Associates, owners and the end of the treatment list
An associate dentist is usually paid a share of the fees they generate. Stop seeing patients and the fees stop. There is rarely any sick pay beyond what the state provides. Many associates choose a short deferred period because they have no cushion between their last appointment and the next income.
Practice owners have a different problem. Rent, staff wages and loan repayments carry on. Personal income protection replaces your own earnings, while business expenses cover or key person cover can help the practice. We can look at both.
The posture behind a career in dentistry
Dentists spend years leaning over patients with their neck flexed and arms held still. Neck pain, back trouble and problems with the shoulders, wrists and hands are common results. A small loss of fine motor control or eyesight can be enough to stop you treating patients safely.
That is why own occupation cover matters so much. Insurers place jobs in risk classes and use a definition to decide whether you qualify for a claim. Own occupation asks whether you can work as a dentist. A wider definition might expect you to take other work, such as teaching.
- Neck and upper back pain from long periods of fixed posture
- Hand and wrist conditions affecting fine control
- Eyesight changes that make close work difficult
- Needlestick injuries and exposure to blood-borne viruses
Life cover for the home and the practice
Dentists who do NHS work may be members of the NHS Pension Scheme, which carries some death benefits, but the detail depends on your membership and many private dentists have nothing similar. A personal policy covers your mortgage and family whatever your mix of NHS and private work.
If you own a practice with others, shareholder or partnership protection can give the surviving owners the money to buy your share, so your family receives its value.
From associate to practice owner
Plenty of dentists start as associates and later buy into a practice. Your income, your costs and the people relying on you all change at that point. Cover arranged as a young associate may no longer match a larger mortgage, a practice loan and a team of staff whose wages depend on you.
Some income protection policies let you increase cover after events such as buying a home or a rise in earnings, without fresh medical questions, within limits set by the insurer. That option is worth having if you expect your fees to grow. Review your cover whenever your role or earnings shift.
How Hi Tomorrow helps dentists
We look at your associate agreement or practice accounts to work out what income to protect and when it would stop. We compare own occupation terms across the insurers on our panel and help with the medical questions, including any past neck or back treatment. If you own a practice, we can set up personal and business cover side by side so nothing overlaps.