Beth Rush
You might not worry much about your employee’s teeth unless you run a talent agency. However, the importance of preventative dental care doesn’t stop with those who walk the Paris runways. Caring for this often-overlooked detail can impact your bottom line.
What are some often overlooked benefits of good oral hygiene for employers? How can they leverage these perks to increase productivity?
Finally, what should employers do to protect their employees’ teeth? Here’s why dental care is essential for employee well-being.
Importance of Preventative Dental Care
As sad as it is, many people need incentives to recognize the importance of preventative dental care. Americans woefully neglect their teeth, and the problem goes beyond the high sticker price at the dentist’s office. Only approximately 30% of all adults floss daily as they should, leaving bits of food to decay between their pearlies. Oral bacteria soon get to work, causing damage that can lead to cavities.
However, a few holes in your molars are a small price compared to the greater health risks of neglecting your teeth. Many employees may skip dental visits entirely if they don’t have coverage — copays can prove burdensome even with it. However, these annual check-ins are vital for catching early signs of disease and taking action.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Scientists have linked the same oral bacteria that causes gingivitis to Alzheimer’s disease and believe that the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, that hallmark the condition arise from this infection. This disease can cut your employee’s careers short and rob them of the rest they should earn in retirement.
That’s not the only health risk highlighting the importance of preventative dental care. Researchers also believe gum disease increases your risk of heart trouble, as the inflammation from such infections narrows arteries and veins. Heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women worldwide and can strike suddenly.
Often Overlooked Benefits of Good Oral Hygiene
Preventing career-changing chronic diseases is only one of the benefits of good oral hygiene. A host of other perks also play a role in workplace performance and highlight why employers should care about preventative dental care.
Do your employees work in customer-facing roles? If so, feeling self-conscious about their teeth could affect their level of service. For example, such individuals might hesitate to smile when interacting with the public. However, research shows that smiles make people appear more trustworthy, meaning your sales associates could have difficulty closing the deal if they don’t display genuine emotion throughout the transaction.
Furthermore, people form judgments based on their impressions, whether doing so is fair or not. Even though making fun of someone’s teeth is among the ultimate forms of classism, it doesn’t stop potential customers from forming a negative view of your business. However, you can only reap most of the benefits of good oral hygiene with preventative dental care — trying to fix problems later rarely works perfectly.
When customers see your employees with bad teeth, they might think you don’t compensate them with adequate pay and benefits, which may turn foot traffic away in today’s more conscientious climate. Worse, they may think you can’t afford to take care of your workers because of unwise business practices, casting aspersions on your reputation.
5 Ways Workplaces Can Encourage Oral Health
While employers may recognize the benefits of good oral hygiene and the importance of preventative dental care, what can they really do to encourage their employees to care for their teeth? After all, HIPAA prohibits inquiring about specific health details — you can’t exactly nag your staff about brushing.
However, you can give them the necessary tools to care for themselves. Here are five ways workplaces can encourage oral health.
1. Offer Coverage
Are you trying to attract top talent and set your benefits package apart? While nearly all employers with 100 or more employees offer health insurance, less than half provide dental coverage. Adding this perk could help you woo the minds you need to build your team.
2. Broadcast Your Perks
You might have the best dental package in the world, but it won’t help you grow your business if few of your staff members know about it. This threat is real in today’s world of telework that cuts out much casual office banter — a single mention of coverage in an onboarding email isn’t sufficient, especially when the reader is trying to absorb myriad details about their new role.
Therefore, remind your staff of their benefits. You might include a line in routine office communications that reads, “Employee Care Corner: Have you scheduled your annual checkups?” followed by a paragraph or two about why doing so is important.
3. Educate
You now know how essential dental care is for employee well-being. Do your workers understand the risks of neglect?
While it isn’t your job to be your employee’s parents, you can provide meaningful access to information. Again, you can leverage your company newsletter, perhaps including a section about health and self-care. You don’t have to write these yourself — include excerpts from public brochures educating them about oral health care.
4. Extend Leave
What if you’re a small employer who can’t afford dental coverage? Local clinics often offer specials where your employees can get free or reduced-cost care. However, demand is high, and lines for such services can stretch forever, making people late for work or miss a day entirely.
Even firms that can’t afford a rich benefits package for their workers can often extend paid leave. While longer absences might require hiring temporary staff, most employers won’t miss someone out for a single day. However, many hourly workers find missing even a part of their shift puts them behind on rent — they can’t afford the uncompensated time. A day’s wages are a small price to pay for higher employee retention and better morale.
5. Encourage Onsite Oral Care
Even the biggest firms don’t offer onsite dental services unless you’re an oral care provider. Doing so might seem creepy, even dystopian, to some workers, a return to the days of the company store where you spend your life in involuntary fealty thanks to debt.
However, small changes can encourage your employees to take better care of their teeth. Improving your bathrooms is one. While you should wait about 30 minutes after eating to brush, those working a double shift don’t want to polish their pearlies in a nasty environment.
Also, you might want to rethink the ubiquitous candy dish. Hard candies and taffies are particularly bad for your teeth. When hosting office parties, try to include at least one vegetable tray — crudites like broccoli and cauliflower act like natural toothbrushes, removing other food particles before they can cause decay.
The Importance and Benefits of Preventative Dental Care and Good Oral Hygiene
You might not spend much time reflecting on your employees’ teeth. However, you can’t overlook the importance of preventative dental care to your staff’s well-being.
Share the benefits of good oral hygiene with your workers and create policies that enable them to practice self-care. You’ll enjoy lower turnover and a happier, healthier workforce.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash. Image license can be found here.
Beth Rush
Beth is the Managing Editor and content manager at Body+Mind. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on various topics related to mental health, nutrition, and holistic health. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag. Subscribe to Body+Mind for more posts by Beth Rush!