2 min read
Why Louisiana Dental Offices Shouldn't Overlook Commercial Property Insurance
Dr. Oritz arrived at her Lafayette dental office one Monday morning to find a water pipe had burst over the weekend. Her reception area was...
3 min read
Levi Kastner
Jun 2, 2025 8:50:42 PM
Dr. Nguyen didn’t expect to walk into a dark, dead-silent office on a random Wednesday morning. A transformer fire down the street knocked out power to the entire building—and worse, her dental suite had suffered smoke damage that made it unsafe for patients. The office was shut down for 10 days. No cleanings. No root canals. No income. Payroll still had to be met. Rent was still due. And while her property insurance covered the physical damage, it didn’t do anything for the thousands of dollars she lost in income.
That’s where business interruption insurance could have stepped in.
Every dental office has equipment, supplies, and physical space that are usually covered by commercial property insurance. But when a disaster forces you to temporarily shut down, your building might be intact while your business revenue is not.
Business interruption insurance—sometimes called business income coverage—is designed to cover the financial gap when your practice can’t operate due to a covered event like:
Fire or smoke damage
Storms or water pipe bursts
Theft or vandalism
Structural collapse
If you’re closed and can’t treat patients, this coverage can help cover lost revenue, payroll, rent, and other operating expenses until you reopen.
Here are a few situations where business interruption insurance comes in handy!
This is the big one. Business interruption insurance calculates your average income and reimburses what you would have earned during the closure.
Even when you’re not seeing patients, expenses like employee salaries, lease payments, insurance premiums, and software subscriptions don’t stop. This policy helps keep those paid.
If you need to rent a temporary space to see patients, this coverage may help pay for the new location, moving costs, and setup.
Still paying off that CBCT scanner or office renovation loan? Business interruption insurance can help cover those payments even if your revenue stops.
While it’s a powerful form of protection, business interruption insurance doesn’t cover:
Undocumented income (cash-only earnings with no paper trail)
Utility outages not caused by physical damage
Closure from pandemics (unless specific endorsements apply)
Property damage itself (that’s what your commercial property insurance is for)
Louisiana practices face specific risks:
Hurricane season can knock out power or damage buildings.
Flooding might force closure, even if your equipment is dry.
Storm-driven debris or fire can create unsafe conditions for patients.
You don’t need to lose your building to lose business income. If you’re unable to treat patients—even for a few days—it can quickly eat into your cash flow and reserves.
Dental offices run on tight schedules and patient volumes. Missing even one week can derail treatment plans, harm your reputation, and disrupt long-term patient relationships.
Let's take a look at some real-world scenarios.
Smoke and water cleanup forces a shutdown for 5 business days. Your policy kicks in to cover lost income and payroll.
A slow-moving storm drops a tree through the roof. While repairs happen, you move to a temporary clinic location nearby. Business interruption insurance helps pay for both the lost income and your relocation costs.
Business interruption is typically added to your property insurance policy or included in a Business Owners Policy (BOP). It’s relatively affordable compared to the protection it provides—especially for practices with consistent monthly revenue.
To get the right protection, make sure:
Coverage limits reflect your average monthly income.
The restoration period (how long coverage pays out) is long enough for realistic repair timelines.
You discuss exclusions and waiting periods with your insurance advisor.
Dental offices don’t have inventory sitting on shelves—they have production based on scheduled procedures and patient flow. Every day closed is a day you’re not producing income. One busted pipe, one fire in the suite next door, or one severe thunderstorm can cost more than you think.
Kastner Insurance helps Louisiana dental practices like yours protect what they’ve worked hard to build—not just the space, but the revenue it creates. From Lafayette to Baton Rouge, Alexandria to New Orleans, we specialize in crafting commercial coverage for dental professionals who own their office space.
Let’s talk about how business interruption insurance fits into your coverage plan before the next unexpected closure leaves you offline and out of luck.
Founded in 2017, Kastner Insurance Group is a full-service, independent insurance broker based in Lafayette, LA. Our insurance agents specialize in offering a variety of insurance products tailored to individual and commercial needs, making sure clients receive personalized and comprehensive coverage options from a variety of insurance companies/insurance carriers.
With over 43 years of combined experience, the team at Kastner Insurance Group is dedicated to providing expert advice and exceptional service. They proudly serve professional offices and businesses across Lafayette city/parish, Youngsville, Broussard, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Alexandria, Acadiana, and statewide in Louisiana.
Call us today or visit our website for a customized quote.
Lafayette Insurance, affordable insurance, truck insurance, auto insurance lafayette la, commercial insurance, commercial insurance louisiana, marine insurance, hull insurance
2 min read
Dr. Oritz arrived at her Lafayette dental office one Monday morning to find a water pipe had burst over the weekend. Her reception area was...
3 min read
Dr. Anika Patel had built a thriving dental office in Youngsville. Patients loved her friendly team and her sparkling new space. She had the...
2 min read
Dr. Hall thought his Baton Rouge dental office had great coverage—general liability, property, even malpractice. But when a patient fell and...