Employers know those in the market for a job look beyond salary. People want benefits! In fact, 82% of consumers surveyed said dental benefits were “very important” in their decision to take a new job, and 54% said dental benefits were a “must-have”. Employees aren’t missing out on the fact that they need dental coverage. The problem is one in four consumers who have dental coverage has not been to the dentist in the past 12 months.
Employees want dental benefits, but they’re not using them. This means they are at risk for health problems, which lead to an increase in absences from work and a lower quality of life. Whether it’s fear, cost, or time that keep employees out of the dental chair, there’s a solution to motivate them.
Companies can help fix this problem by letting employees know just exactly why dental benefits are essential and helpful; and why maintaining a healthy mouth’s a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle.
Encourage Employee Dental Care with Newsletters
Businesses that focus on consistent communication with employees tend to have better engagement with staff. A great way to educate employees about the importance of their dental health and benefits is with a monthly newsletter! Include pertinent human resources info, company details, and bring up holidays like National Children’s Dental Health Month in February and National Dental Hygiene Month in October. There’re even dental health assessment quizzes available to get the conversation going, like the LifeSmile Assessment Quiz.
Here’s a list of a few more National Days we like to use to celebrate dental health and hygiene:
January
- New Year’s Resolutions
February
- National Children’s Dental Health Month
- American Heart Month
- National Donor Day
- National tooth fairy day 2/28 (twice a year)
March
- National Nutrition Month
- National Dentist Day 3/6
- American Diabetes Association Alert Day
- Root Canal Awareness Week 3/30 –4/5
April
- National Facial Protection Month
- World Allergy Week 4/2-4/8
- World Health Day 4/7
- Oral Cancer Awareness Month
May
- World No Tobacco Day 5/31
June
- National Smile Month
August
- National tooth fairy day 8/22 (twice a year)
September
- National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
- National Gum Care Month
- Fruit and Veggie Month
- Healthy Aging Month
October
- National Dental Hygiene Month
- Healthy Lung Month
November
- National TMJ Awareness Month
- American Diabetes Month
Choose a few holidays each month to highlight in your workplace. Not only do these special days help spread awareness, they also help remind staff about why dental care is essential. Employee dental benefits from Delta Dental make consistent preventive care easy.
Incentives and Competitions
Dental health impacts overall health, and overall health impacts attendance in the workplace.
Many companies help improve their employees health with health-related competitions and wellness-challenges and oral health is important to overall health, companies can create a reward system that encourages employees to use their dental benefits and attend their twice-yearly dental checkups.
Whether it’s a gift card or a shout out at the monthly meeting, making dental care a part of the conversation at work benefits everyone involved. Don’t forget about reminders to get a new toothbrush every three months! In fact, consider supplying toothbrushes and adding your company logo for a new type of brand “swag.”
The flyer below is a great bulletin-board pin-up to remind people to keep their oral health in tip top shape:
Share this link internally to guide employees toward finding a dentist in their area.
Looking for more on employee dental benefits and employee dental care in the workplace?
Check out our other blog:
