowns, gum treatment and root canals are covered for an adult through a benefit limit exception, the special approval your dentist requests on the state's form. If you have the ACCESS card alone, the state decides within 21 days of a request made before the work; if you're in a plan, the plan decides, and its member services line can tell you how long it takes.

If you have one of five conditions on the state's list (diabetes, coronary artery disease or its risk factors, cancer of the face, neck or throat, an intellectual disability, or a current pregnancy including the months after birth), the exception is granted: the state or your plan checks its own claims records for the condition first, and asks your dentist for your doctor's records only if it isn't there. The exception is the first step, though, and the plan or the state still has to find the work itself medically necessary before it's approved.

The limits don't apply to anyone under 21, or to adults living in a nursing facility or a care facility for people with disabilities. Every Berks plan's handbook adds that its limits don't apply if you're pregnant, so a pregnant member asks her plan. All of this is general information about the coverage and where to call; a question about your own mouth goes to a dentist.

What do children get through Medical Assistance and CHIP?

A child under 21 on Medical Assistance gets all medically necessary dental care. The state lists it as exams, fluoride, sealants, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, root canals, extractions, dentures, gum disease treatment and crowns.

CHIP is the children's program for families over the Medical Assistance income line; it covers children under 19 and includes dental. Each CHIP plan's handbook and directory say what it covers and which dentists take it. One Berks CHIP plan's handbook, Highmark Healthy Kids', for example, says there are no copays for dental and allows a routine exam and cleaning once per six months.

A practice that takes CHIP plans may not take adult Medical Assistance, and some take children's Medicaid only, so when you call for the whole family, ask "for adults too, or children only?"

How do you find a dentist that takes your plan?

Your card tells you which of two ways you get Medical Assistance. If you carry a plan's card (AmeriHealth Caritas, Geisinger, Jefferson, Highmark Wholecare or UPMC for You), you're in a HealthChoices plan, the private health plan that manages your Medical Assistance; if your only card is the ACCESS card, you're on fee-for-service, where the state pays the dentist directly.

Most people are in a plan, and the department lists five in Berks: AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania (888-991-7200), Geisinger Health Plan (855-227-1302), Jefferson Health Plans EverWell (800-553-0784), Highmark Wholecare (800-392-1147) and UPMC for You (800-286-4242). A plan may keep the state's limits or set looser ones, never tighter.

With a plan, you use a dentist signed up with it, found through the plan's online directory or member services number. Three plans name their dental network: Geisinger uses the Skygen network, Jefferson the Avesis network and UPMC its own UPMC for You Dental Advantage network; AmeriHealth Caritas sends its dental approvals through DentaQuest and its directory has a Find a Dentist button. Highmark Wholecare runs the dentist search on its own site, so start there.

With the ACCESS card and no plan, you can see any dentist enrolled with Medical Assistance, and the state's two ways to find one are enrollnow.net and the Medical Assistance Call Center at 1-800-537-8862 on weekdays.

Do the community health centers in Berks take Medical Assistance for dental?

Two community health centers offer dental in Berks, and both say on their sites that they take it. Here are the hours and dental numbers.

Health center dental site	Address and hours (its own site)	Phone (its own site)	What its site says about Medical Assistance
Berks Community Health Center at Rockland	1110 Rockland St., Reading; Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.	Dental appointments 484-772-1200; main line 610-988-4838	"we accept most insurances, including Medicare, Medicaid (Access), CHIP, and most private insurance"
Community Health and Dental Care, Barto	1315 Route 100 N., Barto; Monday and Thursday 8 to 7, Tuesday and Wednesday 8 to 5, Friday 8 to 4:30, Saturday 8 to 3	610-326-9460	"all PA Medicaid HMO's, DHS Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial plans"

The two community health center dental sites in Berks County, from each center's own pages, read October 18, 2026.

Berks Community Health Center's dental office is at Rockland Street only. Its site says it accepts Medicaid (Access) and CHIP and names AmeriHealth Caritas, Geisinger Health Plan, Highmark Wholecare, UPMC for You and Health Partners (the older name of Jefferson Health Plans EverWell) among the plans it takes. The center has announced it plans to join Union Community Care, another community health center; the proposed merger was under regulatory review as of August 2026, and its notice says your dentist and care team stay the same.

Community Health and Dental Care in Barto says on its site that it accepts all PA Medicaid HMOs (the center's word for the HealthChoices plans) and fee-for-service Medicaid and sees patients of all ages, and its insurance list names CHIP plans too.

If you're not on Medical Assistance or CHIP yet, Berks Community Health Center's insurance assisters help with the application, and Community Health and Dental Care's case managers do the same for its current medical patients. One application covers both programs and the state sorts it into whichever fits; the same application is what how to apply for coverage through Pennie describes, because Pennie checks Medical Assistance and CHIP first. For the wider picture across the county, our guide to healthcare providers in Berks County has it.

Which dentists in Berks County say they accept Medicaid?

Seven of 78 Berks dental practice websites say yes on their own pages as of October 2026. Five of those take adults and children (the two health centers and three private practices), and two take children only. Most of the rest say nothing about it on their pages, and a page that says nothing isn't a no, so call and ask.

• Berks Community Health Center, Reading: Rockland Street dental office, "Medicaid (Access), CHIP"
• Community Health and Dental Care, Barto: "all PA Medicaid HMO's, DHS Medicaid"
• Dental Dreams, Reading: "We welcome Medicaid and PPO plans", for kids and adults
• Smiles 4 Keeps, Reading: "We accept Medical Assistance plans", adult and pediatric dentistry at the Reading office
• Artisan Smiles, Reading: its list names "Medicaid", "Medicaid Access" and "UPMC For You Program (Adults & Children)", with its own note to call to confirm
• Children's Dental Health of Wyomissing, Wyomissing: "CHIP, Medicaid, and self-pay", a pediatric practice, and coverage may vary by location
• Saucony Smiles, Kutztown: "children's Medicaid"

What should you ask when you call the office?

Work down the list with your card in front of you.

• If you have only the ACCESS card, whether they're enrolled with Medical Assistance and take the card without a plan.
• Whether they accept your plan, by the name on your card; the plan's name is what the office checks.
• Whether that's for adults or children only; some practices take children's Medicaid only.
• Which dental network they're in, so you can match it to the one your plan uses.
• Whether your plan has to list the office as your provider before the first visit; one health center says many plans require it, and the listing has to be in place before you come in, so ask your plan's member services to add it.
• What to bring: your insurance card, a photo ID and any copay.
• If you need a crown, gum work or a root canal, whether they'll ask the plan for the benefit limit exception; the dentist is the one who files it.

Questions people ask about Medical Assistance dental coverage.

Does Medicaid cover dental for adults in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Adults get exams, X-rays, cleanings, fillings, dentures, extractions and emergency care, and some adults may be eligible for more.

How many cleanings does Medical Assistance cover for adults?

One cleaning and one exam every 180 days for an adult 21 or older. The limit doesn't apply under 21 or in a nursing or care facility for people with disabilities, and every Berks plan's handbook says its limits don't apply if you're pregnant.

Does CHIP cover braces?

A CHIP plan pays for braces only when a child has a significant handicapping malocclusion, a bite problem that interferes with speaking, eating or breathing, and only with the plan's prior approval.

If your card names a plan, open its directory or call member services; with the ACCESS card alone, start with enrollnow.net or the Call Center. The rest of the county's offices are on the county dentists page. Call with the card in hand, ask the questions above, and book.

Sources

• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, "Medicaid Dental Services" and "Dental Information for Recipients and Families" (read October 18, 2026): what Medical Assistance covers for children and adults, that some adults may be eligible for more, the fee-for-service and HealthChoices ways to find a dentist, the Medical Assistance Call Center line and hours.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, MA Bulletin 08-21-01, "Dental Benefit Limit Exception Process Update" (April 15, 2021), Provider Quick Tip 273 and MA Bulletin 08-25-40 (June 25, 2025): the adult limits (one exam and one cleaning per 180 days; dentures once per arch per lifetime from April 27, 2015), the services that need a benefit limit exception, who is exempt, the five conditions on the revised exception form, the dentist's role and the 21-day decision.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Managed Care Operations Memorandum 06/2025-008 (June 25, 2025): that HealthChoices plans may set the same or lesser limits and that an approved exception still goes through medical-necessity review.
• 55 Pa. Code § 1101.32 (read October 18, 2026): that recipients under 21 are entitled to dental coverage under the children's screening benefit.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, "Physical HealthChoices Managed Care Organizations" (read October 18, 2026) and its HealthChoices overview: the five plans serving Berks County and their member services numbers, and that HealthChoices is the mandatory managed care program for most people on Medical Assistance.
• PA Enrollment Services (read October 18, 2026): the provider search at enrollnow.net.
• AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, "Dental" and its 2026 Member Handbook (read October 18, 2026): its dental limits, its find-a-dentist method, the benefit limit exception list, and the DentaQuest routing.
• Geisinger Health Plan, "GHP Family Member Handbook" (read October 18, 2026): the Skygen/GHP Family dental network, the dentist search and the adult limits as the plan states them.
• Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, "Find a Doctor" and its Member Handbook (read October 18, 2026): its directory, the Avesis dental network.
• Highmark Wholecare, "Dental" and its linked Medicaid handbook (read October 18, 2026): that members visit any dentist in its network, its dentist search on its own site and its adult limits.
• UPMC for You, "Dental" and its 2026 Member Handbook (read October 18, 2026): the UPMC for You Dental Advantage network and the adult limits as the plan states them.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, CHIP "Eligibility & Benefits" and CHIP FAQ (read October 18, 2026): who CHIP is for, that it includes dental, and the braces condition.
• Highmark Healthy Kids, "CHIP HMO 2026 Member Handbook" (read October 18, 2026): one Berks CHIP plan's dental terms as an example: no copays, a routine exam and cleaning once per six months.
• Berks Community Health Center, "Dental", "Locations", "Financial Help", "Become Our Patient" and "An Important Update" and "Insurance Assisters" (read October 18, 2026): the Rockland Street dental site, its phone and hours, the insurance it accepts, what to bring, the card-listing note and the August 2026 merger notice.
• Community Health and Dental Care, "Dental Care", "Barto" and "Insurance Information" (read October 18, 2026): the Barto dental site, its phone and hours, and the Medicaid it accepts.
• Dental Dreams, Reading office page (read October 18, 2026): its town and "We welcome Medicaid and PPO plans."
• Smiles 4 Keeps, "Payment & Insurance" and its Reading office page (read October 18, 2026): that it accepts Medical Assistance plans, and the Reading office's services.
• Artisan Smiles, "Insurance" (read October 18, 2026): its accepted plan list, including Medicaid, and its note to call to confirm.
• Children's Dental Health, "Insurance" and its Wyomissing office page (read October 18, 2026): that it accepts CHIP and Medicaid, that coverage may vary by location, and its Wyomissing office.
• Saucony Smiles, Kutztown, "Your First Appointment" (read October 18, 2026): that it is a provider for children's Medicaid, and its Kutztown office.