Having dental coverage is kind of like having a credit facility that can be drawn down annually in as many stages as you want, with a deductible for each stage.

A company is not going to be willing to extend the total cash value of the "facility" to employees year in and year out.

When it comes to health coverage, I'd rather have the facility/insurance/option (however you look at it) which provides more coverage when needed than I would some cash "value" of that coverage, which will almost certainly be lower than the average "drawdown".