Dental benefits are essential for clients looking to help their employees stay healthy and productive, but those benefits don’t help employees if they don’t have time to use them. That’s why Delta Dental plans for businesses include mobile dentistry options.
Mobile dentistry options enable dentists to come directly to your clients. They can be a great way to encourage preventive care and help employees take control of their wellness.
Mobile dentistry is a service where licensed dentists come to clients’ workplaces to provide on-site care. Mobile dentistry options can include mobile units, onsite pop-up clinics and near-site clinics, depending on what the chosen location can accommodate. The mobile dentistry services offered by vendors can vary greatly from one vendor to the next, so it’s important for you and your clients to make sure to select a vendor that meets your clients’ needs and expectations.
Mobile dentistry services make routine care more accessible to employees by reducing barriers to care like choosing a dentist and finding time to visit their office. Additionally, mobile dentistry helps save companies from losing productivity to commute times, extended appointments and absenteeism caused by untreated dental issues.
The mobile dentistry options available to your clients vary from vendor to vendor. These services aren’t provided directly by Delta Dental; instead, we help you and your clients explore all available options to choose the partner that works best for your needs.
For example, we might help you select between these hypothetical vendors.
Services | Vendor A | Vendor B |
---|---|---|
What services are offered? | Preventive care: Cleaning, oral exams, x‑rays Acute care: Fillings, scaling and root planning Other services: Whitening, clear aligners |
Preventive care: Cleaning, oral exams, x‑rays Acute care: Fillings, root canals, oral surgery, periodontic treatment Other services: Whitening, clear aligners |
What fee schedule is used? | Delta Dental PPO fee schedule | Delta Dental PPO fee schedule + additional fees |
Is there a cancellation fee? | Yes | No |
What are the minimum and maximum number of patients? | Minimum: 20 Maximum: 60 | Minimum: 20 Maximum: 100 |
What setup options are available? | Pop-up, fixed site | Pop-up, fixed site, mobile truck |
What size companies are served? | 250 to 3,000 employees | 250 to 100,000 employees |
What states are services available in? | AL, CA, DC, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NV, NY, PA, TX, UT, WV | AL, CA, GA, NY, PA, TX |
Table of hypothetical vendors
Dentists who offer mobile dentistry services may be in any network. As a general rule, your clients will save the most by using vendors in the Delta Dental PPO™ network. If your clients choose a vendor with dentists not in this network, it could mean additional out-of-pocket costs for employees.
Currently, our mobile dentistry partners offer coverage in all states except for Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii (please note that not all of the states our partners offer services in are within our Delta Dental enterprise). Clients with multiple physical locations should ensure that the vendor they choose can service all the locations they require.
Appointments may be managed by either the vendor or your clients, and some vendors may require a minimum number of appointments per day. Vendors may also charge a set-up fee for mobile dentistry services.
If your clients have employees who require special assistance or accommodation, they should confirm directly with their chosen vendor that the vendor can meet their needs.
Cancellation policies vary from vendor to vendor. You should work with clients to review and consider any possible cancellation fees that may be incurred by your clients or by employees who miss appointments.
At this time, we don’t directly track feedback and reviews for our mobile dentistry partners. We encourage you to look for online reviews on sites like Yelp, Google and Facebook.
Bringing mobile dentistry to your group clients’ offices is a great way to help them serve their employees and stand out from other businesses. Dental care is about more than just a beautiful smile; it’s an important part of peoples’ overall wellness. Making that care convenient and accessible is sure to leave your clients and their employees grinning.