Dental implant financing, and turning sticker shock into a payment.
For most patients financing is the difference between accessible and out of reach. A $15,000 arch becomes a $250 to $450 monthly payment with the right partner. Here is what each lender offers, what credit profile supports which terms, and the real monthly arithmetic for each category of treatment.
Monthly payment, at a glance
- Single implant, $4,500, over 36 months about $160
- One full arch, $15,000, over 60 months about $300
- Both arches, $30,000, over 60 months about $580
- Snap-in lower arch, $6,500, over 36 months about $220
Illustrative figures at typical healthcare lending rates. Actual payments depend on credit profile, current promotional offers, and the lender. Treat these as planning estimates rather than quotes.
Five established lenders, across the credit spectrum
Dental implant financing is a mature market. Each partner has different credit thresholds, term lengths and rate structures, and the right one depends on your profile and how the payment fits your month.
CareCredit
Promotional 0% APR
The most widely known healthcare credit card. Promotional periods of six to twenty-four months at 0% APR if the balance is paid in full within the period, with deferred interest accruing if any balance remains after it. Standard APR after the promotional period is typically around 27%. Best for patients who can clear the balance inside the promotional window.
Cherry
Short terms
Patient financing with three, six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four month plans, often with 0% APR on shorter terms for strong credit. Quick approval, frequently an instant decision. Best for good to excellent credit and a twelve to twenty-four month horizon.
Proceed Finance
Up to 60 months
Specialises in larger healthcare procedures, including full-arch implants. Longer terms up to 60 months at fixed rates. Best for larger cases where a predictable payment over a longer horizon matters more than a promotional rate.
Sunbit
Wider approval
Wider credit acceptance than most competitors, designed to approve patients who may not qualify with CareCredit or Cherry. APRs are typically higher, but it is accessible where others are not.
LendingClub Patient Solutions
Longest terms
An established personal-loan provider with healthcare-specific products. Longer fixed-rate terms, up to 84 months on some products, with predictable payments throughout. A reasonable middle ground.
Elite works with several of these partners so you can compare terms rather than take the first approval. The current partner list and the payment calculator are on the financing page.
The arithmetic, by procedure
The figures below are illustrative, based on typical terms from established healthcare lenders. Your actual rate depends on credit profile, the promotional offers live at the time, and which partner you use.
Single dental implant
about $4,500 at Elite
- 12 months, 0% promotional APR — $390 a month
- 24 months, moderate APR — $210 a month
- 36 months, standard healthcare APR — $160 a month
Full arch, one jaw
$15,000 at Elite
- 36 months — $450 a month
- 48 months — $360 a month
- 60 months — $300 a month
Full arch, both jaws
$30,000 at Elite
- 48 months — $700 a month
- 60 months — $580 a month
- 72 months, where available — $500 a month
Snap-in lower overdenture
about $6,500 at Elite
- 12 months, 0% promotional APR — $555 a month
- 24 months, moderate APR — $300 a month
- 36 months, standard healthcare APR — $220 a month
Stacking strategies
Financing on its own handles cash flow. Combined with tax-advantaged funds and insurance it also reduces what the treatment finally costs. Five combinations do most of the work.
- Financing plus HSA. Finance the procedure, then use HSA funds to make extra principal payments early in the term. The financing handles cash flow, the HSA tax saving of 20 to 35 percent on the principal repaid reduces the total.
- Financing plus insurance plus tax timing. If your case might qualify for medical coverage, through documented trauma, oncologic treatment, a congenital condition or specific systemic disease, pursue verification before treatment. An approved payment can be applied directly to principal, reducing the financed balance.
- Phased treatment. For patients facing both jaws eventually, treat the lower first and finance it over 36 to 60 months, then start the upper 18 to 24 months later. It avoids carrying $30,000 of healthcare debt at once.
- Promotional period optimisation. Take the longest 0% period available, divide the cost evenly across those months, and clear it before the period ends. Executed precisely this is effectively free financing. Executed imprecisely, deferred interest applies to the whole original balance.
- Co-signer or family support. For younger patients with limited credit history, a co-signer with established credit unlocks better terms. Partial family support combined with financing for the remainder is also workable.
What we will tell you honestly
If the math does not work for your situation, we will say so. Some patients are not in a position to finance a major procedure responsibly, and the right answer then is deferred treatment while savings build, or a different procedure that fits the budget, such as a lower-jaw snap-in case. Aggressive financing is not a treatment plan.
The payment has to be one you can still carry in year four.
— Dr. Jonathan Volland
Common questions
It varies by partner, which is the reason for working with several. Cherry and CareCredit generally look for good to excellent credit for their best promotional terms. Proceed Finance and LendingClub accommodate a broader range on longer fixed-rate products. Sunbit is designed to approve patients who do not qualify elsewhere, at higher rates. Most patients who apply through more than one partner find a workable option.
On a deferred-interest promotional plan, interest accrues from day one but is only charged if any balance remains when the promotional period ends. Clear it in time and you pay nothing. Miss it by a small amount and the accrued interest on the entire original balance is applied at once. It is the single most common way a 0% offer becomes expensive, and it is avoidable with a payment schedule set at the start.
Most healthcare lending partners run a soft credit check for pre-qualification, which does not affect your score, and a hard check only when you accept an offer. Checking terms across several partners in a short window is normal and treated as rate shopping by the scoring models.
Yes, and it is common. A deposit reduces the financed principal, which lowers either the payment or the term. HSA and FSA funds are frequently used this way, and insurance payments, when a case qualifies, can be applied to principal in the same manner.
None of the healthcare lending partners in common use charge a prepayment penalty on their fixed-rate products, so paying down principal early reduces the total interest. Confirm it in the specific agreement you sign, since terms are set by the lender rather than by the practice.
Treatment is financed through established healthcare lending partners rather than in-house. That keeps the clinical decision and the credit decision separate, which is better for the patient, and the partners offer longer terms and better rates than a practice-run plan could.
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Run the numbers at consultation.
Generic financing math is not enough to decide on treatment. The right answer needs your actual procedure cost, verified from 3D imaging, your insurance, your credit profile, and your monthly capacity. Full-arch consultations are complimentary.