What Google Knows About Dentists’ Biggest Financial Fears

By John A. Mitsos, CLU®, CLTC

Dentists and dental specialists turn to search engines for more than clinical questions. They also look for answers about financial security. Phrases like “disability insurance for dentists,” “own-occupation disability,” and “what happens if I can’t practice dentistry” appear frequently in financial and dental-planning content because they reflect real professional concerns.

What those searches reveal is something fundamental: the risk of losing the ability to earn a professional income. For dentists, that risk is unusually concentrated. If injury, illness, or neurological changes affect clinical work, income often stops with it.

The real risk isn’t rare, it’s routine!

When people think about disability, they often picture traumatic accidents. In dentistry, the dominant risks are far less dramatic and far more common. Musculoskeletal disorders, stress-related conditions, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular events represent sources of long-term disability among healthcare professionals.

Across the general working population, roughly one in four people will experience a disability long enough to interrupt their career before retirement age. That probability is high enough to be treated as a planning assumption rather than a remote possibility, particularly in a profession as physically demanding as dentistry.

Why dentists are financially exposed

Dentists’ income is not only high; it is directly tied to physical capability and technical precision. If that capacity is reduced, income declines immediately.

Unlike many corporate professionals, dentists typically cannot pivot into a new role that pays anything close to chairside earnings. Even part-time or limited clinical work often results in a substantial income drop. Meanwhile, financial obligations such as student or practice loans, payroll, and family and lifestyle expenses do not stop.

Without disability income insurance, a prolonged illness or injury can become a liquidity crisis far faster than expected. Even well-funded savings and investment portfolios can erode quickly when high fixed expenses collide with reduced income. Losing the ability to practice dentistry is not just a health issue, it can be a career-defining financial event.

Social Security is not a dentist’s safety net

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) pays benefits only if you are unable to work in any occupation, not just dentistry. If you could theoretically earn income in another field—teaching, consulting, or administrative work—you may be denied. Approval rates are low, the process is slow, and benefit amounts are modest relative to a dentist’s earnings. From a planning standpoint, SSDI is not income replacement; it is a last-resort public program.

Why “own-occupation” coverage matters

Dentists do not search for just any disability policy: they search for own-occupation coverage. That distinction is critical.

A true own-occupation policy pays benefits if you cannot perform the duties of dentistry, even if you could earn income in another profession. Without it, a policy may deny a claim if you are capable of doing non-clinical work, regardless of the income gap.

Dentists should also consider:

• Residual or partial disability benefits, which pay when work capacity is reduced
• Future purchase options, which allow coverage to increase as income grows
• Cost-of-living adjustments, which help preserve benefit value during long claims

These features determine whether a policy truly protects earning power or simply appears adequate on paper.

Practice owners face an added layer of risk

For practice owners, a prolonged absence due to disability can destabilize the business. Staff salaries, rent, equipment leases, and loan obligations continue regardless of clinical availability. Business overhead expense (BOE) disability insurance can help keep a practice operating, but it does not replace personal income. Dentists who own practices typically need both forms of coverage to protect their professional and personal financial structures.

Cost versus consequence

Disability income insurance is typically a small fraction of a dentist’s income, depending on age, health, and policy design. That cost is tiny relative to the exposure it protects.

One long-term disability claim can represent millions of dollars in lost lifetime earnings. Few financial decisions offer a higher return on risk reduction.

The fact that so many dentists actively search for this coverage tells an important story: income risk feels more real than most people admit. Disability income insurance does not eliminate uncertainty, but it converts fear into something manageable. For a profession built on precision, that stability is worth protecting.

About Treloar & Heisel
Treloar & Heisel, an EPIC Company, is a premier financial services provider to dental and medical professionals across the country. We assist thousands of clients from residency to practice and through retirement with a comprehensive suite of financial services, custom-tailored advice, and a strong national network focused on delivering the highest level of service. Insurance products offered through Treloar & Heisel, LLC.

For more information, visit us at www.treloaronline.com.

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source: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/NOTES/ran6/an2024-6.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

John A. Mitsos, CLU®, CLTC, is Financial Services Professional and Training Specialist, Treloar & Heisel, LLC. He can be reached at jmitsos@treloaronline.com.