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Five West programs at a glance
You do not have to work through the lender types one at a time. We are a commercial finance specialist with multiple funding programs, so one application is matched to the structure that fits, whether that is bank-style pricing, a specialty structure, or a lease, without stacking six credit inquiries to find out where you actually price.
- Rates
- Priced to your credit profile, term, and equipment; competitive with a bank on rate, not on speed
- Terms
- 24 to 84 months, with 10 years on SBA loans
- Amounts
- $15,000 to $5 million+
- Application only
- Up to $500,000 with no tax returns or financial statements
- Credit
- Established businesses from 600+, startups from 700+
- Equipment
- New, used, refurbished, dealer, and private-party purchases
- Speed
- Same-day options on qualified files, with approvals in as little as 30 minutes
- Coverage
- Nationwide and U.S. territories
Send us what you have been quoted. We will tell you plainly how it compares, including when your own bank has the better deal.
Free consultation, no obligation. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting; rates and terms depend on the complete business and credit profile.
The three kinds of lenders that finance dental equipment
Almost every dental equipment financing quote you receive comes from one of three places, and they are genuinely different businesses. Which one you are talking to explains most of what happens next: how fast you hear back, what they ask for, and why the rate is what it is.
Traditional banks
Banks fund equipment out of deposits, which is why their money is the cheapest and their underwriting the most conservative. Published 2026 ranges start bank equipment financing at roughly 7% for the strongest files, with terms out to seven or ten years. They want a full financial package: two years of business and personal tax returns, interim financials, and a debt schedule. They typically look for a 680+ personal FICO with the best pricing above 720, two or more years of operating history, and a debt service coverage ratio of 1.15x to 1.25x on the new debt. Many want your operating accounts too.
What it costs you is time. Two to four weeks is normal, and that assumes a complete file on day one. Banks are also cautious about used equipment from private sellers, startups, and anything unusual. Best fit: an established practice with clean financials, buying new equipment, on a timeline that can absorb a few weeks.
Specialty equipment and dental finance companies
These lenders fund from credit facilities and investor capital rather than deposits, so their cost of funds is higher and so is their pricing: commonly starting near 8.5%, with well-qualified dental borrowers landing at the low end and other profiles priced to the full file. What they sell is speed, flexibility, and underwriting that understands the asset. For most transactions under $500,000 they are application-only: a completed application and the equipment quote, with no tax returns, financial statements, or debt schedule. Approvals in 24 to 72 hours and funding in one to three days is a realistic standard.
They will also finance things banks often will not: equipment bought from another practice, refurbished units, startups with a strong personal profile, and practices carrying existing debt that makes a bank’s DSCR test uncomfortable. Best fit: anyone with an install date, a private-party purchase, a startup, or a practice whose last two tax years do not tell the story its current collections do.
Manufacturer and distributor captive programs
Henry Schein, Patterson, and the equipment manufacturers themselves all run finance arms. Captive programs exist to move equipment, which means the financing is sometimes subsidized: published ranges run roughly 7% to 15%, because a promotional rate on a specific unit can beat any bank while standard pricing sits mid-market. You get one conversation for both equipment and financing, decisions in one to two weeks, and occasional deferred-payment or zero-interest promotions. The catch is that the financing is tied to that vendor’s equipment.
A subsidized rate on an overpriced package is not a deal. Price the equipment and the money separately, then decide.
Side by side
Published market ranges as of September 2026. WSJ prime rate is 7.00%. Individual quotes depend on the full credit profile.
What about SBA?
SBA 7(a) is worth naming separately because dentists are offered it constantly. Maximum rates as of August 2026 are prime plus 3% on variable loans over $250,000, about 10.00%, rising to prime plus 6.5% on the smallest loans. Terms stretch to 10 years for equipment and 25 for real estate. SBA is excellent for practice acquisition, startup, or a project that bundles real estate, buildout, equipment, and working capital. It is usually the wrong tool for a single $80,000 equipment purchase: the 45-to-90-day timeline and documentation load are disproportionate, and the rate advantage over a good conventional equipment loan is often modest once fees are counted.
Where industry expertise actually matters
“We understand your industry” is on every website. Here is where it shows up in a dental file:
- Reading collections vs. production. Someone who knows dentistry does not treat insurance receivables as a red flag.
- Valuing the collateral properly. Someone who has financed a hundred A-dec chairs knows what one is worth in year six. A generalist discounts what it does not recognize.
- Understanding associate-to-owner transitions. A dentist with three years of W-2 income and no ownership history is a thin file to a generalist and a normal one in dental finance.
- Recognizing why a year looked bad. A relocation, buildout, or partner buyout year reads as deterioration on a spreadsheet and as a known pattern to someone who has seen it repeatedly.
- Structuring around the ramp. Step payments or a short deferral while a new operatory fills is a routine ask.
Which should you choose?
- Established practice, new equipment, no deadline pressure: the bank rate advantage is real, so get that quote. Get a competing one too, because the advantage often shrinks once prepayment terms, lien position, and fees are counted.
- Install date inside three weeks, or a December 31 placed-in-service deadline: specialty. A slightly higher rate costs less than losing a tax year.
- Buying used equipment from another practice: specialty. Most banks will not touch a private-party sale.
- Startup or first-time owner: specialty or SBA, depending on size and timeline.
- A specific manufacturer’s package with a live promotion: price the captive offer, but quote the equipment independently first.
- Acquisition, real estate, or a full buildout with working capital: SBA 7(a).
Can you use more than one?
Yes, and many practices should. A common structure puts bank financing on the chairs and cabinetry, long-lived collateral suited to a long term at the lowest rate, and a specialty structure on the CBCT or the scanner, where speed matters and a shorter term or an FMV lease fits the technology’s replacement cycle. Two cautions: watch your total debt service, since every underwriter tests coverage against the whole stack, and be careful with blanket liens. A bank taking a general lien on all practice assets can complicate the next transaction, whereas equipment financing typically files only against the equipment it funded.
How to compare offers honestly
Rate alone is a poor comparison. If you are comparing multiple lenders, ask every source the same five questions: What is the total cost of the contract, meaning all payments plus fees? Is the rate fixed or variable, and indexed to what? What is the prepayment penalty, and does it decline over the term? What collateral position are you taking, the equipment only or a blanket lien? What are the documentation fee, origination fee, and any end-of-term obligations?
A 9% offer with no prepayment penalty and an equipment-only lien often beats an 8% offer with a blanket lien and three years of lockout.
The bottom line
Three lender types, three tradeoffs: banks are cheapest and slowest, specialty lenders fastest and most flexible, captives convenient and occasionally promotional. The right answer depends less on which is “better” than on your timeline, your equipment, and how cleanly your last two tax returns tell your story. The mistake worth avoiding is working through them one at a time: applying to the bank, waiting three weeks, getting declined on the used chair, then starting over. One application matched to the program that fits, compared on total cost of contract and lien position rather than headline rate, avoids that.
Choosing a dental equipment lender: common questions
Is a bank or a specialty lender better for dental equipment financing?
Banks offer lower rates starting at roughly 7% for established practices, but they take two to four weeks and require two years of tax returns, strong debt service coverage, and often a depository relationship. Specialty equipment lenders price from roughly 8.5%, quoted to the full file, but approve in 24 to 72 hours on lighter documentation and will finance used, private-party, and startup transactions that banks typically decline.
How fast can a dental equipment loan be approved?
Specialty equipment lenders commonly approve in 24 to 72 hours and fund in three to seven days. Manufacturer captive programs take one to two weeks. Traditional banks take two to four weeks. SBA 7(a) loans take four to twelve weeks. Speed depends heavily on whether the application arrives complete.
What credit score do you need for a dental equipment loan?
Most conventional dental lenders look for 680 or higher, with the best pricing generally reserved for 720 and above. Specialty equipment lenders are more flexible because the equipment serves as collateral, and will often work with scores in the 640 to 680 range at higher rates; Five West's programs for established practices start at 600+. A personal guarantee is required on virtually all dental equipment loans.
Should I use Henry Schein or Patterson financing?
Manufacturer captive programs are convenient because one conversation covers both equipment and financing. They run roughly 7% to 15%, with promotional pricing on specific units. The tradeoff is that the financing is tied to that vendor’s equipment. Price the equipment independently first, then compare the captive offer against outside quotes.
Is an SBA loan good for dental equipment?
SBA 7(a) works well for practice acquisition, startup, or a project bundling real estate, buildout, equipment, and working capital. It is usually disproportionate for a single equipment purchase: the 45-to-90-day timeline and documentation load are heavy relative to the amount, and the rate advantage over a good conventional equipment loan is often modest once fees are included.
Can I use more than one lender for my dental practice?
Yes. A common structure uses bank financing for long-lived collateral such as chairs and cabinetry, and a specialty structure for fast-cycling technology such as CBCT or intraoral scanners. Watch total debt service, since coverage is tested against your entire debt stack, and be careful about granting blanket liens that could complicate future borrowing.
What questions should I ask a dental equipment lender?
Ask for the total cost of the contract including all fees rather than just the rate; whether the rate is fixed or variable and what index it follows; what the prepayment penalty is and whether it declines; what collateral position is taken, equipment only or a blanket lien; and what documentation, origination, and end-of-term obligations apply.
Comparing financing offers?
Send us what you have been quoted. We will tell you plainly how it compares and whether we can do better on structure, not just rate. Or run the numbers yourself first in the Quote Builder. No credit pull, no obligation.
Related dental financing guides
More on financing equipment for a dental practice.
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This article is general information about commercial equipment financing and is not a commitment to finance. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting. Rates, terms, and approval depend on the complete business and credit profile. Figures shown are illustrative market ranges gathered from published sources as of August 2026 and are not an offer. Five West Financial is not a tax advisor or an accounting firm; confirm any tax treatment with your CPA before relying on it.