What Is Virtudent?
Virtudent brings dental care directly to where people work. The company deploys portable dental kits -- complete with a full-sized patient chair, hygienist chair, X-ray equipment, water and suction systems, and all standard instruments -- to employer offices. Licensed dental hygienists perform preventive services on-site, and a team of dentists reviews X-rays and clinical findings remotely via Virtudent's teledentistry platform.
A standard Virtudent appointment includes a comprehensive oral exam, professional cleaning, digital X-rays, intraoral photographs, and a full oral health risk assessment covering cavity risk, gum disease, and oral cancer screening. The remote dentist reviews everything and provides a treatment plan if follow-up care is needed.
The model solves a real access problem: roughly a third of Americans skip dental visits because of inconvenience, time constraints, or anxiety about dental offices. By putting the dental chair in the company break room, Virtudent removes the biggest barrier -- showing up.
Who Is It For?
For employers: Virtudent positions itself as an employee benefit. Companies partner with Virtudent to offer on-site dental days at no cost to the employer. Employees get convenient access to preventive care during the workday. The company operates in nine states.
For patients: Anyone at a Virtudent partner employer can book an appointment. Most dental insurance plans are accepted, and patients can pay copays via credit card or Venmo. For uninsured patients, pricing starts at $150.
For dental practices: This is where it gets interesting. Virtudent is not a tool you integrate into your practice -- it is an alternative care delivery model. Traditional practices should view it as both a potential competitor (it captures preventive visits that would otherwise go to a brick-and-mortar office) and a potential referral source (Virtudent refers restorative and specialty work to local practices).
For dentists considering mobile practice: If you are a dentist exploring non-traditional delivery models, Virtudent demonstrates that mobile dentistry at enterprise scale is viable. The company closed an $8 million Series A in 2018, backed by .406 Ventures and Macabi Health Fund.
Key Features
Portable Dental Kits: Full-featured mobile dental setups that include everything needed for preventive appointments. Hygienists can set up and break down the equipment in under 30 minutes, turning any conference room into a dental operatory.
Comprehensive Preventive Visits: Each appointment includes cleaning, comprehensive exam, digital X-rays, intraoral photos, and oral health risk assessment. This is not a screening -- it is a full preventive visit comparable to what you would get in a traditional office.
Teledentistry Platform (Virtudent Connect): Remote dentists review clinical findings, X-rays, and photos in real time or asynchronously. Patients can also access video consultations for follow-up questions or to discuss treatment options. The platform handles pre-visit forms and insurance verification to streamline the patient experience.
Insurance Integration: Accepts most major dental insurance plans. Pre-visit verification ensures patients know their coverage before the appointment. Copays and out-of-pocket costs can be paid by credit card or Venmo.
Employer Dashboard: Partner employers get visibility into utilization rates, employee satisfaction, and program ROI. This helps HR teams justify the benefit and track engagement.
Pros
- Removes the biggest barrier to dental care: having to go to the dentist
- Full preventive visits comparable to traditional office quality
- Free for employers to offer as an employee benefit
- Accepts most dental insurance plans
- Teledentistry follow-up provides continuity of care
- Addresses the access gap for the one-third of Americans who skip dental visits
Cons
- Only available in nine states -- limited geographic coverage
- Preventive care only; restorative and specialty work requires referral elsewhere
- Very small company (11-50 employees) with limited scale
- Series A funding from 2018 with no publicly announced follow-on raises concerns about growth trajectory
- Not a product dental practices can buy -- it is an alternative delivery model
- Mobile setup, while capable, cannot match the equipment and comfort of a traditional operatory