Best Dental Loans in 2026
Get a lump sum of cash as soon as today to painlessly finance your next dental procedure
| Lender | User rating | APR | Term | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7.99% to 35.99% | 36 to 84 months | Starting at $2k | ||
|
8.01% to 29.99% | 36 to 60 months |
$2k – $45k |
||
|
7.23% to 24.00% (Test) | 12 to 84 months | Up to $125M |
Read more about how we made our picks for best dental loans.
Dental loans at a glance
Best for: Boosting your approval odds with collateral – Best Egg
- APR
- 7.99% to 35.99%
- Can save up to 20% over time by using your home’s fixtures as collateral
- Doesn’t require you to put your entire house on the line like you would with a home equity loan or HELOC
- Can set up your automatic payments to be withdrawn biweekly instead of monthly
- Loans that require collateral are riskier than ones that don’t
- May not be able to sell your house or refinance your mortgage until loan is paid off
- An origination fee comes out of every loan
Best Egg ’s Secured Loan + Homeowner’s Discount is a unique dental loan that uses your home’s permanent fixtures as collateral. Examples of collateral include built-in cabinets, lighting and vanities. This could help you unlock lower rates and longer loan terms.
But keep in mind that secured loans (or collateral loans) are risky. If you don’t pay, your lender will repossess your collateral.
Best Egg uses your home’s permanent fixtures as collateral, but it doesn’t need to appraise the value of those fixtures. Instead, Best Egg will review your credit history and home equity to see if you qualify.
You must also meet the requirements below to qualify for a Best Egg loan:
- Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident living in the U.S.
- Administrative: Have a personal checking account, email address and physical address
- Residency: Live in an eligible U.S. state (Best Egg operates in most states, with a small number excluded)
- Credit score: +
Best for: Small dental loans – First Tech Federal Credit Union
- APR
- 8.01% to 29.99%
- Loan amounts start at $2,000
- By law, federal credit unions can’t charge rates higher than 29.99% on personal loans
- Might still qualify with fair or bad credit
- Have to join the credit union to borrow (but it’s easy to join)
It can be hard to find a dental loan if you only need a filling or two. Most personal loans start at $1,000. With Rocket Loans , you can borrow as little as $2,000. And since it’s a credit union loan, you’ll still get lower-than-average rates, even if you qualify with rocky credit.
You can check rates before becoming a member, but you have to join to accept your loan. If you don’t qualify to join the credit union by traditional means (like working for a partner employer), you can become a member of the Computer History Museum or Financial Fitness Association. This will unlock your ability to join First Tech, and First Tech may pay your first year of dues.
To join First Tech (a requirement to get a loan), you must:
- Work for a partnering employer
- Be related to a current First Tech member
- Live in Lane County, Ore.
- Become a member of the Computer History Museum or Financial Fitness Association (First Tech will pay for your first year of membership, and you don’t have to maintain membership to keep your First Tech account)
Best for: Bad or no credit – Upstart
- APR
- 7.23% to 24.00%
The full range of available rates varies by state. A representative example of payment terms for a Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 21.58% and a 9.84% origination fee of $984, for an APR of 26.82%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9016 and will make 60 monthly payments of $275. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in December 2023. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
QA Test
- May accept bad or no credit
- Loans starting at Not specified can be helpful for midrange dental bills
- Uses AI-powered underwriting that can help it approve more nontraditional borrowers
- Can’t apply with another person
- If you have bad credit, prepare for an origination fee
- No mobile app for Android users
You usually need at least fair credit to qualify for dental financing. Online lending platform Upstart sometimes accepts bad credit — you might even be eligible with no credit.
It’s a good thing that Upstart has easier requirements. You can’t add a second person to your loan to boost your approval odds. Bad credit loans don’t come cheap, either. You could have a rate of up to 24.00% and may need to pay an origination fee.
Upstart has transparent eligibility requirements, including:
- Age: Be 18 or older
- Administrative: Have a U.S. address, personal banking account, email address and Social Security number
- Income: Have a valid source of income, including a job, job offer or another regular income source
- Credit-related factors: No bankruptcies within the last three years, reasonable number of recent inquiries on your credit report and no current delinquencies
- Credit score:
What are dental loans?
A dental loan is a personal loan that you use to pay for dental work. Personal loans come as a lump sum of money, which you will pay back in equal monthly payments. Because personal loans have fixed rates, your interest rate will stay the same for the life of your loan.
There are two main types of personal loans: secured and unsecured.
An unsecured loan doesn’t require collateral; a secured loan does. Unsecured loans are the most common, but secured loans usually have lower rates. That’s because they are less risky for the lender. If you stop paying, your lender can repossess your collateral.
What can you use a dental loan to pay for?
You can use a dental loan for any dental work, whether it is necessary or elective. Most lenders let you use your personal loan for just about anything, as long as it’s not illegal.
Get a quote from your dentist before applying for your loan. Unlike a credit card, you can only borrow from a personal loan once. If you need more money, you’ll have to take out another loan or find another form of dental financing.
How to find a dental loan with LendingTree
LendingTree can help you save an average of $1,659 on your personal loan, according to our data. Our loan marketplace makes it easy to compare loans and find the cheapest rates.
Tell us what you need
Take two minutes to tell us who you are and how much money you need. It’s free, simple and secure.
Shop your offers
LendingTree users get 11 personal loan offers on average. Compare your offers side by side to get the best deal.
Get your money
Pick a lender and sign your loan paperwork. You could see money in your account in as soon as 24 hours.
Dental loans for bad credit
Qualifying for dental loans with bad credit can be hard, but it’s possible. Your best bet is to focus your energy on bad credit loans. Rates can be high, but if your credit improves down the road, you could refinance your personal loan. Ideally, this will get you a lower interest rate.
If you have bad credit, beware of predatory lending and scams that promise quick cash with no credit checks. Look for lenders that offer APRs below 36% — anything above that could be considered high-interest.
Like doctors, dentists and dental professionals have to take an oath to do no harm. The vast majority are there to help you feel and look your best, but there is no guarantee that you won’t run into a dishonest dentist. Protect your wallet and your health by avoiding dental scams.
Get a second opinion: Trust your gut. If a dentist recommends a pricey procedure that doesn’t seem right, have another dentist take another look.
Stick to an independent practice: Some big dentistry chains have been accused of improper billing and conducting unnecessary procedures to maximize profits.
Check for official actions: Use your state’s dental board to see if any official actions have been taken against your dentist due to a patient complaint.
Saving money on dental expenses
Ask about in-house financing options
Some dentists set their own interest rates and are willing to negotiate financing plans. Ask if you can set up monthly payments directly to your dentist. This may be a more affordable option than a personal loan.
Consider if dental work out of country is for you
More than a million Americans travel to Mexico for low-cost dental work each year. This might seem extreme, but medical tourism is a booming business and could save you a lot of money. Just be sure to do your research and include the cost of travel in your budget.
Use your FSA benefits
A flexible spending account (FSA) is an employer-sponsored savings account that lets you use pretax dollars to pay for medical expenses or dental care. They’re typically funded with automatic payroll deductions. If you have an FSA, consider tapping it to pay for dental work.
Dental loan alternatives
CareCredit®
CareCredit® is a credit card specifically designed to pay for medical, dental and vet bills. If your dentist accepts it, you could get interest-free short-term financing between six and 24 months if you spend $200 or more.
However, it’s very important that you pay your balance in full during this interest-free period. Otherwise, you’ll be on the hook for all of the interest that would have accrued during your financing period. This is called deferred interest.
0% APR credit card
A 0% APR credit card works similarly to CareCredit® except you can use it anywhere that accepts major credit cards. Also, most (but not all) 0% APR cards do not have deferred interest. You’ll still have an interest-free intro period. But if you don’t pay your balance in full, interest will only accrue on what you owe rather than be backdated.
Pay cash at a dental school
If you’re on a tight budget, consider making an appointment at a local dental school. Because those procedures are done by practicing dental students, you may be able to get it done at a lower cost.
For more information, check out this list of dental schools by state.
How we chose the best dental loans
We reviewed more than 40 lenders and loan marketplaces to determine the overall best dental loans. To make this list, the company must offer personal loans that have competitive interest rates and that can be used for dental work.
From there, we assessed each lender across four categories: eligibility and access; cost to borrow; loan terms and options; repayment support and tools.
According to our standardized rating system, the best dental loans come from Achieve, Best Egg, First Tech Credit Union, Prosper, Rocket Loans, SoFi and Upstart.
Our categories
We assess how easy it is for people to qualify and apply. This includes state availability, soft-credit prequalification, membership requirements, funding speed and whether borrowers with less-than-excellent credit can get a loan.
We evaluate how affordable the loans are based on minimum and maximum APRs, loan fees and rate discounts. Lenders with unclear or potentially predatory costs receive lower scores.
We consider repayment term flexibility, loan amount ranges and whether options like secured loans, joint loans or direct-to-creditor payments are offered — plus whether the lender clearly communicates these options.
We evaluate borrower experience after funding: customer service access, hardship or forbearance programs, payment flexibility and digital tools like mobile apps or credit monitoring.
Our process
We gather data directly from lenders through their websites, disclosures and direct communication with company representatives. Our editorial team verifies and updates information regularly. We value transparency and award less favorable scores when lenders obscure or omit details.
Our editorial team applies the same scoring model and standards to every lender. Lenders cannot pay to influence our ratings. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
Our writers and editors dig through the facts, contact lenders directly and even go through the application process ourselves if it helps better explain what you can expect. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, I’m committed to breaking down complex financial details so people can make confident, informed decisions with their money.
Jessica’s experience in editing and financial education helps shape LendingTree articles that are clear, accurate and truly useful to readers. Her certification means our recommendations are built on a foundation of consumer-first financial knowledge — not just numbers.
Frequently asked questions
You could find free or low-cost dentists through United Way. Dial 211 and ask if there are any dental charities in your area.
On average, a single dental implant costs around $4,800. Depending on how many implants you need, you could be looking at a huge expense. You’ll likely need very good credit to qualify for a big dental loan, so a credit score of 740 or higher.
If you qualify for a 0% APR credit card and can pay off your balance before your introductory period ends, a credit card is a better choice (you won’t pay any interest). Introductory periods typically last between six and 21 months. That timeframe could be tough, depending on how big your dental bill is.
If you need more time to pay, you could get approved for a dental loan with a lower rate than most credit cards. However, you usually need excellent credit for this to be the case.