The money side of dentistry, from D1 to owner.
Straight money math for dentists.
From your first loan to your first practice, written by Ryan Smith, DDS, a dentist who owns and runs practices. We’ll tell you when refinancing saves you money, and when it costs you.
What changed on July 1, 2026
- Federal loans for a new DDS/DMD student, per year
- $50,000was: up to cost of attendance
- Federal total for dental school
- $200,000Grad PLUS closed to new borrowers
- Average federal borrowing per dental student, 2024–25
- $95,455per year · ADA HPI
- Graduate Direct loan rate, 2026–27
- 8.07%fixed · plus 1.057% fee
- New repayment plan
- RAPSAVE is over · forgiveness is taxable again
As of Sep 26, 2026
From D1 to owner
Four money moments, one number each
- D1–D4Paying for school$58ka year the new $50k federal cap doesn’t cover, at the median school
- ResidencyPicking a plan$325/moRAP payment on a $65,000 stipend, with the unpaid interest waived
- AssociateRefinance or not$2,018/mointerest on $300,000 at 8.07%: the number refinancing is trying to shrink
- OwnerBuying a practice10% downthe SBA minimum on a practice acquisition loan, from Oct 1, 2026
Rules as of Sep 26, 2026. Median school cost from our study of 67 dental schools.
Start where you are
Every money moment, in order
- 5 guidesPaying for dental schoolFederal caps after Grad PLUS, private in-school loans, scholarships.
- 7 guidesYour loans after graduationRAP, IBR, PSLF, consolidation and the forgiveness tax.
- 13 guidesRefinancingWhen it saves you money, when it costs you, and which lenders.
- 3 guidesLoan repayment programsNHSC, IHS, military and state programs that pay down your loans.
- 9 guidesYour first jobAssociate pay math, a first budget, disability and term life insurance.
- 7 guidesOwning a practiceEntity setup, payroll, bookkeeping and practice loans.
- 4 guidesEveryday moneyCredit cards, banking, building credit and budgeting.
- CalculatorRefinance or forgiveness?Total cost of RAP, PSLF and refinancing, side by side, with a verdict.
- CalculatorYour funding gapWhat federal loans cover under the new caps, and what you’d need to borrow privately.
- CalculatorYour RAP paymentYour monthly payment under the Repayment Assistance Plan, and the interest it waives.
- CalculatorPrograms in your stateEvery state program a dentist can apply to, with awards, commitments and deadlines.
- CalculatorWhat an offer paysProduction vs collections, lab fee splits, guarantees and draws, in one yearly number.
Why trust a site that earns from lenders?
We tell you when not to refinance.
Refinancing turns federal loans into a private loan. That ends PSLF, RAP and federal forgiveness for those loans, for good. For a dentist at an FQHC, or one with a large balance and a modest income, that can cost six figures.
A lender can’t tell you that. We can, because our rankings never follow payouts and every calculator shows its math. When refinancing wins, you’ll see by how much.
Start here
The first page to read in each hub
- Paying for schoolHow to pay for dental school after Grad PLUSFederal loans now stop at $50,000 a year for new dental students. Here's the size of the gap and the order to fill it: aid, federal, then private.
- After graduationThe Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), explained for dentistsHow RAP payments are figured, what they look like at resident and associate incomes on $300,000 of dental school debt, and when another path wins.
- RefinancingRefinance vs PSLF vs RAP: a dentist's comparisonThree worked cases with dentist numbers: an FQHC dentist on PSLF, a $180,000 associate, and a resident. Payments, totals and the forgiveness tax.
- Repayment programsNHSC loan repayment for dentistsHow NHSC loan repayment works for dentists: award amounts, service terms, HPSA scores, taxes, Students to Service, and the Dec 31, 2026 funding cliff.
- First jobOwn-occupation disability insurance for new dentistsWhat own-occupation disability insurance means for dentists, which riders matter, how much coverage to buy, and why to shop through an independent broker.
- Owning a practiceBuying a dental practice with student loansHow practice lenders view dental school debt, what SBA 7(a) requires, and how RAP, PSLF and refinancing change when you buy. Worked cash-flow example.
- Everyday moneyBuild your credit before you refinanceWhat refinance lenders check, how to pull your credit reports free, fix errors, cut utilization, and time applications so rate shopping barely dents your score.