If you’re a self-employed associate or practice owner, and most dentists are, you have no statutory sick pay entitlement whatsoever. Your income stops the moment you can’t work. Income protection is often the only safety net you have.
Income Protection for Dentists
Built around own occupation cover, so you’re protected for your specific role, not just any job.
1,125+ Clients Protected
FCA-Regulated Advice
15 Insurers Compared
A Process Built Around You
No generic sales pitch. A process designed around the career and future you’re working towards.
01
Your Enquiry
Takes 60 seconds. A specialist then calls to understand what you need help with and confirm we’re the right fit for you.
02
Your Consultation
A proper conversation about your goals and the future you’re building, early retirement, family security, the life you want. We’ll flag any gaps too, but this is about your plan, not just what could go wrong.
03
Your Recommendation
We research the market properly and come back with a recommendation shaped around where you’re headed. Happy to proceed? We handle the paperwork from there.
Why Dentists Choose Income Protection
01/
Most Dentists Have No NHS Sick Pay at All
02/
NHS Performer Pay Is Limited, and Doesn't Cover Private Income
If you hold NHS performer status, sick pay typically starts after a 4-week wait and lasts up to 22 weeks, covering only your NHS-contracted income, not private earnings. For many dentists, that’s a fraction of what actually needs protecting.
03/
Your Training and Earning Power Are Hard to Replace
Years of dental school and specialist training built genuinely high earning potential. If illness or injury stops you practising, replacing that income elsewhere is extremely difficult, this cover exists to prevent that gap.
04/
"Own Occupation" Cover Matters in Dentistry
Dentistry depends on fine motor skills, steady hands, and sharp eyesight. Own occupation cover pays out if you can’t do your specific role, not just any job an insurer decides you could still do.
05/
The Job Carries Real Occupational Risk
Repetitive strain, back and neck problems, and prolonged close-focus work all take a toll over a career. Many policies also cover mental health conditions, though terms vary by insurer, so it’s worth checking what’s actually included.
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What Our Clients Say
Protection That Actually Pays Out
97.9% of individual protection claims were paid in 2025, with a record £209 million paid specifically for income protection (ABI/GRiD, 2026). Claims are rarely declined out of reluctance, it’s almost always incomplete disclosure at application, which is exactly why proper advice from the start matters.
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Why Dentists Choose Affinity Advice
We’re not just another comparison site. We specialise in income protection for dentists, and that changes everything.
How Insurers Assess Dentists
Insurers treat employed, self-employed, and practice-owner dentists differently. Getting cover right means understanding those differences, not just filling in a form.
1,125+ Clients Protected
Since 2022, we’ve helped over 1,125 clients put the right cover in place. That’s a genuine track record, not a sales pitch, built one properly understood case at a time.
With You for Your Career
We don’t just sell a policy and disappear. As your income grows and your work evolves, we review your cover with you, so it always matches where you actually are.
A Panel of 15 UK Insurers
We’re not tied to any insurer, and no provider pays us more to be recommended. We search properly to find the policy that fits you, not the one that’s easiest to sell.
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Adam Surtees
Founder, Affinity Advice
About Us
I founded Affinity Advice because dentists kept falling through the same gap, stuck choosing between a faceless comparison site with no real guidance, or a generalist adviser who treated income protection as a sideline to pensions and investments. Nobody was building a service just for them.
We cut through the jargon, not corners. Since 2022, we’ve helped over 1,125 clients put the right cover in place, specialising exclusively in income protection for dentists, so you’re getting advice from someone who actually understands your work, not a generalist working through a checklist.
Everything is tailored to you, your speciality, your income, your goals. Because if people truly understood income protection, every one of them would have it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What factors affect the cost of income protection for dentists?
Premiums depend on your age, health, and occupation risk, plus the level of cover and your chosen deferred period. Whether you’re employed, self-employed, or a practice owner also affects how insurers assess you. We compare options across a panel of 15 insurers to find the right balance for your budget.
Can income protection cover dental practice owners and self-employed associates?
Yes. Most dentists are self-employed or practice owners with no NHS sick pay entitlement, which makes this cover especially important. We tailor your policy to how you’re actually paid, including income taken through a limited company.
What exclusions should dentists watch for in income protection?
Every policy has exclusions that vary by insurer, common examples include undisclosed pre-existing conditions or certain hobbies. It’s also worth checking how your specific role is defined given the physical demands of dentistry. We go through your policy’s exclusions with you before you commit.
What's the waiting period (deferred period) for dentist income protection?
The deferred period, or waiting period, is how long you wait after stopping work before payments start. If you have NHS performer income, this is often matched to when that limited entitlement ends. A longer deferred period generally means a lower premium.
Can I still get cover if I have a pre-existing health condition?
Many dentists with health conditions can still get cover. We work with insurers who understand the physical demands of dentistry, and we’ve helped clients secure protection after being turned down elsewhere.
Does income protection cover loss of income if my practice has to close?
Standard income protection covers you personally if you can’t work due to illness or injury, not a practice closure for other reasons. If you’re a practice owner, it’s worth discussing business protection alongside personal cover, we can talk through what’s right for your situation.
You've Built the Career. Let's Protect the Plan.
Early retirement, family security, the life you’ve been working towards, none of it should rest on hoping nothing ever goes wrong. A proper conversation with a specialist who understands dentistry is where that certainty starts.
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No-obligation. We don’t charge a fee for our services, we’re paid by the insurer if you go ahead.
