Our findings show that the personal attributes of older US adults without dental care coverage and dental care use differ from those of older US adults with both use and coverage. This suggests that providing dental care coverage to uninsured older US adults without use will not necessarily result in higher use rates and likely will not result in use rates similar to those with prior coverage and use. We have offered a model and an approach showing how program developers and policy planners can consider modifiable factors as they plan for and attempt to implement dental care coverage extensions to persons previously uninsured. The use of this approach would make coverage uptake and use more likely and increase the likelihood that nonusers without coverage postextension would approximate or approach the use rates of those with prior use and coverage