Dental Is Too Expensive…

Dental has never been cheap

Only around 15% of UK employers offer dental benefits, mostly due to traditional benefits being perceived as too expensive. When dental packages are offered, they are often limited to senior colleagues only as a retention strategy.

And honestly, that is understandable. Rising benefit costs, renewal pressures and traditional delivery models have made HR teams wary of adding yet another line item to an already stretched reward budget.

But here is the thing: that old logic is starting to break down.

The cost barrier is shifting. New providers are challenging the traditional dental model. And new delivery and funding mechanisms are changing the maths in a way HR and reward leaders cannot afford to ignore.

When 79% of employees say they would take up benefits if their employer offered them, and when benefits spend is under more scrutiny than ever, this is a genuine strategic inflection point. Dental is no longer just a perk. It is becoming a differentiator.

Poor Dental Health Affects More Than Just Teeth

Oral health is directly linked to productivity, chronic conditions and mental wellbeing. And the data is uncomfortable.

- 28% of UK workers have taken time off due to toothache, with at least 23 million working days lost to dental pain.

- Employees who take dental sick leave miss an average of 6.5 hours, costing a 1000-person organisation more than £40,000 a year in lost time alone.

Which leaves cost you don’t see. For many, it’s a case of “teeth or rent”.

21% of UK employees avoided dental appointments in 2023 due to cost concerns. When people delay care, small issues become emergencies. Emergencies mean higher costs, more absence and more stress.

Dental inequality also mirrors income inequality. Higher earners are far more likely to access private care. Lower earners are more likely to delay treatment and rely on the broken UK dental system, which often leads them to simply live with pain. That creates an unintended benefits equity gap, one that increasingly sits uncomfortably alongside DEI and wellbeing strategies.

The upside? With the right support in place, dental is not just good for employees. It is good for business.

So, What Really Drives Cost?

So why has dental stayed so expensive?

Part of the problem is the broader UK dental access crisis. NHS dentistry is overstretched, private dentistry is expensive, and many employer schemes still rely on this same clinical infrastructure.

In-person appointments bring clinical overheads: premises, equipment, staff and materials. Treatment costs are rising. Material costs are rising. Inflation and policy changes are adding pressure. All of this is tied up into your benefit cost, or in employee paychecks.

The traditional model simply is not built for scale or affordability.

And until recently, there was a widespread belief that dentistry had to be delivered face to face. Which leads us to the real disruption.

Dental Has Lagged Behind the Tech Curve (Until Now)

Think about the last time you had a dentist appointment. Did you have to leave the house? Book time off? Sit in a waiting room?

Now compare that with mental health support, GP consultations, physio and pharmacy. Digitisation has slashed costs, increased access and transformed delivery across healthcare.

Dentistry? Not so much.

But that is changing fast.

The outdated belief that all dental interaction must be in person is being challenged.

Around 70% of dental issues can now be managed remotely through virtual consultations, live chat, AI-powered assessments and digital triage. Prevention, advice, monitoring and even early diagnosis can be delivered without leaving the desk, office, or front line.

By removing costly clinical overheads, digital-first dental engagement models are making dental benefits scalable, flexible and affordable in a way that was not possible before. Employers can offer access, triage and preventive support without paying for traditional insurance-style plans.

This is where the economics shift.

Lower-cost, digital-first dental models unlock several strategic outcomes for employers.

Stronger EVP and talent differentiation.

In a tight labour market, benefits still matter. Offering dental, especially in an accessible and inclusive way, signals genuine care.

Reduced presenteeism and emergency leave.

Preventive support reduces the likelihood of painful, disruptive dental emergencies.

Greater equity.

Accessible dental closes the gap between higher and lower earners, supporting inclusive reward strategies.

Long-term cost control and predictability.

Prevention is cheaper than cure. Early intervention reduces high-cost treatments and downstream healthcare claims.

Conclusion

Dental benefits have traditionally been seen as too expensive for employers to justify. But cost-of-living pressures, NHS access gaps and new funding models are reshaping the economics, offering a credible path to affordable, equitable dental coverage for every employee.

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