Finance for dental practices, shaped around how you get paid.

Chairs, delivery units, imaging, sterilisation, cabinetry and the fit-out are funded together under one facility, with suppliers and the builder paid as the surgery is built and the loan repaid over five to seven years. Registered dentists usually qualify for professional packages with no deposit and lighter documentation.

Yes. Practice acquisition finance funds the purchase of an existing practice or a buy-in against its billings and goodwill, often at up to 100 per cent of the price for registered dentists, with the equipment and premises financed alongside. Lenders look at the practice’s financials, patient base and the selling dentist’s transition.

Yes. Several lenders fund new dentists buying or setting up a practice with little trading history because the profession’s income is reliable, usually with a business plan, AHPRA registration and a clean personal credit file. Rates and terms improve further once the practice has a year of billings.

Yes. Imaging upgrades are financed as equipment over three to five years, with software and installation included when quoted with the unit, and the loan can be set up alongside existing chair finance. Many practices finance a scanner from the additional billings it generates.

Almost any clinical asset: ultrasound and imaging, dental chairs and CAD/CAM systems, surgical and sterilisation equipment, veterinary diagnostic and surgical gear, physiotherapy and rehabilitation machines, optometry and audiology instruments, cosmetic lasers, practice management software and IT, and the clinic fit-out itself. New equipment from suppliers is the simplest; refurbished equipment from recognised dealers is financed by many lenders too.

Several lenders offer structures built for practices: deferred first payments so the equipment starts earning before repayments begin, terms matched to the equipment’s clinical life, seasonal or stepped repayments for practices that are still building patient numbers, and pre-approved equipment limits for established practitioners. Medical, dental and veterinary professionals are treated as low-risk borrowers, so pricing and documentation are usually favourable.

Yes. Registered health practitioners are often eligible for low-doc or no-doc equipment finance up to practice limits, commonly $150,000 to $500,000 depending on the lender and profession, based on registration, time in practice and credit history rather than financials. Larger amounts and new practices provide recent financials or a business plan. Your broker knows which lenders run professional programs for each discipline.

Buy with a chattel mortgage when the equipment will serve the practice for years and you want to own and depreciate it, such as dental chairs or sterilisers. Lease when the technology moves quickly and you expect to upgrade, such as imaging, lasers or IT, because a lease with a residual makes the upgrade cycle simpler. Your accountant advises on the tax outcome for your practice entity, and your broker structures either option.

Yes. Lenders regularly fund new practices for registered practitioners with a track record as an employee or associate, because the profession itself gives them confidence. A business plan, the lease on the premises and evidence of qualifications are the main requirements, and the fit-out, equipment and working capital can be funded together as a package so the practice opens fully equipped.

Generally, yes. For a chattel mortgage the interest and the depreciation of the equipment are deductible, and GST on the purchase can usually be claimed on the next BAS. For a lease the rental payments are deductible and GST is claimed on each payment. Instant asset write-off rules may apply in some years. Confirm the treatment with your accountant, since practices are often run through companies or trusts with their own considerations.