What Happens If You Don’t Review Your Dental Office Insurance?

A Dental Office Has More Risk Than You Think

Sure, your office is spotless, modern, and runs on schedule. But under the surface, your practice is juggling more liability than most small businesses:

• Expensive imaging and treatment equipment

• Sensitive patient data and HIPAA requirements

• Employee injury risks

• Steady foot traffic and potential slip-and-fall scenarios

• Malpractice and professional liability concerns

Without the right coverage in place, one unexpected event can shut you down—or worse, drain your business finances completely.

What Happens If You Don’t Review Your Insurance?

Ignoring your insurance isn’t like skipping a cleaning—it’s more like leaving decay untreated. It may look fine on the outside, but eventually, the damage shows up.

Coverage Gaps You Didn't Know You Had

Outdated policies often exclude key coverages. Common gaps for dental offices include:

• Equipment breakdown

• Cyber liability

• Employment practices liability

• Flood or windstorm damage (especially in Louisiana)

Claims That Get Denied

If your policy hasn’t been updated to reflect new equipment, renovations, or additional staff, your claim might not be paid. That’s a painful surprise when you’re expecting help.

Higher Out-of-Pocket Costs

Without business interruption coverage, you may have to cover payroll, rent, and refunds on your own during a closure.

Malpractice Exposure

Adding new procedures or expanding services without updating your professional liability coverage could leave you exposed.

Workers’ Comp Issues

If you’ve hired new staff or changed your employment setup and haven’t updated your workers’ comp, you could face audits, fines, or worse—denied coverage if an employee gets hurt.

What Should a Dental Office Policy Cover?

At a minimum, your policy should include:

• Commercial property insurance (equipment, furnishings, building if owned)

• General liability (slip-and-falls, visitor injury)

• Professional liability (malpractice or negligence claims)

• Business interruption insurance

• Workers’ compensation

• Cyber liability (especially important with digital patient files)

• Employment practices liability (for hiring, firing, or HR-related issues)

Each dental practice is different. Whether you're in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, or Alexandria, your risk profile changes based on staff size, building ownership, and procedures offered.

How Often Should You Review Your Dental Office Insurance?

You should review your coverage at least once a year, or anytime something major changes, like:

• New procedures added (e.g., implants, cosmetic dentistry)

• Renovations or expansions

• New equipment purchases

• More employees or office locations

• Moving into a new building or buying one

Insurance isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it product. A healthy practice needs regular maintenance, just like your patients’ teeth.

What to Expect from a Review

A good insurance agent will walk you through:

• Your current policy and coverage limits

• Your building and contents value

• Business income calculations

• Recent changes in operations or services

• Hidden exclusions or outdated policy language

And unlike a pop-up online quote tool, a real review makes sure your policy actually works when something goes wrong.

Kastner Insurance Helps Keep Dental Practices Running

At Kastner Insurance, we specialize in protecting professional dental offices across Louisiana. From New Orleans to Shreveport, we help dentists make sure their insurance policies keep up with their growing practices.

If you haven’t reviewed your dental office coverage recently, now’s the time. We’ll make sure nothing’s been missed—so you’re protected, not just patched together.