Protecting your income as a dentist

Introduction

Dentistry is one of the most physically demanding professions in healthcare. Long hours, repetitive movements and precision work can put real strain on the body. Yet many dentists still underestimate their biggest financial risk - being unable to work.

As a dentist, your income underpins far more than just your monthly direct debits. It supports your home, your loved ones and the everyday expenses that quickly add up. With this in mind, it’s worth pausing to ask an important question:

What would happen if your income suddenly stopped?

Would you still be able to cover:

• Your mortgage or rent?
• Household bills and utilities?
• The weekly food shop?
• School fees or extracurricular activities?
• Loan repayments or practice-related commitments?

For many dentists, the financial impact of being unable to work due to illness to injury would be significant. This is where income protection can play a vital role.

Why income protection matters

An income protection policy is designed to pay you a regular monthly benefit if you're unable to work due to ill health, helping you maintain your lifestyle and meet your ongoing financial commitments while you recover.

At Wesleyan Financial Services, we’ve seen first-hand how essential this cover can be. Over the past five years, with the Wesleyan income protection plan:

• 99% of all claims have been paid
• 100% of claims were paid in 2025
  
• 38% of claims in 2025 were for musculoskeletal conditions
• 10% of claims in 2025 were for mental health conditions

Given the physical and cognitive demands of clinical work, these statistics are particularly relevant for dentists.

The importance of 'own occupation' cover

When choosing income protection as a practising dentist, one feature is especially important – own occupation cover.

Inclusion of this clause means an insurer assesses a claim based on whether the duties of a clinical dentist can be performed.

Without it, an insurer could argue that although practising dentistry is no longer possible, alternative work may still be achievable - and therefore reject your claim on that basis.

For a profession as specialised and hands-on as dentistry, own occupation cover is often crucial.

Specifying a deferred period

Another important consideration is the deferred period. This is the length of time between stopping work and your policy starting to pay out.

You can align this with your sick pay arrangements so that your income protection begins when employer sick pay ends.

If you’re a member of the NHS Pension Scheme, your sick pay entitlement depends on factors such as:

• Length of NHS service
• Level of NHS earnings
• Where in the UK you practice

If you’ve moved from NHS dentistry into private practice, income protection becomes even more critical. This is because you may no longer be entitled to NHS sick pay or death in service benefits, meaning there could be a significant financial gap if you’re unable to work.

What could happen?

Sometimes the value of income protection becomes clearer when you consider real-world scenarios, including the following:

Scenario 1: A back injury

You develop a serious back problem after years of clinical work. Sitting and leaning over patients becomes impossible and you’re signed off for six months.

Without income protection, your salary stops, your household bills continue and your savings are quickly depleted.

With income protection, a monthly payment helps you cover your mortgage, utilities, food and other regular outgoings. You can also focus on rehabilitation without financial pressure.

Given that musculoskeletal conditions accounted for the majority of claims in 2025, this scenario is far from uncommon.

Scenario 2: A hand or wrist condition

You develop a repetitive strain injury in your dominant hand or wrist - a common risk for dental surgeons who spend long periods performing precise, repetitive clinical procedures.

While you may still be able to manage administrative tasks, consultations or teaching, the injury prevents you from carrying out surgical or operative treatments.

With own occupation cover, your policy could still pay out because you're unable to work specifically as a dental surgeon. Even if you're capable of working in another role, the policy recognises that you can no longer perform the clinical duties central to your profession.

Scenario 3: You're a practice owner

If you own your practice, being unable to work due to illness or injury can have wider financial implications for your business. While income may be affected, many of the day-to-day costs of running a practice can continue.

These may include:

• Fixed overheads, such as rent, utilities and equipment finance
• The cost of maintaining business operations during your absence
• Additional costs associated with covering your role in the practice

In addition to personal income protection, practice owners may wish to consider a Professional Expenses Plan for Practices. This type of cover is designed to support the business by helping with:

• Ongoing fixed expenses required to keep the practice running, or
• The cost of employing a locum or paying existing staff overtime to carry out the insured person's duties.

This can help provide continuity for the practice while you recover. Without appropriate protection in place, both your personal finances and your business operations could come under strain.

Protecting what you’ve built

As a dentist, you’ve invested years in your training and career. Your income is one of your most valuable assets, but it’s often the least protected.

Taking the time to review your protection arrangements now could make a significant difference to your financial resilience in the future.

To explore income protection options tailored to your individual circumstances, get in touch with a Specialist Financial Adviser from Wesleyan Financial Services. Charges may apply.