Summary
This article addresses the significant challenge of low case acceptance rates in dental practices, primarily attributing the issue to financial barriers and the shortcomings of traditional patient financing, which often denies up to 50% of applicants. It introduces Sunbit as a modern, technology-driven patient financing solution that dramatically changes this dynamic. Sunbit boasts an 87% approval rate, instant 30-second decisions via a soft credit check and transparent, flexible payment plans. By offering this patient-centric financing, dental practices can transform treatment costs into manageable monthly payments, leading to substantial increases in case acceptance (with some practices reporting up to 90%), better patient relationships, improved clinical outcomes and predictable revenue growth. The article concludes by emphasizing that the effectiveness of the financing tool, not just its availability, is the key to unlocking practice growth.
Key Points
- Financial Barriers are the #1 Obstacle: The primary reason patients decline necessary dental treatment is the cost, often despite having insurance.
- Traditional Financing Fails: Conventional financing options deny up to 50% of applicants, leading to low utilization by staff and sustained low case acceptance rates.
- Sunbit Offers Transformational Approval Rates: Sunbit approves 87% of patients who apply, fundamentally solving the high-denial problem and empowering practices to confidently offer financing to almost every patient.
- Speed and Transparency Matter: The Sunbit application is fast (30 seconds) and only uses a soft credit check, while its transparent terms and lack of hidden fees build patient trust.
- Proactive Presentation Drives Growth: Practices maximize case acceptance by presenting treatment costs as accessible monthly payments (“$97 per month”) and offering financing early and consistently to all patients.
The gap between diagnosed treatment and accepted treatment represents one of the most significant missed opportunities in modern dentistry. While you’re diagnosing conditions and presenting comprehensive treatment plans, a substantial portion of your patients are walking out the door without scheduling the care they need. The culprit? Financial barriers that traditional financing solutions have failed to adequately address.
Understanding the Case Acceptance Challenge
Your practice likely faces a familiar scenario: You complete a thorough examination, present a treatment plan and watch as patients hesitate or decline despite knowing they need the care.
And you are not alone. Only a few top-performing practices achieve high case acceptance rates, revealing significant room for improvement across the industry.
Why Patients Say No: The Financial Barrier
Before exploring solutions, it’s essential to understand why patients decline treatment. While factors like fear, time constraints and trust play roles, one barrier towers above all others: people don’t seek dental treatment because of the cost.
- 92% of Americans reported that they might hold off on dental care due to cost
- Even insured patients face financial barriers, with dental care expenses presenting higher financial obstacles than any other type of health care service
When patients decline treatment due to cost, they’re not just postponing care, they’re often setting the stage for more complex, expensive problems down the road. This creates a lose-lose situation: patients experience worsening oral health and your practice loses both immediate revenue and the opportunity to provide preventive care.
The Traditional Financing Gap
Many practices already offer patient financing options, yet case acceptance rates remain stubbornly low. Why? Traditional financing solutions have inherent limitations that undermine their effectiveness.
As many as 50 percent of patients who apply for financing for out-of-pocket healthcare expenses are denied. When half of your patients can’t secure financing, your team stops offering it proactively. This creates a vicious cycle: low approval rates lead to less frequent financing presentations, which in turn depresses case acceptance.
Additionally, traditional financing often involves:
- Lengthy application processes that disrupt the patient experience
- Hard credit checks that patients resist
- Confusing terms and hidden fees that erode trust
- Limited approval for patients with less-than-perfect credit
- Waiting periods that delay treatment starts
How Sunbit Changes the Equation
Sunbit approves 87% of patients who apply, with no hard credit check required.
This isn’t a modest improvement over traditional options, it’s transformational. By approving more than twice as many patients as conventional financing, Sunbit fundamentally changes the case acceptance conversation in your practice.
The Technology Advantage
Sunbit’s approval process takes around 30 seconds, with immediate approval decisions. This speed matters tremendously. Patients can complete the application on their phone or at your front desk without disrupting the treatment planning conversation or requiring a separate financial discussion.
Sunbit uses machine learning technology that gathers the same information other finance companies use but interprets the data differently and faster. This technological approach enables the platform to approve a broader spectrum of patients while maintaining appropriate lending standards.
The application process involves:
- A soft credit check that doesn’t impact credit scores
- Instant approval decisions, often in 30 seconds or less
- Flexible payment plans from 6-72 months depending on creditworthiness and other factors
- No late fees, origination fees, or penalty fees
- Transparent terms that patients can understand immediately
- Interest-free options for every approved patient
Patient-Centric Design
Transparency builds trust. Sunbit’s approach prioritizes clear communication about costs and terms, eliminating the confusion and suspicion that often surrounds healthcare financing.
Patients benefit from:
- Seeing their payment options instantly
- Understanding exactly what they’ll pay each month
- No hidden fees or surprises
- The ability to begin treatment immediately without waiting periods
- Fair interest rates based on their creditworthiness
The company even refers to its customer support center as “Collections With Kindness”, reflecting a patient-first philosophy that extends beyond the initial approval.
Real-World Results from Dental Practices
The proof of any solution lies in its real-world performance. Dental practices using Sunbit report significant improvements across multiple metrics.
One practice reported experiencing “5X more production with Sunbit than with other BNPL providers”, while another saw a 90% approval rate and nearly 70% conversion.
Areo Dental Group provided concrete numbers: Using Sunbit’s financing services over one year, they treated 551 more patients, had an 88% patient approval rate and generated over $775,000 in additional revenue.
Independence Dental Services‘ Chief Operating Officer noted: “I have nearly 20 years of experience in retail healthcare & dental and Sunbit is the most technologically advanced solution, helping so many people”.
Riccobene Associates, operating 50 locations, reported that 90% of their patients who applied were approved, allowing thousands of patients to receive dental care they needed, many of whom likely would not have been able to otherwise.
These aren’t isolated success stories, Sunbit is used by thousands of dental practices and in more than 550 DSOs, with more than 500 new offices being added each month.
Implementation and Support
Adopting new technology can seem daunting, but Sunbit has designed its onboarding process with busy dental practices in mind.
When you partner with Sunbit, you receive dedicated training and support for your entire team, making them confident in presenting financing options to patients.
Your practice receives:
- In-person or virtual training for your team
- Certification for employees through hands-on training sessions
- Marketing materials including signage and digital assets
- Access to a learning management system for refresher training
- Real-time reporting through a partner portal
- Ongoing support and one-on-one coaching
Through the Sunbit Business Dashboard, you can see incremental revenue you’re earning from Sunbit anytime you’d like, with in-depth reporting at the associate-level, store-level and group-level for multiple locations.
Best Practices for Maximizing Case Acceptance with Financing
Having Sunbit available is just the first step. To maximize its impact on your case acceptance rates, consider these strategies:
Present to Every Patient
Use third-party financing and present treatment as monthly payments, not lump sums. With Sunbit’s 87% approval rate, that means 9 out of every 10 patients are approved so you can confidently offer financing to virtually every patient without concern about embarrassing rejections.
Train your team to mention payment options early in the treatment planning conversation. For example: “We offer flexible financing options that most patients qualify for, so cost shouldn’t prevent you from getting the care you need.”
Lead with Monthly Payments
Instead of presenting a $3,500 implant, frame it as “about $97 per month.” This psychological shift makes treatment feel more accessible and helps patients visualize how they’ll manage the investment.
Address Financing Proactively
Don’t wait for patients to ask about cost or financing. Build it into your treatment presentation naturally. This demonstrates that you understand and care about their financial concerns.
Empower Your Treatment Coordinator
Designate a team member to present treatment, review finances and answer questions in a private, unrushed setting. This person should be thoroughly trained on Sunbit’s application process and comfortable guiding patients through their options.
Follow Up Consistently
Patients who say “I need to think about it” often need a gentle nudge. Implement a systematic follow-up process for patients who don’t immediately accept treatment. Remind them that flexible payment plans are available and the application takes less than a minute.
The Broader Impact on Your Practice
Improving case acceptance through better financing doesn’t just increase revenue—it transforms your practice in multiple ways.
Enhanced Patient Relationships: When you help patients overcome financial barriers to care, you strengthen trust and loyalty. Patients remember practices that helped them get the treatment they needed when cost seemed prohibitive.
Better Clinical Outcomes: Patients who receive timely treatment experience better oral health outcomes. This reflects positively on your practice and generates positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Improved Team Morale: Your team entered dentistry to help people. When financial barriers prevent treatment, it’s demoralizing. Offering effective financing allows your team to see more patients say yes to care.
Predictable Revenue Growth: Higher case acceptance creates more predictable production schedules and revenue streams. This financial stability enables better practice planning and investment.
Competitive Advantage: In an increasingly competitive dental market, practices that make care accessible through effective financing stand out. Patients actively seek providers who offer payment flexibility.
Taking the Next Step
The gap between your current case acceptance rate and a significantly higher one represents tangible opportunity. Every percentage point improvement translates directly to increased production, better patient care and practice growth.
Sunbit offers a proven path forward with technology that solves the fundamental financing approval problem that has plagued dental practices for decades. With 87% approval rates, 30-second applications and transparent terms, it addresses the primary barrier keeping patients from accepting necessary treatment.
The question isn’t whether financing impacts case acceptance—the data clearly shows it does. The question is whether you’re using a financing solution that actually works for the majority of your patients.
Over 14,000 dental locations have already made the switch. They’re treating more patients, generating substantial incremental revenue and building practices around accessibility rather than exclusion.
Ready to transform your case acceptance rates and help more patients access the care they need? Become a Sunbit Partner.