Tabeo vs Chrysalis vs V12: UK Dental Finance Compared

Tabeo vs Chrysalis vs V12 is the practical question almost every UK implant patient lands on once the quote has been sat with for a week. The clinic offers one or two lenders, the headline is usually 0 percent APR, and the small print does the heavy lifting. This guide compares the three names you will actually see on a 2026 treatment plan, against the criteria that matter.

TL;DR

In 2026, dental finance comparison UK patients meet three names: Tabeo, Chrysalis and V12 Retail Finance. Tabeo leads on speed and 0 percent terms up to 12 to 24 months with a soft credit check at quote stage. Chrysalis covers longer interest-bearing plans up to 60 months for higher value implant work. V12 is the most common high-street brand and sits between the two on flexibility. All three are FCA regulated, all settle the clinic in full upfront, and acceptance hinges on credit score and affordability rather than the dental case.

Why dental finance exists in the first place

A single UK implant costs 2,000 to 3,500 GBP in 2026 and a full arch case lands between 9,000 and 25,000 GBP. Most UK patients do not have that sum sitting in a current account, and dental insurance rarely covers more than a fraction of it, as we set out in dental implant insurance UK 2026: what actually covers it. Clinic finance fills the gap. The lender pays the clinic in full once treatment starts, and you repay over 6 to 60 months.

All three providers covered here are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Consumer Credit Act. That gives you a 14 day cooling off period, written pre-contract information and a complaints route to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The contract is between you and the lender, not the clinic.

Tabeo: the digital-first 0 percent specialist

Tabeo is the lender most UK implant clinics added to their checkout between 2022 and 2026. It is built around fast soft credit checks on a phone, in-clinic or at home, and the pitch is a fully digital application that does not leave a hard footprint until you accept the loan.

What you actually get in 2026:

• 0 percent APR plans on 6, 9, 12 and 24 month terms, with interest-bearing options on 36 and 48 months.
• Loan values typically from 250 GBP to 25,000 GBP, which covers a single implant through to a moderate full arch case.
• Soft search at the quote stage, hard search only on acceptance.
• Deposit usually optional on smaller cases, often required at 10 to 20 percent on larger arch work.
• Direct settlement of the clinic on the day treatment begins, not when the plan is signed.

Tabeo suits patients who want a 12 or 24 month interest-free plan on a single or two implant case and want to confirm acceptance before they commit. On larger arch cases the 24 month cap on 0 percent terms leaves the monthly figure high, which is where Chrysalis takes over.

Chrysalis Finance: the longer-term implant lender

Chrysalis Finance is the lender that quietly powers most longer-term private healthcare and dental finance plans in the UK. It is the name patients are most likely to see on full arch and All on 4 plans where the headline 0 percent term will not stretch the monthly repayment to a comfortable figure.

What you actually get in 2026:

• Interest-bearing plans up to 60 months, with representative APR typically 9.9 to 14.9 percent depending on credit profile.
• Shorter 0 percent options on 10 or 12 months for smaller cases when the clinic subsidises the interest.
• Loan values typically 500 GBP to 50,000 GBP, which covers the upper range of arch work and combined treatment plans.
• Hard credit check at application, with a decision usually within 24 hours.
• Optional deposits, sometimes incentivised by the clinic to lower the monthly repayment.

Chrysalis suits the patient spreading a 15,000 to 25,000 GBP arch case over 4 or 5 years. The total cost of credit is the line to read carefully. On a 20,000 GBP plan at 12.9 percent representative APR over 60 months, the total payable can land 7,000 GBP above the cash price.

V12 Retail Finance: the high-street name

V12 Retail Finance, part of Secure Trust Bank, is the lender many patients recognise from non-dental retail purchases. It is widely used by dental groups that already integrate V12 across other clinical specialties.

What you actually get in 2026:

• 0 percent APR plans on 6, 9, 10 and 12 months, with interest-bearing terms typically up to 60 months at representative APR of 9.9 to 14.9 percent.
• Loan values from 250 GBP to 25,000 GBP on the standard product line, with higher limits available on case-by-case underwriting.
• Hard credit check at application, with a quick decision through the clinic system.
• Deposit usually 10 percent on interest-bearing plans, sometimes waived on 0 percent terms.
• Joint applications available, useful for couples funding combined treatment plans.

V12 suits patients with a strong credit profile who want a recognisable lender on the contract. Its sweet spot is the mid-range single or two implant case where 0 percent terms work without needing an extended period.

Side by side: the criteria that actually matter

The headline rates are similar across all three. The differences sit in the operational details that decide whether a plan suits your case.

• Maximum 0 percent term: Tabeo up to 24 months, V12 up to 12 months, Chrysalis up to 12 months when subsidised.
• Maximum interest-bearing term: Chrysalis and V12 up to 60 months, Tabeo up to 48 months.
• Credit check at quote: Tabeo soft, V12 hard, Chrysalis hard.
• Typical maximum loan value: Tabeo 25,000 GBP, V12 25,000 GBP, Chrysalis 50,000 GBP.
• Speed of decision: Tabeo minutes, V12 within the hour, Chrysalis within 24 hours.
• Clinic settlement: all three pay the clinic directly on treatment start, not at signing.
• Cooling off period: 14 days statutory across all three under FCA rules.

A practical sanity check is to ask the clinic which lender they have used for the closest comparable case in the last 12 months and what the acceptance rate has been.

What the FCA, GDC and BDA expect a clinic to disclose

The clinic is the credit broker in this arrangement, even if the money does not pass through its hands. The FCA rules on consumer credit require the clinic to display the representative APR, the total amount payable and the term of any finance offer it advertises, in the same prominence as the headline monthly figure.

The GDC Standards for the Dental Team require the clinician to give you a written treatment plan with itemised costs and to discuss the cost of the proposed treatment in a way you can understand. The British Dental Association backs that position in its patient finance guidance. If the clinic only quotes you a monthly figure without the cash price, the APR and the term, push back. That is the moment to walk out and read our guide on how to spot a dodgy dental implant quote in 30 seconds.

The FCA only regulates UK lending. If the lender is offshore, the protections above do not apply, which is one reason our piece on dental implants budget 5 cheapest routes UK treats overseas finance offers with caution.

Worked example on a 15,000 GBP All on 4 case

A 52 year old patient receives a 15,000 GBP All on 4 quote on one arch in 2026. They have a clean credit file, no outstanding personal loans, and 3,000 GBP in savings they are willing to put down. The clinic offers all three lenders.

• Tabeo 0 percent over 24 months on 12,000 GBP after a 3,000 GBP deposit. Monthly repayment 500 GBP, total payable 12,000 GBP, no interest.
• V12 representative 12.9 percent APR over 36 months on 12,000 GBP after a 3,000 GBP deposit. Monthly repayment about 404 GBP, total payable around 14,553 GBP, interest about 2,553 GBP.
• Chrysalis representative 12.9 percent APR over 60 months on 12,000 GBP after a 3,000 GBP deposit. Monthly repayment about 273 GBP, total payable around 16,365 GBP, interest about 4,365 GBP.

The patient with disposable income above 500 GBP a month picks Tabeo and pays nothing extra. The patient with tighter monthly cash flow picks Chrysalis and pays a meaningful interest premium in exchange for a manageable monthly figure. V12 sits between the two. For the full price stack on an arch case, see full cost of All on 4 in the UK broken down and the underlying market context in dental implants cost UK 2026 real numbers.

When dental finance is the wrong answer

Finance is a tool, not a default. There are three patterns where signing the plan is the wrong call.

• The credit score is already strained. A hard search and a new monthly commitment can tip an affordability check on a mortgage application or a car finance plan in the same year.
• The case has not been independently planned. Signing a 5 year finance contract for a treatment plan that has not been pressure tested against an alternative quote is rarely a calm decision. Our how to compare two dental implant quotes like a pro walks through the line items you need before you commit.
• The quote inflates the cash price to support a 0 percent headline. A small minority of UK clinics quietly load the cash price to subsidise the lender fee for 0 percent terms. If the same procedure is quoted lower at a comparable clinic that asks for cash, the finance is not actually free.

For employees, a quick check on dental implants tax relief UK 2026: what you can claim is worth doing before the contract is signed, since salary sacrifice or employer healthcare contributions sometimes change the maths.

Acceptance rates, deposits and joint applications

Clinic-published acceptance rates sit in the 70 to 85 percent range across all three lenders for routine implant cases on a clean credit file. A few practical levers:

• A larger deposit (20 to 30 percent) raises the acceptance rate and lowers the monthly repayment.
• A joint application, accepted by Chrysalis and V12 and case by case by Tabeo, brings a second income into affordability.
• A staged plan with finance only on the surgical phase keeps the loan value down.

If acceptance is declined, the lender writes within 14 days with the reason and you have the right to ask for an explanation. The clinic will usually offer a second lender as a fallback.

What to read on your contract before you sign

Before signing the credit agreement, read these four lines on the pre-contract information:

1. The cash price of the dental treatment in full.
2. The deposit, the loan amount, the term and the monthly repayment.
3. The representative APR, the total interest payable and the total amount payable.
4. The fees for early settlement, late payment and missed instalments.

A 0 percent plan that is settled early carries no penalty in most cases. An interest-bearing plan settled early under the Consumer Credit Act rebates the remaining interest, but some lenders charge an early settlement fee of up to 58 days of interest. Ask the question before you sign and get the answer in writing.

For a wider view across the full lender landscape, our piece on private dental implant finance and 0 percent APR plans compared compares Tabeo, Chrysalis and V12 alongside smaller specialist providers.

FAQ

Is Tabeo, Chrysalis or V12 the cheapest for a single UK dental implant? On a single implant under 3,500 GBP, Tabeo is usually the cheapest because it offers 0 percent APR up to 24 months and the loan value sits well inside its 25,000 GBP cap. V12 is similar on shorter 0 percent terms, and Chrysalis tends to be priced for longer interest-bearing plans where its strength on monthly affordability shows.

Are Tabeo, Chrysalis and V12 all FCA regulated? Yes. All three are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Consumer Credit Act. That gives you a 14 day cooling off period, written pre-contract information and a route to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the lender does not resolve a complaint within 8 weeks.

Will applying for dental finance affect my credit score? Tabeo runs a soft search at quote stage, which does not leave a footprint visible to other lenders. V12 and Chrysalis run a hard search at the start of the application, which is visible for around 12 months. A single hard search usually has a small effect, but multiple hard searches in a short period can lower your score.

Can I get 0 percent APR on a full arch dental implant case? Sometimes, but rarely for the full amount. Tabeo offers 0 percent up to 24 months on loan values up to 25,000 GBP, and clinics sometimes split a 25,000 GBP arch case into a 0 percent tranche and an interest-bearing tranche. On most arch cases the maths only works with an interest-bearing plan over 36 to 60 months, typically through Chrysalis.

What happens if I cannot keep up with the monthly repayments? Contact the lender immediately. All three providers have hardship processes including payment holidays, term extensions and interest freezes under FCA rules. Missed payments are reported to credit reference agencies and can lead to default markers and recovery action, which is far harder to undo than a temporary adjustment agreed early.

Can I settle a dental finance plan early? Yes, under the Consumer Credit Act. A 0 percent plan settled early usually carries no fee. An interest-bearing plan settled early rebates the unaccrued interest, although some lenders charge up to 58 days of interest as an early settlement fee. Ask the lender for a settlement figure in writing before paying.

Does dental insurance reduce the amount I need to finance? Sometimes. A mid-tier policy can reimburse 500 to 1,500 GBP, which lowers the loan value. The reimbursement usually lands 4 to 6 weeks after the claim, so the finance plan still needs to cover the upfront cost. See why dental implant quotes vary across UK clinics for the wider context.

Bottom line

Tabeo, Chrysalis and V12 are the three names you will see on most UK implant treatment plans in 2026, and the right choice depends on the size of the case and the shape of your monthly cash flow. Tabeo wins on speed and 0 percent terms for single and two implant cases. Chrysalis wins on long-term affordability for arch work. V12 sits in the middle with a recognisable high-street name. Read the cash price, the APR, the term and the total payable before you sign anything, and treat the monthly figure as the last number you look at, not the first.