It's hard to ignore daily news reports of a possible recession in America. Rising gas prices and rapidly increasing food and health care costs are being felt across the country, including in the business sector. Forced to cut expenses, employers are looking hard at the employee benefit packages they offer. However, voluntary benefit options allow employers to maximize their benefit offerings. More employers are choosing to offer voluntary dental and vision benefits, realizing immediate financial savings as well as increased employee retention.

Dental benefits alone lead to more efficient, healthier employees. Employees in the United States lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease or dental visits, according to "Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General."

A growing number of dental plans are allowing members who visit dentists annually to rollover their unused maximum treatment limits to the next year. These plans encourage members to visit the dentist on a regular basis for preventive care, reducing overall medical costs.