As you begin discussions about annual benefits enrollment, now’s a good time to ask: Are your employees aware of the benefits you offer and how they can use them to protect their health?
Dental benefits are often taken for granted. Oral healthcare is a critical part of overall wellness, and yet 72 million adults in the U.S. have no dental insurance. One in three adults goes without coverage even though poor oral health is linked to such medical issues as heart disease, diabetes, and other serious conditions.
If your company offers dental benefits, it’s a great advantage in recruiting and retaining talent. But, at the end of the day it only matters if your employees understand and use them.
According to SHRM’s 2025 Employee Benefits Survey, 88% of employers rate health-related benefits as extremely important. Yet, many employees don’t realize what’s available or how much your organization is contributing toward the benefits on their behalf.
Growing engagement begins with educating your employees on the full value of their dental and overall benefits before open enrollment begins. Here are a few ways you can engage employees:
A total compensation statement
Paychecks only tell part of your compensation story. Consider giving employees a clear snapshot of their full compensation that includes salary plus employer-paid benefits like health, dental, life insurance, retirement contributions, tuition reimbursement, and more. Use a dashboard or a PDF statement to show the true value of what you offer.
Keep the conversation going year-round
Don’t wait until open enrollment to talk about benefits with employees. Consider adding regular tips to your employee newsletter. These could include reminders to schedule preventive visits, feature covered services, or link to provider directories. You can also raise awareness for benefits by acknowledging health-related celebrations like “Dental Smiles Month” in June or “Tooth Fairy Day” on February 28. Have some fun with it by adding contests or activities.
Encourage benefits usage through wellness challenges
An employee wellness program can help reinforce the importance of using benefits. Consider a “schedule your dental cleaning” challenge or a rewards program for completing preventive care visits. These small nudges can lead to healthier habits, which could result in lower healthcare costs over time for you and your employees.
Keep benefits visible and top-of-mind
Do you have an intranet, bulletin board, or regular staff meeting that can be leveraged to spotlight key benefits? Many of the insurance carriers you work with will offer ready-to-use posters or flyers that explain coverage details and encourage routine care. Even a 60-second reminder during a team meeting could be enough to trigger someone to schedule an appointment.
As you prepare your open enrollment strategy, consider how you could re-engage employees ahead of time to proactively manage their health. Looking for tips on how to get your employees to use their dental benefits, check out the Delta Dental website at deltadentalia.com.
