Dental Implant Financing Feeds Low Monthly Payment Plans (2024)

Several dental implant financing options can take the enormous upfront costs and break them down into bite-size monthly payments spread over time.

However, the approval odds are poor because of the massive amounts at stake. A single-tooth replacement costs $3,500, and a full-mouth restoration ranges to $50,000 or more.

A primer can help you get started. Personal loans, “in-house options,” and payment plans all refer to financing provided by a third-party company.

The key to success is to begin early by requesting a loan rather than waiting until the last second. Then, explore three tricks to lower monthly payments.

Financing Dental Implants

The secret to financing dental implants is to start the process early and present your credentials to as many lenders as possible. You risk rejection if you wait until the last second with an “in-house” program featuring only one or two lenders.

Line up your options when borrowing gigantic sums of money – especially if you have bad credit.

Loans for Implants

Dental implant loans can provide the money needed to complete treatment. Complete a single online form to present your credentials to a vast network of lenders.

Personal loans are installment contracts, which means that you retire the obligation with fixed monthly payments that expire at a designated time: three to five years. Patients with the best odds of approval share these characteristics.

• A credit score of 630 or higher to demonstrate dependability
• Sufficient income to handle the projected monthly payment
• Include the employer’s name, address, and phone for verification
• Input bank account and routing number to set up autopay

Bad Credit

How do you pay for dental implants with a bad credit history when you borrow $3,500 to $5,000 for a single tooth and $35,000 to $50,000 for a full-mouth restoration?

Lenders are unlikely to approve patients with adverse histories appearing on their consumer reports for either of these amounts unless you find an alternative financing option or lower costs dramatically.

Single Tooth

Financing a single-tooth dental implant with lousy credit is challenging despite the lower amount. However, a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a viable alternative that offers superior terms.

Employees can access the total amount in their FSAfor dental implants at thestart of the year, evenwithout prior contributions. Over the year, they repay the advanced amount through pre-tax deductions from their paycheck.

1. Elect to fund your FSA during your employer’s annual open enrollment
2. Schedule the first implant procedure step at the beginning of the plan year
3. Your employer must reimburse qualifying expenses immediately
4. You have up to 52 weeks to repay the advance via pre-tax payroll deductions

An FSA is ideal for single-tooth implants because the annual contribution limits cover most costs. Even patients with poor credit scores below 630 automatically qualify because, per IRS rules, employers must accept all participants.

Full-Mouth

Financing a full-mouth of dental implants with bad credit is out of reach for most patients because the average starting price of $35,000 is far more than any lender might approve – no matter how lenient the underwriting criteria.

Patients with adverse histories on their consumer reports must find a way to lower full-mouth replacement costs. One option could help.

The cost of full-mouth dental implants with health insurance approaches zero when the procedure is medically necessary. In these rare cases, the insurance company pays most expenses, leaving the patient responsible for only the deductible and copayments.

Financing these much smaller unreimbursed expenses is far more feasible for patients with poor credit scores below 630.

In-House

“In-house” dental implant financing programs are not what they seem once you look behind the curtain. Would you go to your local bank branch and ask them for a permanent tooth replacement solution?

Of course, that would be silly. The banker would refer you to a dentist, limiting your choices for this last-second approach.

Likewise, the local prosthodontist offering an “in-house” option will refer you to a small handful of third-party patient financing companies performing credit underwriting, funding, billing, and collections functions.

Implant Payment Plans

Financing with low monthly installments is another name for cheap dental implant payment plans. You have three levers to manage the amount owed for each period.

1. Minimize the amount financed
2. Keep borrowing costs low
3. Lengthen the repayment period

Low-Cost Treatment

Choosing the lowest-cost treatment option is the first way to achieve cheap dental implant payment plans. This strategy minimizes the amount you need to finance and keeps the monthly installments small.

Low-cost dental implants do not mean that you have to sacrifice quality. Several strategies allow patients to keep prices manageable without cutting corners.

• Choosing in-network providers means you pay the tinier allowed amount negotiated by insurance companies with thousands of members.
• Consolidating treatment into one calendar year maximizes the savings associated with tax-deductible medical and dental expenses.
• Using a Health Savings Account (HSA) reduces the net costs most without the need to meet spending thresholds first.

Interest-Free

The second way to realize cheap dental implant payment plans is to choose the option with bargain-basem*nt borrowing costs. This strategy has the tiniest interest charges and origination fees, leading to the lowest monthly installment.

An FSA works like a government grant for dental implants featuring interest-free financing, with no origination fees, while helping patients save money on four possible taxes.

1. Employers cannot charge interest or impose origination fees when funding qualified expenses.
2. The use of pre-tax dollars to pay these eligible expenses reduces the income subject to four possible levies.
   1. Federal income taxes (varies by income)
   2. FICA payroll taxes (7.65% is typical)
   3. State income taxes (varies by region)
   4. City taxes (Baltimore, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, and more)

Phased Billing

The third way to achieve cheap dental implant payment plans is to phased bill for each treatment step. This strategy lengthens the financing term, leading to lower monthly installments.

For instance, consider the principle-only monthly payments for $12,000 borrowed when repaid over one to five years.

Ask your provider to bill after completing each treatment step, making it easy to spread payments for the entire procedure over a lengthier period. The process does not happen in a single day and can take up to 24 months, with significant time built-in for healing between each step.