Insider Update

Updated January 2026

Men often overlook routine health habits, especially preventive care. Routine checkups are more likely to be delayed, even though early care can help identify issues before they become more serious. This is especially true for oral health and vision, where age-related changes can affect overall health and daily functioning.

Testosterone levels decrease over time, which can lead to oral health issues like dry mouth, gum recession and tooth loss. With much higher rates of gum disease than women, men and people assigned male at birth need to stay on top of their oral health.

Men are also at higher risk for certain eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts. Over time, untreated vision problems can affect safety, independence and quality of life. 

For your clients and their male employees, preventive dental and vision care plays a key role in supporting their overall health as they age.
 

How to support oral health and overall health

A healthy mouth is a key component in having a healthy life. Here are three ways men can improve their dental health:
 

• Commit to brushing twice a day for two minutes. 
• Floss at least once a day (e.g., right after a meal).
• Visit the dentist regularly, even if they think their teeth are healthy.
   

Don’t forget about vision

Protecting vision is also important to overall health. And again, there are simple things men can do to prevent eye problems later:
 

• Protect their eyes from injury by wearing safety glasses.
• Protect their eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays with sunglasses.
• Get an annual eye exam.
   

Promote healthier lives with our plans

Help your clients promote healthier lives for their employees even more with group dental and vision plans. Most Delta Dental plans cover two preventive visits per year at 100%. Making those visits a priority is an easy way for employees to support the health of their teeth and gums with no out-of-pocket cost.

For people with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, Delta Dental's SmileWay® Wellness Benefits¹ can help. Available as an add-on feature to most employer-sponsored Delta Dental PPO™ plans, SmileWay Wellness Benefits provide enhanced dental benefits to support 14 chronic medical conditions. 

SmileWay Wellness Benefits offer 100% coverage each year for one periodontal scaling and root planing, and up to four teeth cleanings or periodontal maintenance cleanings per year.

DeltaVision® supports employees’ total health with a yearly WellVision Exam and Essential Medical Eye Care. These benefits help employees manage ongoing health conditions such as dry eye, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma.
 

Live healthy, today, tomorrow, all year

What’s most important is that the focus on healthy living extends far beyond June. Remind your clients they can empower their employees year-round with Delta Dental. Our group dental coverage options with benefits like SmileWay Wellness Benefits, combined with vision offerings from DeltaVision, can help your clients cultivate a culture centered around overall well-being that helps everyone enjoy a healthier life 365 days a year.