Always dreamed about getting Invisalign but the sticker price seems a bit much? Wondering if its possible to finance it with care credit for dental? What's the process like and how does it work?
Table of Contents:
What is care credit for dental work?
Care credit is a third party payment system that allows you to finance dental treatment with certain perks. It works very similar to a credit card except you have options of interest free repayments over how ever many months of your choice. Here are some term length options for repayment with the card.
6 months
12 months
18 months
24 months
Any of those term lengths are all interest free but there are certain amount requirements for each length of time.
The one major difference of this card vs a traditional credit card is that you cannot swipe with it as there is no magnetic stripe on the card. In order to use the card, your dentist or healthcare provider needs to manually enter the transaction in at CareCredit's website.
How to use the care credit application for dental.
The care credit application for any dental work is a very easy process. All you have to do is just apply directly on their website. The entire application is approximately two paper pages but you'll receive a decision within a few minutes.
You do not have to wait days to hear a result. You'll also get a virtual card with your account number on it and begin using it immediately. The actual card will come in the mail within two weeks.
What credit score do you need for care credit for dental?
On average, the credit score that is required for a care credit application is at least 640. They may make exceptions for slightly lower scores though. They do take into account your overall credit history for the final decision. That is really the only requirement for care credit dental, a 640 credit score. Well and also the ability to repay!
What types of treatment can you use it for?
There are no limitations to the type of dental treatment that you can use care credit for. As long as the transaction is processed within a dental office, it will usually go through but here is a list of common procedures that people use it for.
Care credit for dental implants
Invisalign is the most common!
Veneers and dental crowns
Root canals and gum treatment
Teeth whitening. Most insurances will not cover the whitening but you can use the carecredit to cover the expense!
Where to find care credit dental providers?
Most dental offices should accept this form of financing but if you wanted to be absolutely sure, you can always call the office and inquire. Alternatively you can find care credit dental providers on their website through the doctor locator tool.
Should you use this type of financing?
This is a perfectly valid financing option for dental work because the company itself is actually owned by Synchrony Financial. If you have an Amazon credit card, it is also through synchrony so you can be certain that it is legitimate.
It is also really difficult to find the type of repayment terms that is offered by care credit such as the 24 month no interest repayment plan. A lot of our patients at our long island city office choose this option to finance Invisalign. This is especially true if their dental insurance has no orthodontic coverage. It definitely makes it significantly easier to budget for it when you can split the payments into 24 months.
Where else are you going to find terms like that? Most in house dental plans will offer 6 month payment plans at most!
Are you wondering why the terms are so generous?
It is able to be interest free because it is actually your dentist who will be covering your interest. This way, everyone has some skin in the game.
To summarize, here are the benefits to using carecredit:
Easy to use. The application should take less than 10 minutes to fill out and you get approved almost instantaneously.
Trustworthy. It is through the same company that issues Amazon credit cards.
Flexible. They have a wide range of repayment options stretching from 6 months and all the way to 24 months.
Disadvantages of care credit
The only disadvantage to using it is that you cannot be late with the payments or miss any payments. It does have really high interest rates and late fees that go into effect if you happen to miss a payment.
Our dentist in long island city, highly recommend that you set it to autopay once you receive your first statement. That way you can set it and forget it. You won't ever get hit with the penalty fee of a missed payment if you do that. That penalty can be pretty hefty from what we've heard but that's similar to any type of credit card.
