Dental Equipment Financing
Single-ticket equipment for a dental practice — a $50K–$150K CBCT, a $40K CEREC mill, a $25K iTero, an $8K chair — doesn't fit a generalist small-business lender's box. Dental-specialty programs underwrite the DDS/DMD income curve, finance the full ticket (often 100%), and structure the term so the equipment pays for itself. We match you across that panel without a hard pull.
No hard credit pull to start. · Takes about 2 minutes.
How this product is shaped.
- Equipment-only or Section 179 structure. EFA ($1-buyout), FMV lease, capital lease, or straight equipment loan. We surface the structure that fits your tax posture this year.
- 100% financing common, no money down. Dental-specialty lenders routinely fund full equipment cost plus install, freight, and training — no down payment on credit-strong files.
- Term: 24–84 months. Match term to useful life (5–7 years for digital imaging, 5 for chairside CAD/CAM, 7+ for chairs and ops).
Why generalist lenders fail dental equipment
A $80K CBCT ask on a Bluevine-style application gets bucketed with restaurants and lawn-care companies. The underwriter sees a single-ticket capital request that exceeds the platform's median, has no comparable in the small-business book, and routes it to a manual queue or declines it. Specialty dental lenders — BofA Practice Solutions, Wells Fargo Practice Finance, Live Oak, Provide, Henry Schein Financial Services, Patterson Financial Services — see the same ask as a typical Tuesday. Their underwriting models include DDS/DMD income curves, equipment-cost benchmarks by category, and decade-long performance data on dental files.
That's the trade. Going wide hits more lenders; going specialty hits the right ones.
Section 179 timing
Equipment must be placed in service by 12/31 to claim Section 179 in the current tax year. "Placed in service" means installed and capable of producing revenue — not merely delivered. For a CBCT this includes calibration; for CEREC it includes the milling chamber being operational and the practice's first restoration scanned (even a phantom). Plan back from 12/31 with realistic install windows: 4–6 weeks for CBCT (lead shielding evaluation + install), 2–3 weeks for chairside CAD/CAM, 1 week for chairs/IOS.
Financed equipment qualifies for Section 179 in the year placed in service. You do not need to pay cash. Confirm current-year deduction limits and phase-out thresholds with your CPA before relying on any projection.
Frequently asked.
- Can I finance equipment I'm buying through Henry Schein or Patterson?
- Yes. Henry Schein Financial Services and Patterson Financial Services (a Wells Fargo partner) both finance their own catalogs. We match against them and against bank/specialty competitors so you see independent terms — not the only offer the distributor's finance arm wants to show you.
- Do I need a quote before applying?
- An itemized vendor quote speeds underwriting and lets the lender wire equipment cost directly. Without a quote, you can pre-qualify against a stated equipment category and amount, then submit the quote when you have it.
- What credit do I need?
- Specialty programs price aggressively from 700+; 650–700 still qualifies in tier B. Under 650 the file routes to credit-tolerant programs (typically equipment leasing structures) at higher APR.
- What's the lender-paid fee?
- We're paid a flat referral fee by the lender you select. The fee is disclosed on the term sheet and does not change your APR, term, or fees. See /disclosures.
See your match.
Soft-pull first. One hard pull only with the lender you choose.