So, our recent ortho consult got me wondering about the cost of orthodontics.

[AppleGreen]

I said in another thread I had a bit of sticker shock when I got the total cost of orthodontics at a recent consultation. It got me wondering what the typical cost was for orthodontics. I realize every situation is unique and some cases require more intensive correction. We are looking at what the doctor deemed a routine case (obviously, unique to my particular children, but nothing earth shattering) and the quote we received per kid was eye opening. 

 

I will try to make this anonymous. It's my first poll and the first one already got screwed up, so hopefully I can make this work! 

[AK_Mom4]

Both kids ran between $4-5K each.  But we got a 30% discount for paying cash up front  :thumbup:

 

The cost was related to what was being done.  Fixing the kids teeth took multiple passes because of the ortho problem they had.

 

DD14's friend just finished getting her braces on and they cost about $2K, but what is being fixed is much simpler than what DD had corrected.

[Closeacademy]

My daughter had an overbite and 2 years in braces, upper and lower retainers.  $5500 about 3 or 4 years ago.

[Professormom]

$6600 with a 10% discount for cash. Yippee.

 

:svengo:

[Cinder]

I think it was about $5-6K each; insurance paid about half. Two dc needed braces; one needed 2 rounds. We lucked out with ds2 because right before his second round dh's work switched dental insurance so we got the full benefit for him. If we'd gotten his braces a few months earlier we'd have paid all since we'd used up the entire ortho benefit with the old insurance already.

[almondbutterandjelly]

We had two phases of braces, and some pretty serious tooth extractions in there, too.  Like 16 teeth, at 2 different times, under anesthesia.  So that chunked on another 1000 onto the initial price.

[NorthwestMom]

I am strongly encouraging my children to become orthodontists. LOL.

[Pegasus]

Both DDs had orthodontics as teens and I had ortho treatment as an adult.  We had different orthodontists but the cost for each of us was in the ballpark of $5,000.  Eldest DD also had some needed oral surgery as part of the treatment and that was extra.  No insurance but was able to use the health savings account tied to our HDHP.  

Edited February 10, 2016 by Pegasus

[Forget-Me-Not]

I didn't vote, because my situation is complicated.  My son's orthodontics came to just under $4800 with a cash discount.  However he had a rogue adult tooth growing sideways, so they extracted the baby tooth, attached a chain to the adult tooth, pulled it down and . . . promptly discovered that it's malformed and has to be pulled. :glare:  Thankfully they can pull some teeth forward and use his wisdom tooth in that case.  However, he's also missing both adult lateral incisors, and it's looking very likely that he'll have to have a fixed retainer put in until he can get implants in his early 20s.  The fixed retainer will be covered under the original orthodontic cost, but the implants will be a separate expense.  So we're probably looking at upwards of $8-9K by the time all is said and done.  Our dental insurance has covered some of the tooth extraction costs, but ortho has come completely out of our pockets.  

[ScoutTN]

Dd is on her first round, essentially spacing and making room for permanent teeth to come in. Then there will be a year or so without braces until all her permanent teeth are in. Then a second round to fine tune everything. She has a very average case. No extractions, no major bite issues. We get a 10% discount because I am a teacher. If we could pay cash up front, we'd get another discount. We don't have insurance.  Just over $3000. 

Edited February 10, 2016 by ScoutTN

[itsheresomewhere]

6K for braces. DS has a severe ovecrowding issue. We had 4 teeth pulled so add another 300. The pulled teeth were the only thing insurance covered.

[umsami]

Curious for people who had insurance cover it, who was your insurer? The most I've had covered is $450.

[Ali in OR]

I think I answered too low because I was thinking of what we personally paid forgetting that insurance paid $1500 for each kid. So probably more like $6500-$7000 for youngest who had two phases and $5000 for older dd.

[dtsmamtj]

I need help!! Dental insurance doesn't touch braces!! My son needs them desperately. Any ideas? Checking dental school, but they still are around $5,000 or so.

[Shellydon]

$5500 each kid.  They offer a 5% discount for cash and then a $250 for the second child.  We have put two in braces about 6 months apart from each other.

[Shellydon]

I need help!! Dental insurance doesn't touch braces!! My son needs them desperately. Any ideas? Checking dental school, but they still are around $5,000 or so.

 

Most offices offer payments plans.

[Reefgazer]

I think the cost will vary my geographic location.  We're in  major East Coast city, and DD's ortho treatment (routine, nothing special) was $6K.  Our insurance paid 50%, and then we paid cash in full for a 10% discount, so we out of pocket paid a bit under $3k. 

[regentrude]

$ 4,200. No insurance. We are in a very low COL area with low average incomes.

[Joker]

Both dds were right around $5000. That was two different orthodontists, different states, and two years apart. Insurance paid $1500 for each dd.

[abacus2]

Just under $4k with the cash discount. I was quoted as high as $5800.

[J-rap]

Around $4,000/each, three kids, no insurance.

[redsquirrel]

Both boys have needed a fairly standard treatment, with each of them having their unique challenges.

 

Our ortho charges the same for both kids in a family. So, his prices are locked in for your subsequent kids, lol.  It has been about 5,000$ per kid, with everything included. I thought we would have to pay for the retainer at the end, but it was included in the cost.

 

I am pretty sure the ortho lost money on my oldest kid. His braces were on for something like 6 years.  The braces were paid off in the first 2 years, then we had another 4 years of monthly office visits.

[Mom22ns]

First one was about $6000. His was a bit complicated. He too had an adult tooth that hadn't come in and had rotated. It took months to get that guy straight. He's had braces on 3.5 years. They come off in March.

 

Dd's braces were around $3000. She wore them for 18 months and has enjoyed straight teeth for almost 2 years now.

 

Our dental insurance covered up to $2000 per child. Dh's company covered dental insurance which did not cover orthodontics, but we bought up and paid the difference for one year (like $50/month) to get the $2,000 benefit for both kids. Our dental insurance has changed since then, but I think it might have been Delta Dental.

[TianXiaXueXiao]

My oldest dd is in her second set of braces. Starting at age 7 she had to get hardware to widen her palate and make space for adult teeth to grow in. At age 9 she got her first round of braces for 1 year followed by a year of retainer and now her second set. She will wear these for 3 years and then retainers. All told we will have paid about $9k when this is over. I really hope my second dd won't need orthodontic intervention.

[Crimson Wife]

I was confused by the wording of the poll so I voted what our share was rather than what the total was for us + insurance. The insurance paid half so it should've been in the $3k-$4k range. But DD will need phase 2 towards the end of high school.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Curious for people who had insurance cover it, who was your insurer? The most I've had covered is $450.

 

$1000 lifetime max with our insurance

[TrixieB]

Curious for people who had insurance cover it, who was your insurer? The most I've had covered is $450.

 

I don't remember - we've had several different dental plans over the years (Delta, Aetna, MetLife, maybe one or two more), but always $1500 lifetime per child.  Dh has worked for the same company since before we had kids, so the $1500 is due to his company's contract with the plans.

 

Back when I first worked for a large corporation, adults got the ortho benefit too -- I remember the HR person enthusing about it at the new hire meeting -- but now I think only the children get ortho coverage.

[melmichigan]

Curious for people who had insurance cover it, who was your insurer? The most I've had covered is $450.

We have Delta Dental traditional.  We have $2,500 lifetime if done before age 18.  The plan coverages vary by employer contracts.

 

We are on our fourth child for orthodontics.  I doubt there is hope and the fifth will follow eventually.  I went by what the average should have been.  Three of mine did phase one with a different ortho.  It would have been cheaper by far to have them do their second phase, but we moved to an out of network ortho after the oldest child's braces were removed.  I wasn't impressed or willing to let him continue with the rest of the kids.

Edited February 10, 2016 by melmichigan

[Laura Corin]

I wasn't able to vote.  I paid nothing, but it wasn't because of insurance: they were covered by the NHS because in each case there was a (different) medical need for the work.  

[kroe1]

Regular dentists are starting to offer Invisalign much cheaper than the typical orthodontist. Perhaps that could cut costs if one has an easier fix.

[Night Elf]

Our insurance wasn't nearly as good as I would have liked. Our insurance is provided through DH's work, HP, and I don't remember what specific company they used to administer it at the time. They paid a cap of $1500. The cost was about $4800 per child. That's a lot of out of pocket spending!

 

Both kids had to have oral surgery as part of their braces treatment and the dental insurance paid a huge chunk of it, more than we expected.

[marbel]

We paid somewhere between $2 and $3000 for each kid.  We went through the U of PA dental school.  My estimate includes parking in Philadelphia plus after-appointment froyo.  I know it was not above $3000 all told. 

[....]

My oldest was $6500.   :glare:   She only needed one set + palate expander.  We only did it because she has TMJ and we were hoping it would help.

 

All of my kids could use orthodontic treatment, but one really needs it.  I may not get braces for two of my kids whose teeth look fine, but the dentist claims they need braces.  After having gone through the process, the orthodontic thing is starting to activate my Scam Detector.

[TammyS]

 the orthodontic thing is starting to activate my Scam Detector.

 

I'm not sure about Scam, but it sure does seem like a lot more kids are getting it than when I grew up.  It used to be that kids with really messed up teeth got it, and those with merely imperfect, but basically ok teeth, didn't.  Now it's like practically every kid.

 

It does make you wonder.

 

Is there a kickback that we don't know about?  Or do we just have no tolerance for imperfection anymore?

[Spryte]

Our adult son's ran around $5000, that was more than 10 years ago.

 

We are in a high COL area.

 

DS needs a consult soon. Yikes.

 

DS's vision therapy was about $8000, and we were encouraged to think of it in the braces camp, as the the doc said the cost is about the same. I hope braces aren't that much! With a cash discount, we got that bill down to $6K.

[Teresa in MO]

I have a wonderful orthodontist.  We have 10 dc and EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.OF.THEM. has needed braces.  Will start #10 this spring.  Most of mine have not been the average ortho cases either.  He teaches at SLU dental school.  He has taken my kids records to conferences to use as teaching tools.  He told me from the beginning that he offers a large family discount.  Child #6 was free, except for what the insurance paid.  If he found the right person, he would sell his practice as he is 72 years old (does not look it at all).  My only hope is that he holds out until dc #10 is done!

[Crimson Wife]

I'm not sure about Scam, but it sure does seem like a lot more kids are getting it than when I grew up.  It used to be that kids with really messed up teeth got it, and those with merely imperfect, but basically ok teeth, didn't.  Now it's like practically every kid.

 

I remember pretty much every kid in my jr. high getting braces, and that was the late '80's. My middle brother was one of the few didn't, and he used that fact as an adult to get my parents to pay for having his back hair lasered off. :lol:

[katilac]

Low-income folks can check out Smiles Change Lives for orthodontic help. The number of orthos who work with them varies a lot by area, and there can be a really long wait time (years), but it's worth checking out. 

 

http://www.smileschangelives.org/

[redsquirrel]

I'm not sure about Scam, but it sure does seem like a lot more kids are getting it than when I grew up.  It used to be that kids with really messed up teeth got it, and those with merely imperfect, but basically ok teeth, didn't.  Now it's like practically every kid.

 

It does make you wonder.

 

Is there a kickback that we don't know about?  Or do we just have no tolerance for imperfection anymore?

 

And I remember my grandfather saying the same thing when I was a kid and my siblings needed braces...and more lately my ILs said it about my kids.

 

It just seems like something every generation looks back on and says 'it wasn't like that for my kids'

 

And yes, we do know more now about the importance of getting teeth fixed b/c of the problems it can cause later in life. I know at least three adults who have decided to get braces..no wait...four adults..because of headaches and TMJ and sinus problems.  Seems like it would be easier to just take care of it earlier, when the teeth are coming in. It's not always possible, but to dismiss fixing teeth as merely dealing with 'imperfections' shows a lack of understanding of how improperly aligned teeth can be a real problem.

 

And braces don't leave you with 'perfect' teeth. DH had braces, my sister and brother had braces, my son's braces just came off.  None of them have a picture perfect smile. If you are in the market for something like you see on TV, then you will need veneers, or lumineers. Now, those really will give you a television perfect smile. They go well beyond what braces can do.

 

and FTR, like someone else mentioned I feel like every kid in my middle school had braces. I didn't and I remember feeling like the odd one out. I NEVER got to miss an afternoon for an orthodontist appt, and I didn't have to go to the nurses office to brush my teeth after lunch...which took a lot of time and seemed to be an acceptable reason to be late to your next class. It looked pretty good from where I sat, lol.

Of their friends, my kids have been the only ones to get braces. One friend had a consult and was told it was optional and she decided not to get them.

[TranquilMind]

Both kids ran between $4-5K each.  But we got a 30% discount for paying cash up front  :thumbup:

 

The cost was related to what was being done.  Fixing the kids teeth took multiple passes because of the ortho problem they had.

 

DD14's friend just finished getting her braces on and they cost about $2K, but what is being fixed is much simpler than what DD had corrected.

30% discount?? Wow...I only got 5% discount.

 

We ended up dropping about 16K.  Ridiculous.  One was pretty extensive but gee...

[Pink and Green Mom]

$4500 for braces, probably more cosmetic than anything else.  We pay over 15 months.  Orthodontist charges same whether you pay up front, in 12 payments, or in 15 payments. We have MetLife for dental and I believe they cover $1200. 

[AppleGreen]

This has been quite illuminating! Thanks all for your helpful responses. We have two more appointments before making a final decision, but I am frankly not sure how we are going to make this happen. 

[JonesinIndiana]

Ortho is usually a rider. When we had dental insurance the orthodontist was a lifetime max of $2000. In our case, we couldn't change orthodontists (when we moved) and resubmit for ortho payments under a new insurance coverage. It went by my daughters ss number. Didn't matter since we couldn't afford dental coverage w hubby's new job. When we moved, we had 1 payment left with 6 months of treatment remaining. Fortunately, our former orthodontist gave us a refund which we needed to use for the new orthodontist. Our refund was $800 but the new fee to finish 6 months of treatment was $1500.

[mom2jjka]

All 4 of my kids needed them - all between $6500-$7K a piece.   :sad:

[Excelsior! Academy]

Our first dd had "nearly perfect teeth, but for $2000 we can...." so we opted out for her.  ;)

 

Second dd had an appointment in October, got sick so we missed.  Then waited until after the holidays to reschedule.  Costly mistake!!  She missed a crucial period and then needed a previously unneeded palate expander.  Her cost was $5500ish with cash discount.

 

Third child is still on recall, but will be getting invisaline to the tune of $6000ish.

 

Fourth child had phase one, costing $1800.  Phase two will likely only last 18 months or so.  Cost?

 

The rest of my kiddos ????

 

 

 

[Mothersweets]

All of my children have needed some orthodontia - full braces, palate expanders, sometimes both, retainers. Each time it has been around $5000, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

 

It's always expensive.

[Renthead Mommy]

We don't pay.  Both times he's been done by the residency program in the hospital.  Appointments take longer as each step gets checked over, but it's free and the residents have someone to learn on.

[zimom]

Child #:  IN braces for 8 1/2 years.  Nightmare.  Cost me about the same as a small car.  Messed up mouth but I lay part of the blame on the ortho.  

 

Child #2:  severe overbite, different ortho, less then 24 months in braces, teeth beautiful now.  I believe about $4200.  

 

Child #3:  on hold.  

[5Wizards]

Child #1 - about $4200.  Pretty straight forward, nothing major

 

Child #2 - about $2000 for Phase 1 w/expander.  Still in this phase

 

Child #3 - will probably be my most expensive (even without an expander), but we're still a ways off

[LisaKinVA]

Child #1 -- probably the most simple of my kids -- $7,000.  We moved in the middle of treatment.  We had paid OOP for his full treatment (our 1/2), but somehow didn't get anything credited when we moved.  Ortho here charged as much for 1 year as the other ortho had for two.  We brought all of the wires with us.

 

Child #2 -- $4,000 -- moved right after starting treatment, had to have braces removed and new ones put on here.

 

Child #3 -- on hold until this fall, I expect 3,000 euro  He should finish up here in Italy..

Child #4 -- on hold until this fall, total treatment for her will exceed $15,000 (she's missing at least 5, probably 9 teeth), Phase 1 will probably be about 1500 euro.  She should get through phase 1 here in Italy.  She's 9...and will be in treatment until she's 20.

Child #5 -- on hold until this fall (she's 7), she will probably be starting treatment for a cross-bite/palate expander.  After the pano, we should know more, but at least 7000 euro.  She'll get through phase 1 here in Italy.