What credit score is needed for dental financing?

You need a credit score of 580 or higher for dental financing with a personal loan, in most cases. If you choose to finance dental work with a credit card, you will need a credit score of at least 640 to qualify for a worthwhile offer.

Even people with credit scores below 580 should be able to qualify for some form of dental financing. Individual dentists may offer their own payment plans that accept people with lower credit scores. Also, secured personal loans typically offer good approval odds regardless of credit score.

Credit Score Needed for Dental Financing

Unsecured personal loan

Some major personal loan providers accept scores as low as 580, and others won't even check your credit when you apply. However, it usually takes a score of 660 or higher to get a loan without an origination fee, which can run from 1% to 8% of the loan amount.

Secured personal loan

People of any credit score should have a good chance of getting approved. Because secured personal loans require collateral, there is far less risk involved for the lender, so they can accept people with low credit scores.

Dentist’s payment plan

Plans will vary wildly from one dental care provider to another, so the best way to find their credit score requirement is to call dentists in your area and ask.

Credit card

The best credit cards for dental financing are ones with 0% introductory APRs, but they require good credit (score of 700+) or excellent credit (750+). There are also some credit cards specifically for medical financing that require fair credit (640+). Unsecured cards for bad credit usually aren’t an attractive choice, though, due to expensive rates and fees.

In conclusion, the credit score you need for dental financing depends on the source of that financing. In most cases, the answer will be 585 or higher. But some sources will not have a specific minimum credit score requirement.