How to Get Financing for Dental Work

Dental work to perfect your smile is expensive. Procedures can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

For most people — even those with dental insurance — the cash needed for dental procedures is not available, so financing options are the next best thing. The tricky parts are actually getting financing and the requirements to find a provider willing to extend the loan.

Evaluate Your Credit Score

Your credit score is a large determination in finding dental-work financing. Financing for dental work requires a higher score than necessities like a car or home. Your credit needs to be close to perfect and contain minimal to no collection marks.

Know Your Procedure Selection

Not all dental procedures can be financed. You need to decide what type of procedure you want to have done. Examples of procedures that can be financed are:

  • Porcelain veneers;
  • Dental implants;
  • Orthodontics;
  • Invisible braces, and;
  • Restorative dentistry.

Other common procedures such as whitening or bleaching cannot be financed.

Determine What You Can Afford

Budget your monthly bills and figure out a monthly payment you can afford to pay toward dental-procedure loans. A few hundred dollars may be as low as $20 a month, but thousands of dollars in loans can be much more expensive.

Find a Provider

The biggest provider of dental-work financing is CareCredit.

Your bank also most likely offers small loans for extra procedures such as dental work. Call your bank and ask about interest rates and application requirements.

BCFC / Shutterstock
BCFC / Shutterstock