6 Best Credit Cards for Dental Work (June 2023)

A sudden toothache that needs immediate attention can be a problem for folks already struggling to cover their monthly bills. For some, the answer is a credit card that makes it easier to stretch out dental work payments.

While credit cards are no substitute for dental insurance, they can provide a little breathing room by suspending interest payments for defined periods. That can be important when facing an unexpected four-figure dental bill. In the article that follows, we’ll take a look at several of our experts’ top picks for the best credit cards for dental work available today.

0% Financing | Bad Credit | FAQs

Understanding the terms of a dental credit card before applying is important. One offers 0% financing only if paid in full within the specified period. Others provide a 0% financing period without accruing interest. Here is information to help you select the card that best fits your financial needs.

1. CareCredit

You can use the CareCredit card from Synchrony Bank to finance out-of-pocket medical and dental costs from enrolled providers. It offers 0% promotional financing for 6, 12, 18, or 24 months, depending on your creditworthiness.

• 0% financing for 6 to 24 months, depending on your credit score
• 26.99% APR after the 0% period expires
• Accepted by more than 200,000 healthcare providers
• No annual fee

If you don’t fully repay your bill before the end of the promotional period, you will be charged interest for the entire original purchase. It also offers longer financing terms of up to 60 months with reduced APRs.

2. Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

0% INTRO APR RATING

★★★★★

4.7

OVERALL RATING

4.8/5.0

• Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
• Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day
• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Enjoy up to 6 months of complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through 11/14/2024
• Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
• No rotating categories or sign-ups needed to earn cash rewards; plus, cash back won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how much you can earn

• See application, terms and details.

Intro (Purchases)	Intro (Transfers)	Regular APR	Annual Fee	Credit Needed
0% for 15 months	0% for 15 months	19.74% - 29.74% (Variable)	$0	Excellent, Good

The Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid option for saving on interest thanks to its lengthy 0% APR introductory period offers on both new purchases and balance transfers.  New cardholders can also earn a cash signup bonus if the purchase threshold is met within the first few months.

In addition to the above competitive introductory offers, this card comes with a flat-rate cash back reward structure that earns cash with every purchase, every day. All this and zero annual fee makes for a great option.

The Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card provides introductory 0% APR offers on both purchases and balance transfers. It charges no annual fee and does not accrue interest during the introductory period. Card benefits include $0 liability protection, the ability to choose your payment date, and access to concierge services for help with shopping, dining, travel, and entertainment.

The no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers an introductory 0% APR on purchases, with no interest accrual during the period. The card has a tiered cash back rewards system on travel, dining, and drugstores, and a flat-rate cash back on all other purchases. Cash back rewards don’t expire as long as the account remains open. The card protects you with $0 liability protection, free credit scores via Credit Journey, purchase protection for 120 days on product damage or theft, and extended warranty protection.

With the Chase Freedom Flex℠, you get an impressive introductory 0% APR offer. This no-annual-fee card offers a modest cash back bonus when you spend the specified amount in the first three months, which may be easily attainable if used to finance your dental procedure. The card pays top-tier cash back (subject to a purchase limit) on quarterly rotating bonus categories that you must activate. There are also set categories earning elevated cash back, then all other purchases earn 1%. Cash back rewards don’t expire while the account remains open.

You won’t find many credit cards that offer 0% financing to consumers with bad credit. In fact, it can be hard for those with bad or no credit to qualify for any unsecured card. If you need to finance dental work, an unsecured card is more flexible than a secured or prepaid one.

The Indigo® Mastercard® is designed for customers with bad, limited, or no credit. You can prequalify for the card with no credit score impact and receive a decision in 60 seconds. The card lets you choose among several designs. You can access your account at any time via your tablet, desktop, or mobile device.

Virtually all dentists accept credit card payments. Of course, it’s a good idea to check first. The more important question is whether you can obtain a new credit card to take advantage of 0% financing when you need dental work, but you don’t have the cash to pay for it upfront.

Five of the cards we recommend for dental work provide an interest-free introductory period of six to 24 months. Naturally, the longer the no-interest period, the more breathing room you have to pay off the bill.

The CareCredit card differs from the others in that you will have to pay all accrued interest if you don’t pay off the bill by the end of the promotional period. This means you run the risk of facing a big payoff amount if you can’t pay off the full balance before the end of the interest-free period.

The other four cards that offer a promotional 0% APR period don’t accrue interest during the period. That means when the promotional period ends, you’ll only begin to accrue interest on any remaining balance owed.

If you can’t obtain a new credit card with 0% financing due to bad credit, you can use your existing credit cards to pay the dentist, assuming you have other cards and they provide enough total credit. Another option is to take out a personal loan to pay your dental bill. A personal loan may charge you less interest than your current credit cards will.

Many dentists, but by no means all, offer their own payment plans or can help you obtain a CareCredit card.

Private dental payment plans differ from one practice to the next. This gives you an incentive to shop around to see the plans offered by your local dentists. Even if a dentist offers an attractive in-office payment plan, it makes sense to check online reviews and verify that the dentist is reputable.

Your dentist’s payment plan may require a large down payment. A simple cavity filling can cost several hundred dollars. Caps, crowns, bridges, and implants can easily run up a bill of several thousand dollars.

It’s likely that your dentist’s plan won’t report your payments to the credit bureaus unless you default. Not reporting your payments can be a good thing, because it means your credit score won’t suffer if you are occasionally late making a payment.

Many dentists offer the CareCredit card to help patients obtain financing. It’s possible your dentist will offer CareCredit in addition to his or her own in-office plan. Check to see if their payment plan charges accrued interest. If not, it may be a better deal. Also, verify whether they report your payments to the credit bureaus. If you are confident that you will make timely payments, then credit bureau reporting can improve your credit score.

There is a scenario in which CareCredit may hurt your credit score. This could happen if you have poor or no credit and qualify for a low credit limit from CareCredit. One dental procedure can cause you to use a large percentage of your available credit.

The credit bureaus monitor your credit utilization ratio, which is the amount of credit you use divided by the credit available to you. The major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, Equifax) frown on high credit utilization ratios because it indicates that you could be vulnerable to default if you suddenly incur another large expense. Under those circumstances, your credit score could suffer.

However, the same concerns apply to the other credit cards we review in this article. In general, your credit limit will depend on your credit score and history. If you have a fair, poor, or no credit history, then you will likely be offered a limited amount of credit, at best. Therefore, your credit utilization ratio can suffer from any of these cards.

On the other hand, if your score is already low, these credit cards can help you improve your credit score by reporting your activity. You must pay on time and pay more than the minimum payment to benefit from credit bureau reporting. You can get free credit reports from the major bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.

In a similar vein, CareCredit and all other credit cards that do a hard pull of your credit reports can temporarily hurt your credit score. Creditors perform a hard pull to read your credit reports. The effect is minimal and usually lasts no longer than a year.

Forgoing dental care can seriously jeopardize your health. You may qualify for free dental care through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or through Medicaid, which offers free dental care for folks who are out of work or have very low incomes.

CHIP covers all enrolled children up to age 19. Medicaid coverage is offered on a state-by-state basis. Some states offer full dental care, and others offer limited dental treatments. The Veterans Administration also provides dental care for certain qualifying veterans, while offering the low-cost VA Dental Insurance Program to all veterans.

If you feel you can’t afford to see a dentist, you can seek out free dental work from several sources:

Dental schools: Dental students need hands-on practice, and most dental schools will offer reduced prices to the public. If you are unable to pay, the school may waive all charges. You may be wary of trusting student doctors with your dental health, however, they are supervised by professionals who teach the correct way to administer treatment.

D-DENT: Dentists for the Disabled and Elderly in Need of Treatment, Inc. is a 501C(3) nonprofit organization in Oklahoma comprised of dentists who offer free dental care to patients who are elderly, developmentally disabled, veterans, or special-needs persons (i.e., patients with cancer and/or awaiting transplants). You must be uninsured and have a low income to qualify. Although D-DENT is limited to Oklahomans, your state may have a similar program of free dental clinics.

Online Directories: Websites such as Tooth Wisdom, Dental Lifeline Network, America’s Dentists Care Foundation, and 211.org, list places offering reduced or free dental care throughout the country. You can find links on these websites to free dental care from dental schools, health departments, federally qualified health centers, dental hygiene programs, and dental clinics.

The price of dental care can be high, but the cost of neglecting your teeth can be a lifetime of disease, disfigurement, and disability. The right credit card can provide dental financing at a reduced cost. By stretching out your payments over several months at a 0% APR, the right credit card can make the difference between good and poor oral health.