The best business loan broker for dental practices (2026)

Name: Bay Street Lending
Address: 11 Broadway, Suite 1131, New York, NY, 10004, US
Price range: $25K-$10M

Full disclosure: we are Bay Street Lending, a broker, so we're biased. We say plainly below when a dental-specialty bank lender, an SBA loan or another broker is the better choice for your practice.

Updated October 2026 · Competitor facts checked October 2026

TL;DR

Buying a practice or building out a new office? A dental-specialty bank lender or an SBA preferred lender is usually better than anything a broker places for working capital. Long terms keep the payment low. Start there.
Bay Street Lending fits an established practice (6+ months open, $25K+ a month in deposits) that needs $25K to $2.5M for payroll, a slow claims month, a new associate or equipment, and wants every option priced side by side in writing.
Lendio or Clarify Capital is better for a brand-new practice or a request under $25,000. National Business Capital is better for a larger multi-office group that wants one firm able to fund from its own balance sheet.
What we can point to: in July 2026 we arranged a $1.75M working-capital facility for a dental implant center, eight days from first inquiry to wire, and the same practice renewed for $1.2M in September. We have 45 Google reviews at 5.0.

Dental practice financing options at a glance

Option	Best for	Typical size	When it beats us
Bay Street Lending	Established practices: working capital, a credit line, equipment	$25K–$2.5M working capital; equipment to $5M	This is us
Dental-specialty bank or SBA preferred lender	Practice purchase, partner buyout, new office	Six and seven figures over long terms	Any purchase or buildout that can wait 60–90 days
National Business Capital	Multi-office groups and larger requests	$250K–$15M	Bigger needs, or capital behind an existing bank loan
Clarify Capital	Smaller practices that want an advisor	$5K–$5M	Revenue of $10K–$25K a month, or a home-equity line
Lendio	New practices and very small requests	From $1K; startup loans to $150K	Practices under 6 months old; buying the building
Equipment maker's or supplier's finance program	One chair, scanner or CBCT unit	The cost of the unit	When a promotional rate beats the cash discount you give up

What lenders look at in a dental practice

Read this first. It decides which option on this list you qualify for.

Revenue they count: Collections in your operating account, not scheduled production
Payer mix: PPO, fee-for-service, Medicaid and patient-financing share
Existing debt: Any practice-acquisition loan and the lien that comes with it
Key person: The owner-dentist's credit and how much of production they personally do

Underwriters read your bank deposits, not your production report. A practice that produces $150,000 a month but collects $110,000 after write-offs and slow claims is a $110,000-a-month practice to a lender. Insurance money arrives later than the work: in an ADA Health Policy Institute poll, more than half of dentists named insurance issues, including denied or delayed payments, among their top concerns. A month with heavy crown and implant work can look weak in the bank before it looks strong, so bring an A/R aging report that shows the claims in flight.

Payer mix matters next. Lenders want to see how much of your collections come from PPO plans, fee-for-service patients, Medicaid and patient financing, because a practice that leans on one payer moves with that payer. They also notice the dental calendar. The ADA notes that most dental plans run on the calendar year and unused benefits generally do not roll over, which pulls treatment toward December; ADA News reports patients putting off treatment until their annual maximum resets. If your deposits swing at the turn of the year, say so and show last year.

Finally, a practice bought with a loan may still carry it, and that lender may hold a lien on all practice assets. Any new funder will see the filing and size its offer around the existing payment. Read your acquisition loan agreement before you borrow more; it may require the original lender to agree.

Working capital for dental practices →

1. Bay Street Lending

This is us. Best for an established practice that needs working capital, a line or equipment and wants one advisor.

Best for: Practices 6+ months old with $25K+ a month in deposits
Products: Working capital $25K–$2.5M, line of credit $25K–$1M, equipment $25K–$5M, SBA 7(a)/504 $50K–$5M
Cost to you: No fee from us; the funder pays us if you fund
Reviews: 5.0 on Google from 45 reviews

Bay Street Lending is a broker founded by an investment banker and a partner who has spent his career in commercial finance. You apply once (a soft credit pull, about two minutes), one named advisor works your file, and it goes only to funders among our 100+ partners whose criteria it fits. We never sell your information to other lenders. Every option comes back priced side by side, with total cost, payment and term in writing, before you sign, and you are under no obligation to accept.

For dental practices the usual fits are working capital for a payroll or claims gap (500+ FICO, as fast as 6 hours), a line of credit you draw as claims lag (650+ FICO, 1+ year in business), and equipment financing for chairs, scanners and CBCT units. Our clearest dental example: a $1.75M working-capital facility for an implant center in July 2026, eight days from first inquiry to wire, renewed for $1.2M two months later.

Where we fall short: we do not serve practices under six months old or requests under $25,000, we have fewer public reviews than the bigger brokers and marketplaces (45 on Google, rated 5.0), and short-term working capital costs more than a bank or SBA loan. If your need is a practice purchase, we can arrange an SBA loan, but a dental-specialty bank lender may be the better first call.

Start an application →

2. A dental-specialty bank lender or an SBA preferred lender

The better choice for buying a practice, buying out a partner or building a new office.

Best for: Acquisitions, partner buyouts, de novo buildouts, buying your building
Speed: Weeks to months; SBA loans typically 60–90 days
Credit: SBA lenders typically want 680+ FICO and 2+ years
Trade-off: More paperwork and personal guarantees, much lower cost

Banks that lend to dental practices regularly can judge how a practice's collections hold up after a sale, and they lend over terms that short-term funders cannot match. Per the SBA, a 7(a) loan can run up to $5 million and can be used for changes of ownership, equipment, real estate and working capital. If you can wait and your file is strong, either one is better and cheaper than any working-capital product we place.

The catch is time and paperwork: tax returns, a business plan or valuation for an acquisition, and a closing process measured in weeks. Some owners use short-term capital to cover a gap while the long-term loan closes. That can work, but only if the long-term lender knows about it and the short-term payment fits your cash flow on its own.

SBA loans for dental practice acquisition →

3. National Business Capital

Better for larger dental groups that want a firm able to lend its own money.

Best for: Groups with $600K+ annual revenue and 1+ year in business
Amounts: Up to $15M; partner page positions deals at $250K–$15M
Model: Funds from its own balance sheet and also works a lender network
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.9 (2,773), BBB A+

National Business Capital now describes itself mainly as a direct lender: it says it can fund "up to $15M direct from our balance sheet" and still offers deals from its lender network. Its product list includes subordinated debt, which it describes as growth capital behind senior debt. For a multi-office group that already has a bank loan and needs a junior piece on top, that is a real advantage over us.

Its FAQ sets the bar higher than ours: one year in business and at least $600,000 in annual revenue. It says amounts up to $250,000 can come within a few hours and $1M to $15M typically takes 3 to 7 business days. If you run several offices and need more than our $2.5M working-capital ceiling, National Business Capital is the better place to start. A solo practice needing $50,000 is not its stated focus.

National Business Capital FAQ ↗

4. Clarify Capital

Better for smaller practices below our deposit minimum.

Best for: Practices with $10K–$25K a month in revenue; requests from $5K
Minimums: 500+ credit, 6+ months, $120K+ a year
Extra product: Home equity line of credit up to $750K
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.9 (873)

Clarify Capital is a broker, like us, with a dedicated advisor and a stated network of 75+ lenders. It says its soft inquiry sets your rate and a hard pull happens only if you accept an offer. Its floor is lower than ours: amounts from $5,000 and revenue from $10,000 a month. A young associate-turned-owner doing $15,000 a month in collections is a better fit there than with us.

It also lists a home equity line of credit up to $750,000, which we do not offer; some dentists who own their home prefer that rate to a business product. Its menu leans toward fast, credit-light products, so if you qualify for a term loan or SBA loan, confirm which product you are being offered before you sign.

5. Lendio

Better for a dentist opening a new practice or buying the building.

Best for: Startups, requests under $25K, commercial mortgages
Amounts: Line of credit from $1K; startup loans up to $150K; acquisition loans $5K–$5M
Cost to you: Free to apply; lenders pay Lendio
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.5 (21,906), BBB A+

Lendio is the largest marketplace on this list and claims $17B+ facilitated. It lists startup loans up to $150,000, business credit cards and commercial mortgages, none of which we place. A dentist opening a first office, or one buying the building the practice sits in, will find more options there.

The trade-off is how far your file travels. Lendio's privacy policy says it will share your information with lenders, banks and brokers, who may keep it even if you never take an offer. If that matters to you, ask before you apply.

Lendio products ↗

6. The equipment maker's or dental supplier's finance program

Sometimes better for a single piece of equipment.

Best for: One chair, intraoral scanner, CBCT or milling unit
Watch for: Promotional rates that replace a cash discount
Collateral: The equipment itself

When you are buying one specific unit, the seller often has a finance program at checkout, sometimes with a promotional rate. That can be the better deal. Ask what the cash price is first: a low rate that costs you a cash discount is not free. We can price an equipment lender against the seller's offer so you see both totals.

Dental equipment financing →

Our pick

Buying a practice or building a new office: a dental-specialty bank lender or an SBA preferred lender. We can arrange the SBA side, but that route is better than short-term capital for almost everyone.

Established practice that needs $25K to $2.5M now: Bay Street Lending, if you want one advisor and every option priced in writing. Larger groups should also talk to National Business Capital; new or smaller practices to Clarify Capital or Lendio.

What we'd do today

Name the use: payroll during a slow claims month, a new associate, equipment, or a purchase. The use decides the product.
Pull 4–6 months of operating-account statements and a current insurance A/R aging report.
Find your existing practice loan agreement and check whether it limits new debt or liens.
Ask every broker or lender who will see your file before you apply.
Compare offers on total payback and payment against a normal month of collections, not on the rate alone.

Questions

Can a dental practice get working capital while waiting on insurance claims?

Yes. Working-capital funders read your deposits, and a practice with steady collections and 6+ months of history can qualify even while claims are outstanding. An A/R aging report helps show the money that is on its way.

Is an SBA loan better than working capital for buying a dental practice?

Usually, yes. An SBA 7(a) loan or a dental-specialty bank loan spreads the purchase over many years at a lower cost. Working capital is short-term and better suited to a gap of months, not a purchase.

Does Bay Street Lending finance startup dental practices?

No. We work with practices open at least six months. Lendio lists startup loans up to $150,000 and is the better place for a new office.

Will a new loan conflict with my practice acquisition loan?

It can. An acquisition loan may include a lien on all practice assets and terms about new debt. Read your agreement and ask your lender before taking on more. A funder or broker cannot answer that for you.

How fast can a dental practice be funded?

Working capital through Bay Street Lending can fund as fast as 6 hours once approved. Our dental implant example took eight days from first inquiry to wire. SBA loans typically take 60 to 90 days.

See what Bay Street Lending can do for you

One application, one named advisor, and every option priced side by side. Your file goes only to funders that fit, we never sell your information to other lenders, and there is no obligation to accept.

Start your application

Sources

We checked every competitor fact on this page in October 2026. Terms change; confirm on the provider's site before you apply. Bay Street Lending is a broker, not a lender.