BUPA Opt to "Feel at Ease"
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- Published: Tuesday, 28 October 2025 10:30
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Over the last few decades BUPA Dental Care has often taken a different path to the majority of corporates. While results have been mixed, they have regularly contributed to the debate on how UK dentistry might look in the future. So the launch of their “Feel at Ease” campaign may be worthy of interest to dental teams beyond those working for BUPA Dental Care.
For example, GDPUK readers may find potential patients asking if they too have a big blue furry chair in the treatment room.
Unusually, the campaign and feel at ease philosophy, is being simultaneously directed at patients and dental teams.
One aim is to help dental professionals feel at ease in their careers, and follows BUPAs own research carried out in the summer of 2025. Findings included that 35% of respondents prioritised their work life balance and that 40% felt that access to mental health services would help them feel at ease. Following work life balance, career development at 31% and a supportive culture (29%) led the list of priorities for dental professionals. Perhaps reflecting a less driven generation than their predecessors, 25% wanted to make a meaningful impact in the industry.
However ‘feel at ease’ is not just directed at dental teams. BUPA have chosen to take a twin track approach as the campaign also supports the patient experience by recognising that dental anxiety remains a common barrier to care. By helping patients feel more comfortable in the dentist’s chair, and supporting dental professionals in their careers, the campaign is intended to take a holistic approach to well-being for all.
Asked about the origins of this campaign, Mark Allan, General Manager at Bupa Dental Care, explained to GDPUK, “Feel at Ease and our distinctive creative direction was born from knowing that for many, visiting the dentist can be a daunting experience. We wanted to change that – not with one, but two standout blue chairs that symbolise the care and comfort you can expect at our practices, whether you’re a patient or a dental professional looking for a career with us.”
A patient facing video that accompanies the launch gives some examples of the feel at ease approach in action, as well as the hoped for effect on the patient’s experience.
Mark Allen said that the project was shaped by insights from both patients and dental teams, exploring how to challenge the traditional perception of ‘the dentist chair’ and seeking to shift the focus to highlight the quality of care and understanding that they sought to deliver. The strategy sets out to support patients by making simple changes that can makes a huge difference to their feeling relaxed in the chair. Equally important to this holistic approach was having a compassionate working environment, where dental professionals feel at ease to pursue the things that are important to them, whether that be their career development, making an impact in the industry, or balancing work and home life.
GDPUK asked if this campaign was a significant step in dental businesses’ transition from needs based healthcare to increasingly being providers of elective and feel-good experiences.
Mark Allen confirmed that BUPA saw the campaign as a shift in how people experience dental care, from a purely clinical necessity to a more holistic part of their overall wellbeing. He went on to underline the continued general health considerations that made dental care important, noting that while oral health is deeply connected to general health, many still view the dentist as separate from other healthcare professionals, despite issues in the mouth often being indicators of wider health concerns.
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