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Has anyone shopped around for orthodontics?


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Specifically braces. My daughter will need them next year, and my husband is just sure that he can find a better price than what we were quoted yesterday ($4600 to $4800). Only one place he called would give him an idea and they were pretty much the same. The others require her to come in. I hate to go traipsing from office to office putting my daughter through that over and over. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

beth

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We did that a few years ago. For my oldest all three quotes came within $100. For my youngest there was an $800 difference for the exact same procedure. Yikes!

 

The other benefit of getting multiple quotes is that you will be exposed to mulitple treatment methods. My oldest needed additional work and two of the ortho agreed on same procedure. The third, who came highly recommended, suggested something that didn't sound right to me. We ended up going to a different ortho, and I am glad we got three quotes to put my mind at ease.

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It is such a financial committment that you really want to meet them in person. We did this last summer so it didn't interfere with schooling, and there were definitely some surprises along the way. The office that had the cheapest quote seemed "shady" to me, and the staff wasn't at all welcoming. We went with a mid-range quote that was more detailed than the others and the office that we liked the best.

 

I wish that there was another way of doing it, but I'm glad we shopped around.

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I wouldn't trust an estimate from someone without a consultation. We started with the list of the ones that take our insurance. We asked for recommendations from out ped. dentist and friends. We cross-referenced those lists, then we made appointments. We just plain didn't like one guy. We didn't like the price of another. We didn't like the treatment plan of another. One office wasn't very open or friendly. We're very happy with who we chose. It isn't just the money; it is time, effort, pain, treatment plans, and trust.

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Agree with the others! Definitely go in and visit. You not only want to agree on a treatment plan, but you also have to like the doctor and staff. You will be seeing them a LOT! We went to a few doctors before deciding on the ortho we chose. He wasn't the cheapest, but he was the one with the best treatment plan (he wasn't going to pull any teeth).

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We only have 2 orthos in our town, and I took dd to both. Evaluations are usually free, so it shouldn't cost you anything for them to see you for the first visit. I couldn't stand the personality of one of them, so I'm really glad I went to both. I see now that visits are not that often, so it could pay you to shop around in nearby towns, too.

 

Dd had her braces on over 2 years ago and the cost was $5200, so I think that sounds like a good price. Dd has full braces to try and correct a bite issue that they've been working on since she was 8.

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We went to several before choosing. The prices were different, the plans were different, the orthodontist and staff personalities were very different.

 

My dds weren't put out by multiple consultations. I think it is worth finding a doctor you feel is a good fit.

 

:iagree:

 

You might try doing a forum search on orthodontics -- we've discussed this several times. It's amazing how much variety of treatment is out there. And it really depends on what exactly is going on in her mouth.

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We did that a few years ago. For my oldest all three quotes came within $100. For my youngest there was an $800 difference for the exact same procedure. Yikes!

 

The other benefit of getting multiple quotes is that you will be exposed to mulitple treatment methods. My oldest needed additional work and two of the ortho agreed on same procedure. The third, who came highly recommended, suggested something that didn't sound right to me. We ended up going to a different ortho, and I am glad we got three quotes to put my mind at ease.

 

:iagree:

 

Traipse away. But start with your friends list. Call everyone you know whose children have braces and get recommendations. Call a dozen or more people. Be sure to ask why they chose/like that ortho. Then go visit the top 3.

 

 

 

IMO, the best

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I am very comfortable with the orthodontist and staff at the office where she had her consult and my husband is, too. She had a consult a few years ago, and I was not comfortable there, so I know I wouldn't return there. I am also very comfortable with his plan of care. He doesn't recommend pulling teeth; doesn't foresee any complications; says it all seems pretty straightforward. She has an overbite and crooked teeth. With my husband, I'm sure it all comes down to money.

 

Beth

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Yes, we shopped around and found a very good option.

 

We were also looking in the 4K+ range. We went to the Jacksonville University Orthodontic school (all work by experienced dentists who were nearly graduation for Orthdontic) they quoted around 2500. My dental insurance covered 40% and I signed up for a Flexible Spending Account during fall benefit enrollment and had the remainder of the cost taken out pre-tax.

 

You can try any combination of these. Look for a University plan. Purchase or sign up for Insurance (depends on pre-existing clauses I'm sure). Offset with an FSA.

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You need to ask other area parents with kids either in braces or who had them for recommendations - then make appointments to take your kidlet in for a free evaluation. The ortho. can not really give a realistic estimate without seeing the kid's teeth and jaw. If you are lucky, three orthos will give three very similar estimates as to time/cost, so you can pick which ever one is closest to you. If you are unlucky, you will get three wildly different estimates and not know which one to trust - in this case, recommendations of other satisfied parents can be a good guide!

 

Been there, done that. :D (post-braces smiley)

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Rely on referrals, we went to three (all referred). Two were $5500 exactly for two completely different issues (two children)...the one we went ith was $2700 and he said my son did not need braces...he is in his 40th year of practice, he is busier than the other two practices...has no overhead bc his office was paid for decades ago, e other two were younger...I had a mom tell me she had all 7 of her children's teeth done there...love him!

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I'd definitely want to check around. The orthodontist our dentist "highly recommended" just didn't inspire a lot of confidence. He rubbed us the wrong way and his staff was rather cold. We checked out another orthodontist just for a reality check and his price was significantly less and he had a welcoming, friendly staff. Our insurance didn't cover orthodontia at all, so it was a big investment for us, and we wanted to go some place we felt more comfortable - and being less expensive as well was a big bonus!

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Did those of you who shopped around have to get X-rays at all the different places too? I assumed that the different docs wouldn't be able to give a good estimate without X-rays so I haven't shopped around yet, given that I'm reluctant for her to have several X-rays (thyroid cancer in the family).

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Did those of you who shopped around have to get X-rays at all the different places too? I assumed that the different docs wouldn't be able to give a good estimate without X-rays so I haven't shopped around yet, given that I'm reluctant for her to have several X-rays (thyroid cancer in the family).

 

Our dentist gave us xrays to show the different orthos.

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:iagree:

 

Traipse away. But start with your friends list. Call everyone you know whose children have braces and get recommendations. Call a dozen or more people. Be sure to ask why they chose/like that ortho. Then go visit the top 3.

 

 

 

IMO, the best

 

I did not wind up going for multiple consultations because I spoke with a number of friends whose children had braces and everyone was paying the same price I had been quoted at the original ortho I took my daughter to for a consultation. I liked this doctor and she is located very close to our house, so I just went with her. I did also have a few references from friends and my dentist for her. Normally, I would have shopped around, but it was pretty obvious that the prices in our area are pretty much "fixed".

 

Lisa

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Did those of you who shopped around have to get X-rays at all the different places too? I assumed that the different docs wouldn't be able to give a good estimate without X-rays so I haven't shopped around yet, given that I'm reluctant for her to have several X-rays (thyroid cancer in the family).

 

Only one of the three clinics did xrays and they were the most expensive. It wasn't the clinic we went with. Our chosen clinic did xrays during the diagnostic appointment later. You could always ask when you call to schedule the consultation and see if you could request that a quote be given without xrays (if they do them).

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We only have two options in town. We went with the one our dentist recommended the first time around. I found him to be an arrogant ... Second dd we went to both for consults. The first (see above) quoted around $5,000. The second was about $2,000. We went with the second. Now, I have paid to have the first braced child go to the second ortho for her follow ups. Much nicer man. Better run practice ( no waiting for hours while he takes his friends children ahead of your appointment). I would shop around a little. The first ortho did take his own xrays. The second just took xrays from our dentist. It is actually all they need.

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We compared and ended up saving a LOT of money! Another thing we did: we enrolled ds in American Dental Plan (as an individual). They supposedly offer discounts to dental specialists. I say supposedly because a lot of the orthodontists on their lists admitted that they only discounted their most expensive rate, making it similar to the rate they gave everyone who had no insurance. We did our consults before enrolling with ADP so that we made sure it would be worth it. In the end, we found a Dr. who gave everyone the same rate, so her discount for ADP was a real one. We save about $1500 or more! It was really worth the time and the orthodontist was excellent!

 

I am thinking that I'm going to edit this in a day or two, just because I don't want it coming up with a google for ADP, so let me know that you've seen it.

:-)

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