Loans For Private Dental Treatment Surging In Popularity

Mon, 06 Jul 2009

More and more Britons are taking out personal loans to cover the cost of private dental treatment, according to Sainsbury's Finance .

The loans provider said that some 2,450 loans have been taken out by its customers solely for dental treatment since the beginning of 2007.

In addition, a further 4,450 loans have been used to fund or partially fund dental surgery in the UK over the last two and a half years.

Steven Baillie, head of loans at Sainsbury's Finance, commented: "Some dental treatments can cost a lot more than many people have in readily available funds, which is why loans have for some time been a popular way to finance treatments and spread the cost."

Sainsbury’s estimated that in 2007, loans worth £3.3 million were taken out to fund dental treatment, rising to £9.4 million in 2008, while £3.2 million worth of loans were used for dental care purposes during the first quarter of this year alone.

The company also found that the average size of a personal loan used entirely for dental treatment is £6,492, which is roughly equal to the cost of two dental crowns, two dental implants and teeth whitening treatment .