How does OrthoFi work?

A plain-English walkthrough of how the OrthoFi orthodontic financing platform works, from the first consultation at your orthodontist through managing your monthly payments in the patient portal.

OrthoFi is a platform, not a direct lender

Before anything else, it helps to understand what the platform actually is. OrthoFi is a software-and-services platform that orthodontic practices buy to run their payment plans, insurance verification, and patient collections. Patients do not sign up with OrthoFi directly; you only encounter OrthoFi because your orthodontist chose to offer it.

Think of it like your dentist using a particular practice management system. You experience the platform only through the office that treats you, and the specific terms you get — interest rate, down payment range, monthly amount — are set partly by the company's software defaults and partly by the practice's own policies.

The three OrthoFi products

After the OrthoBanc acquisition in 2020, the platform has three main products that your orthodontist might use:

• OrthoFi is the flagship platform. It covers patient acquisition, intake forms, insurance verification, the Open Choice payment slider, in-house financing administration, and the OrthoFi patient portal.
• AcceptCare is the dedicated patient financing product. It sends one application to several lenders, who each make their own credit decisions, and adds a practice-funded plan as a fallback.
• OrthoBanc is the longer-running patient payment management product. It handles autopay, invoicing, and collections for practices that primarily want outsourced billing.

Step by step: your experience as a patient

1. Consultation and treatment plan

You visit the orthodontist for a consultation. The clinical team examines your teeth, takes X-rays or scans, and builds a treatment plan. The financial coordinator comes in to review the cost and present payment options.

2. The Open Choice payment slider

If the practice uses the platform or AcceptCare, the coordinator opens the Open Choice slider on a tablet. The slider shows two main variables you can control: down payment and monthly amount. As you move one, the other updates automatically. The practice sets the acceptable range for each.

This is the company's signature feature. Instead of being handed a single take-it-or-leave-it quote, you can dial in a plan that fits your budget — higher down payment to reduce the monthly, or lower down payment with a longer term and higher monthly amount.

3. Soft credit pre-qualification (if needed)

If you want to use third-party financing through AcceptCare, the system runs a soft credit inquiry. This does not affect your credit score. Pre-qualified offers from the lender network then appear with the APR, loan amount, and monthly payment for each option.

4. In-house or third-party decision

You pick in-house financing (the practice carries the loan) or a third-party lender offer. AcceptCare lists in-office plans of 6 to 72 months and lender terms of up to 60 months; which one costs less depends on the APR each carries.

5. Sign the service contract and pay down payment

You sign the service contract digitally through the platform, pay the down payment, and the practice schedules your appliance appointment. Autopay is set up during this step — OrthoFi charges your card or bank account automatically every month on the agreed date.

6. Managing your plan through the patient portal

Throughout your treatment you have access to the OrthoFi patient portal at www.orthofi.com. From there you can make a one-time payment, change your payment method, update autopay, change the monthly invoice due date, view past and upcoming invoices, and download your service contract and receipts.

How practices use OrthoFi behind the scenes

Your orthodontist uses OrthoFi for more than just the slider. The platform handles insurance eligibility verification, claims submission to carriers, EOB processing, patient A/R management, and depositing patient payments to the practice. OrthoFi also runs collection outreach when payments fail or accounts become delinquent.

For the practice, this means fewer administrative staff hours on billing. For you, it means your billing questions are often routed through the company's support team at [email protected] or 877-766-5220 rather than the office directly, depending on the type of issue.

If OrthoFi is not available to you

OrthoFi says it has partnered with 700+ orthodontic practices, still a minority of U.S. offices. If your orthodontist does not offer it, your financing options include CareCredit, Cherry, PatientFi, Sunbit, or an unsecured personal loan from an online lender. Each has different approval criteria and APR ranges. Our orthodontic financing alternatives guide walks through all of them.

Frequently asked questions