Paying for dental work without insurance

Before you agree to a crown, implant or other large treatment, ask the office for a written estimate that lists each procedure and its price. It lets you compare offices and plan how to pay. Ask whether the price changes if you pay in full up front.

Option	How it works	Watch for
Office payment plan	The office lets you split the bill into monthly payments.	Any interest or fees, and what happens if you miss a payment.
In-house membership plan	You pay the office a yearly or monthly fee for checkups and cleanings, plus a discount on other work.	It only works at that office, and it is not insurance.
Medical credit card or loan	A lender pays the office and you repay the lender.	High interest, and deferred-interest promotions (below).
Your own credit card	You pay the office with a card you already have.	Your card’s interest rate if you carry a balance.

Offices often offer medical credit cards at the front desk. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that these cards typically charge an interest rate of about 27%, compared with about 16% for ordinary credit cards.

Many come with a “no interest if paid in full” promotion. That is deferred interest. If you have not paid off the whole balance by the end of the promotion, you are charged interest on the full original amount, back to the first day. The CFPB found that patients paid about $1 billion in deferred interest on medical credit cards and loans from 2018 to 2020.

If you use one, divide the balance by the number of promotional months and pay at least that much every month.

• Do you have your own payment plan, and does it charge interest?
• Do you offer a membership plan for patients without insurance?
• Is there a discount for paying in full?
• If you offer a credit card, is it deferred interest? What is the rate after the promotion?