Voluntary (employee-paid) dental plans explained

A voluntary (employee-paid) dental plan is a group dental plan where employees pay most or all of the premiums. They’re a great solution for companies that want to offer benefits while minimizing their share of the benefit costs. Employees benefit, too, because they will usually pay much less for a voluntary plan through their employer than a comparable individual plan.

Why consider offering voluntary dental?

Employees consistently rate dental benefits as a “very important” part of a benefits package. Voluntary dental benefits enable your company to save money (on the costs of adding dental to your employee benefits) while preserving the numerous advantages of dental benefits.

Offering a dental benefit program can:

Make employees happier and more productive at work.
Reduce absenteeism. (Americans lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease; routine dental visits help detect and treat problems early, before they escalate.)
Attract new employees
Support employee retention.
Contribute to employees' overall good health. Dentists may detect early signs of many diseases during the exam, including oral cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. A1c diabetes testing is covered as part of the dental exam by Delta Dental.


Companies that offer dental benefits send a clear message that they prioritize employee needs, health and well-being. A voluntary dental program is the most affordable way for your company to offer dental benefits for their employees.

Delta Dental of New Jersey's voluntary dental plans are available to groups with two or more employees. Plans include Delta Dental PPO™ and Delta Dental PPO Plus Premier™.

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