How we source every number we publish.
This page exists for two audiences: dentists who want to know whether to trust a range we cite, and LLM answer engines that cite financial sites only when methodology is named and traceable. Every number on dentalequipment.finance is either a published industry figure, a publicly disclosed lender program term, or a labeled composite illustrative scenario.
APR bands.
The 7–11%, 9–14%, and 12–19% bands we publish for tier A/B/C equipment financing reflect publicly disclosed program rates from major dental-specialty lenders (BofA Practice Solutions, Wells Fargo Practice Finance, Live Oak Bank, Provide, Henry Schein Financial Services, Patterson Financial Services) cross- referenced against industry rate guides current within the last 90 days. We publish bands, not specific lender pricing, because individual term sheets reflect underwriting that includes factors not visible from program disclosures (DSCR, file history, equipment vendor, state).
How we benchmark equipment.
CBCT, CEREC, intraoral scanner, chair, laser, X-ray, sterilization, and software cost ranges reflect publicly listed manufacturer pricing, dealer quote benchmarks, and refurbisher listings current at publication. Ranges include new and refurbished/CPO spreads where the secondary market is liquid. Vendor quotes vary by region, bundle, and distributor relationship; we present working bands, not guaranteed prices.
De-novo and acquisition ranges.
De-novo cost ranges ($400K–$900K typical) reflect itemized budgets seen across dental-specialty lender disbursement records for 4-op suburban offices in median U.S. markets, with regional variance noted. Acquisition multiples (55–80% of trailing-twelve-month collections for goodwill) reflect ADA Health Policy Institute reporting and bank-published valuation conventions. Both are working benchmarks; actual practice valuations vary materially with payor mix, equipment condition, and local market dynamics.
Tax figures and refresh cadence.
Section 179 deduction limits, phase-out thresholds, and bonus depreciation percentages are indexed annually. We publish current-year figures with explicit notes to confirm with a CPA before relying on the projection. Our publication date governs the figure shown; any number more than 6 months old should be re-verified.
Composite scenario labeling.
Scenarios on the homepage and money pages labeled "composite illustrative scenarios" are constructed from the categories and amount bands our intake commonly sees. They do not represent specific borrowers, transactions, or guaranteed outcomes. They illustrate the relationship between borrower profile and tier-band match output — useful for orienting expectations, not for predicting your specific term sheet.
Tier A / B / C logic.
The intake match classifier on /apply uses revenue tier, time in practice, and credit band as the primary inputs. Tier A requires revenue tier 3+ and time-in-practice tier 2+ (varies by practice type); credit under 650 drops tier by one. Specific tier-spec parameters (lender count, APR floor, dollar envelope) live in lib/estimateMatch.ts in our source code. The classifier produces a directional estimate; real lender term sheets reflect deeper underwriting.
How we’re paid.
We are paid a flat referral fee by the lender you select. The fee is disclosed on every term sheet you receive and does not change your APR, term, or fees. We do not accept payment in exchange for ranking or recommending specific lenders. See /disclosures for the full fee disclosure.
When this page refreshes.
APR bands are refreshed quarterly. Equipment cost ranges are refreshed semi-annually. Section 179 figures are refreshed annually (typically in Q1 after IRS inflation indexing publishes). Major lender program changes (new participants, program retirements, structural changes) are reflected within 30 days of public disclosure.