Updated October 2026
HUSKY dental is the dental benefit that comes with HUSKY Health, Connecticut’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. If you have HUSKY A, B, C or D, dental care is already part of your coverage. Dr. Dental accepts HUSKY at all 10 of our Connecticut offices. This guide covers who runs the benefit, what it pays for, how to apply, and how to book a visit with us.
Who runs HUSKY dental
The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) runs HUSKY Health together with Access Health CT. The dental side is handled by the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership, or CTDHP. CTDHP answers members’ dental questions, keeps the list of network dentists and reviews requests for treatment that needs approval. It doesn’t take applications.
HUSKY only pays for care from dentists in the CTDHP network. Go outside it and you could end up paying the bill yourself. Every Dr. Dental office in Connecticut is in the network.
HUSKY A, B, C and D: which one do you have?
It’s printed on your card. All four include dental.
- HUSKY A – Medicaid for children, teens, parents, relative caregivers and pregnant women.
- HUSKY B – Connecticut’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, for children and teens up to age 19 in families with higher incomes.
- HUSKY C – Medicaid for adults 65 and older and for people who are blind or have a disability.
- HUSKY D – Medicaid for low-income adults 19 to 64 who don’t have dependent children, don’t qualify for HUSKY A, don’t have Medicare and aren’t pregnant.
A lot of people who search for “HUSKY D dental” have just been approved and want to know if the dentist is included. It is. Adults on HUSKY D get the same adult dental benefit as adults on HUSKY A and C. CTDHP also manages dental for Covered CT members.
HUSKY dental for children and teens
Members from birth through age 20 get the broader benefit. For children on HUSKY A, C and D, covered and approved care at a network dentist costs nothing. CTDHP’s benefit summary, updated October 2026, lists:
- A checkup exam every six months, plus up to four problem-focused exams a year
- Cleanings and fluoride every six months
- Sealants on first and second molars
- Bitewing x-rays once a year
- Fillings, crowns and root canals
- Extractions, including wisdom teeth
- Space maintainers when a baby tooth is lost early
- Full and partial dentures
- Night guards, and one athletic mouth guard for a child who plays a contact sport
- Braces, for children who qualify
Crowns, root canals, dentures, gum treatment and braces need CTDHP’s approval before the work is done. For braces, the child has to meet CTDHP’s criteria, which focus on how the bite works. Crowding that only bothers a teenager usually doesn’t qualify. At our Connecticut offices with an orthodontist (listed on our braces page), the orthodontist takes photos and measurements and sends them to CTDHP, and CTDHP makes the call. If it’s denied, we’ll tell you what braces would cost on a monthly plan instead.
HUSKY dental for adults 21 and older
Adults on HUSKY A, C and D have dental coverage too, with tighter rules. The adult benefit summary lists:
- One periodic exam per calendar year, plus up to four problem-focused exams
- One cleaning per calendar year
- Fluoride once every six months
- Bitewing x-rays once a year, and a full set or a panoramic x-ray every three years
- Fillings, once every two years per tooth surface
- Crowns and root canals, with prior approval
- Extractions, including wisdom teeth
- Gum treatment, with prior approval, for members with certain medical conditions such as diabetes
- Full and partial dentures once every seven years, with prior approval
- Night guards once every two years, with prior approval
If you have a chronic medical or dental condition, your dentist can ask CTDHP to approve extra exams or cleanings. Braces aren’t a regular adult benefit. CTDHP covers them only in narrow cases, such as untreated congenital conditions, facial trauma or surgical facial reconstruction. Implants and bridges aren’t on the adult benefit list.
The $1,000 yearly limit for adults
HUSKY pays up to $1,000 per calendar year for an adult’s dental care, counted across every dentist you see. Emergency visits don’t count toward it, and neither does dental care in a hospital. The limit resets on January 1, and money you didn’t use doesn’t carry over.
There’s an exception. Treatment that CTDHP approves in advance as medically necessary can go above $1,000, and that includes complete dentures. In most years a cleaning, exam and x-rays use only part of the limit. Planning matters more in a year with a root canal and a crown, or a set of dentures. Before we schedule bigger work, we check how much of your $1,000 is left and tell you what can safely wait until January. There’s more on this in HUSKY dental for adults vs. children.
How to apply for HUSKY Health
Dental comes with HUSKY Health coverage, so you apply for HUSKY Health itself. Where you apply depends on the program.
HUSKY A, B and D. Apply through Access Health CT, online at AccessHealthCT.com or by phone at 1-855-805-4325 (TTY 1-855-789-2428). Spanish is spoken on that line. DSS says applying online or by phone gets you the fastest answer on eligibility. You can also ask for a paper application, or apply in person at a DSS field office, where you may have to wait to see a worker.
HUSKY C. Apply through DSS. The quickest way is online through ConneCT, the DSS benefits site. You can also turn in a paper application (form W-1E, which comes in English and Spanish) or apply at a DSS field office. For general questions, the DSS Benefits Center number is 1-855-626-6632.
The DSS “How to Apply” page has every option, the paper forms and the field office list.
Who qualifies
Eligibility for HUSKY A, B and D is based mainly on household income and size. HUSKY C also looks at age or disability, and some HUSKY C programs have asset rules. HUSKY D currently has no asset limit. The income limits are updated from time to time, so we don’t print them here. You’ll find the current charts on the state’s HUSKY “How to Qualify” page. The state’s own advice is to apply and let them determine your eligibility, so if you’re close to the line, go ahead and apply.
What to gather before you apply
DSS lists proof of income (recent pay stubs or benefit statements, for example) and proof of address. For HUSKY C, have recent bank statements and other asset information ready too. DSS can check some information electronically before it asks you for paperwork, so you may not need every document.
If you’re denied, call the agency that sent the notice and ask why. Sometimes it’s a missing document that can be fixed.
Finding HUSKY dental providers in CT
CTDHP keeps the official list of network dentists. Search it on the CTDHP Find a Dentist page, or call CTDHP at 1-855-CT-DENTAL (1-855-283-3682), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Translation services are available, and callers with hearing loss can use 711. Call the same number with any question about your dental benefits.
All 10 Dr. Dental offices in Connecticut are CTDHP network providers and accept new HUSKY patients, children and adults. They’re in Bridgeport, East Haven, Enfield, Manchester, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Vernon and Waterbury. Addresses and phone numbers are on our Connecticut insurance page and our locations page.
Booking a HUSKY dental visit at Dr. Dental
You don’t need a referral. Call the office nearest you or request an appointment online, and mention that you have HUSKY. When you come in, bring your HUSKY card (or your child’s) and a photo ID.
We take care of the prior approval paperwork. When a crown, root canal, dentures or gum treatment is on your plan, we send the x-rays and request to CTDHP and book the treatment once the answer comes back. If you come in with a toothache, the exam and any emergency care happen that day. Approval only applies to follow-up work. Nothing gets billed to you without a written estimate and your okay.
Still waiting on your HUSKY application, or not eligible? You can come in anyway. The $57 new patient visit includes a cleaning, exam, x-rays and a written treatment plan if anything needs attention. If one tooth is bothering you, the $25 look-and-see covers an exam and x-rays of that area. Both are on our specials page, and our guide to dental costs without insurance explains what comes after. For a broken tooth or bad pain, start with our emergency dentist page.
Common questions about HUSKY dental
Does HUSKY D cover dental?
Yes. Adults on HUSKY D have the same adult dental benefit as adults on HUSKY A and C, through the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership. It covers exams, a yearly cleaning, x-rays, fillings, extractions, and crowns, root canals and dentures with prior approval, up to $1,000 per calendar year. Emergency visits don’t count toward that limit.
Do I need to apply separately for HUSKY dental?
No. Dental is part of HUSKY Health, so once you’re enrolled in HUSKY A, B, C or D you have dental coverage. You apply through Access Health CT for HUSKY A, B and D, or through DSS for HUSKY C. CTDHP doesn’t take applications.
How many cleanings does HUSKY cover?
Children and teens under 21 get a cleaning every six months. Adults get one cleaning per calendar year, and CTDHP can approve more for adults with certain chronic medical or dental conditions.
Does HUSKY cover braces?
For members under 21 who meet CTDHP’s criteria, yes, with prior approval. For adults, braces are covered only in narrow cases like untreated congenital conditions or facial trauma. Adults can get braces or Invisalign at our offices with an orthodontist from $137 a month.
How do I check whether a dentist takes HUSKY?
Use the Find a Dentist search on ctdhp.org or call CTDHP at 1-855-283-3682. Older websites list other numbers, but this is the one CTDHP publishes now. All 10 Dr. Dental offices in Connecticut are in the CTDHP network.
Is HUSKY dental free?
For HUSKY A, C and D members, covered and approved services from a network dentist cost nothing. You may have to pay for care outside the network, for adult care above the $1,000 limit without an approved exception, or for a service HUSKY doesn’t cover. We’ll give you the cost in writing first.
