5 of the best dental loans of 2024

There are lots of reasons an upcoming dental appointment might fill you with anxiety, but paying the bill shouldn’t be one of them. If you don’t have dental insurance (or your provider won’t cover enough of your visit’s cost), a personal loan can help prevent a trip to the dentist’s from taking too big a bite out of your budget.

Below, CNBC Select rounded up some of the best dental loans available. We considered a variety of features, like funding amount, credit score requirements and more. See below for our methodology.

Who’s this for? SoFi offers loans as high as $100,000, while many other personal loan lenders tap out around $40,000 to $50,000. So if your procedure is pricier, a lender with higher borrowing amounts like SoFi may be a good choice.

Standout benefits: Applicants can potentially receive their funding as soon as the same business day that they sign for the loan.

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Who’s this for? Sometimes you may not need thousands of dollars to cover your dental procedure. That’s where PenFed comes in — applicants can borrow as little as $600, the lowest minimum funding amount on this list.

Standout benefits: PenFed doesn’t charge an origination fee or a prepayment penalty.

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Who’s this for? Upstart considers applicant credit scores as low as 300, making it ideal for individuals with poor credit. Upstart also considers those with an insufficient credit history, making it quite flexible in terms of its credit requirements.

Standout benefits: Borrowers can receive funding as early as the next business day if they accept their loan before 5 p.m. ET on a weekday.

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Who’s this for? LightStream offers some of the lowest APRs mentioned on this list, which means you’ll save on interest payments over the life of the loan. To qualify for these low rates, you’ll need to apply with good or excellent credit.

Standout benefits: LightStream offers a 0.50% discount for signing up for autopay. Many other lenders only offer a 0.25% discount.

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Who’s this for? Prosper offers dental loans that can cover a variety of procedures spanning both emergency procedures and cosmetic procedures. This lender’s dental loan can also cover pre-operative expenses like X-rays and consults as well as recovery expenses like pain management medications and even living expenses from unpaid time off to recover.

Standout benefits: Prosper allows you to apply with a co-borrower. This can be a strategic move if you’re worried you won’t qualify for the lowest interest rates on your own.

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SoFi is a fintech company launched by students at Stanford’s business school in 2011. Over the years, it has evolved to offer many different types of personal finance products including bank accounts, loans and more. So far, SoFi has offered over $73 billion in loan funding.

Loan amount

$5,000 to $100,000

Loan terms

24 to 84 months

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Credit union PenFed was founded in 1935 and currently has over 2.9 million members. It offers services like banking, credit cards, mortgages, loans and more. In order to utilize PenFed’s products, you must apply to become a member, which can usually be done when you apply for any of its products.

Loan amount

$600 to $50,000

Loan terms

1 to 5 years

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Upstart is a fintech platform that provides access to credit. According to Upstart’s website, 99% of applicants receive their funding in just one business day.

Loan amount

$1,000 to $50,000

Loan terms

36 and 60 months

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LightStream offers personal loans for a wide selection of uses including weddings, auto, renovations, debt consolidation, swimming pools, boats and more. LightStream is part of Truist Bank and mostly works with borrowers with good to excellent credit.

Loan amount

$5,000 to $100,000

Loan terms

24 to 240 months* dependent on loan purpose

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Prosper was founded in 2005 and has provided funding to over 2 million people so far. In addition to its personal loan products, Prosper also offers home equity loans and lines of credit.

Loan amount

$2,000 to $50,000

Loan terms

24, 36, 48, and 60 months

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When shopping around for a dental loan or personal loan to cover medical costs, here’s what to look out for:

• APR: A higher rate means you’ll be paying back more money over the loan’s term. However, some lenders offer a reduced APR if you sign up for autopay.
• Fees: An application fee, origination fee, prepayment penalty and late payment fee are common fees associated with personal loans. However, some lenders offer loans without these fees.
• Loan term: A loan’s term is how long you have to repay it. A longer loan term can mean smaller monthly payments, which can be easier on your budget. However, you’ll likely pay more money in interest over the life of the loan.

If you’re unsure about whether you need a loan to brighten that smile, consider the following pros and cons.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal loan products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best personal loans.

To determine the best dental loans, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of U.S. personal loans offered by both online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions.

When narrowing down and ranking the best personal loans, we focused considered the following features:

• Fixed-rate and variable-rate APR: Variable rates can go up and down over the lifetime of your loan. With a fixed rate APR, you lock in an interest rate for the duration of the loan’s term, which means your monthly payment won’t vary, making your budget easier to plan.
• Flexible minimum and maximum loan amounts/terms: Each lender provides a variety of financing options that you can select from.
• Streamlined application process: We considered whether lenders offered quick approval decisions and a fast online application process. 
• Customer support: Every loan on our list provides customer service available via telephone, email or secure online messaging. We also opted for lenders with an online resource hub or advice center to help you educate yourself about the personal loan process and your finances.
• Fund disbursement: The loans on our list deliver funds promptly through either an electronic wire transfer to your checking account or in the form of a paper check.
• Creditor payment limits and loan sizes: The above lenders provide loans in an array of sizes, from $600 to $100,000.

Note that the rates and fee structures advertised are subject to fluctuate in accordance with the Fed rate. However, once you accept your loan agreement, a fixed-rate APR will guarantee interest rate and monthly payment will remain consistent throughout the entire term of the loan. Your APR, monthly payment and loan amount depend on your credit history and creditworthiness. To take out a loan, lenders will conduct a hard credit inquiry and request a full application, which could require proof of income, identity verification, proof of address and more. 

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