That seems expensive. DD had braces put on about 4 years ago and it cost about $2200. Insurance paid about half of that and we did make payments of about $100. per month. I think we paid maybe $300. upfront.

My DD's teeth were really bad and once she got the braces off and her teeth looked great, she wasn't good about wearing her retainer...so she had to get part of her bottom teeth put in braces again. We had a really good (nice maybe is a better word) ortho who did that for an extra $300. or so. Now DD has a permanent retainer on her bottom teeth which got bent a few months ago (her dentist noticed it). She's at college so hasn't been able to see her orthodontist. I am so hoping that her teeth haven't got crooked again in that time. Geesh!

I can't remember the down payment, but paid $88 a month, but this was over 12 years ago. I think the total was about $3000.

We had both girls in braces at the same time! Kalie's was a complete set...Caryn's was only her top. I believe it was about $4800. for them together...this was about 9 years ago. We made monthly payments of about $125 for the whole time! Really nice to be able to do this..but they sure know what to charge!!!

We paid $3,000 over three years - HSA paid the rest. The total for my stepson's braces, from start to finish, was $7,000.

I had braces 10 years ago. The total was $4000. I'm not sure the monthly payment.

It really does depend upon how much work the orthodontist is doing. My daughter went from about 4th grade to I think, her freshman or sophomore year. She wasn't in braces all that time--part of the time she was in other kinds of 'appliances'. She's now 26, so it's pointless for me to discuss cost. I'm certain they're much more expensive now than then. (I think the braces alone were around 3500? back then)

One suggestion I'd make--if you have dental insurance that has an annual dollar limit. Be sure to have the braces put on about halfway through the year so that your payments extend over 3 calendar years, rather than just 2. Maximizes your benefits. I made sure dd had hers put on in the summer.

My Ortho did not charge interest, but instead gave a "discount" for paying up front. If this is the case for you, depending on the "discount", it could be worth it to pay another way.
I paid monthly for insurance reasons. The number of payments were geared to the length of treatment. I guess every Orthodontist has been burned when the braces came off too long before final payments!
I sure wish I had braces when I was a kid, rather than as an adult. Seriously, it kills me every time I read about a kid complaining about braces or not taking care of them. I would have been so happy to have the opportunity to have had straight teeth when I was younger. Two of my siblings had them and one of them took such terrible care of them that it was a waste of money.

Also, check and see if the ortho does a "permanent retainer". Ours did, (it's on the inside of the teeth)
it doesn't show and the kids don't have to remember to put in their retainers.
My son had his for 3 years, with the plastic night guard. 10 years later, he still has incredibly straight teeth. I figured for the $4000 we paid, he had better have a great smile!
BTW this orthodontist said he puts the permanent retainer on all of his patients. Kathy

Her ortho doesn't charge interest either. I don't know about a discount if you pay up front, but we don't have that much in cash right now anyway, and we don't use credit. I'm just grateful that he does do payment plans without charging interest, that's very generous of him.

Also, we don't have dental insurance.

Thanks for all the input so far! I appreciate it! :o)

Speaking of retainer....that was an extra $300 and my daughter never wore hers. She said she didn't care if they got a little crooked...because they were "too perfect." She is 27 now and her teeth still look very good. If they got crooked, it was ever so slightly, and they do look very natural. Here's a pic of her...not a very good picture but it shows her smile, which is very nice.

Marilyn, your daughter is BEAUTIFUL!

Marilyn, if Alyssa's smile turns out as beautiful as Erin's, she will be one happy girl! Erin is beautiful!

Here is the most recent picture I have of Alyssa.

Can't remember what i paid down for my GD,but the payments were 129.00 a month.She just had hers taken off last year.
Kathi

Do dental school students do work like this?

I live close to a dental school and had them do fillings and root canals (on a tooth that they later extracted, giving me credit), much extraction and double prostheses a few years ago, at a much lower fee than I'd have paid a career dentist's office.

I had a lovely east Indian student who had gentle hands doing most of my work.

I hope that you can find good service at a more reasonable cost, Mickey.

ole joyful

Syd and Tan both have them (well Tan is in the process of getting his) Syds dentist also does payments no interest....I think hers runs like 120 a month and cost like 4000.00 she got the porclian (sp) ones which are a little more I think) but all you see on her teeth (they do these just on the top) is a thin wire. And when she takes her sr. pics this summer they will remove the wire so nothing shows in the pics. And you all remember she has teh bad fangs as I call them and after only one year I can tell a huge diff. Stacy

My daughter had them about 10 years ago, and the total was $4200, of which insurance paid 1/2.

Thanks everyone for your input. It's much appreciated!

Stacy, I emailed you.

Will go and check it now mickey...Stacy

My DS's total bill was around $5000 of which insurance paid $1000. I think our deposit was about $800 and our payments are $132. per month. Ours offerd a $250 discount for taking appointments between 9-2 during the day.

Wow.
That's a lot of money.

Both my kids needed orthodontia; Digger had a big correction and Jesse not so much. The Doctor charged $2400 for both kids for two years worth of work. There was no interest or break if you paid it all up front. He did have a whopper of a fee if a payment was late. (I paid half when the kid went in and the insurance paid a one time fee of $500. Imagine my shock thirty days later when there was a forty dollar late fee on the statement. It took awhile but I got it straightened out and fee removed.) We had the option of a permanent retainer and the take out kind but it was included in the cost a well as any xrays, moldings, checkups, etc. He only charged extra if the kid damaged the braces by eating the wrong kinds of food. He gave us two free 'fixes' for food or gum. The charge was thirty dollars a visit after that. Broken brackets and wires due to sports and life in general were free, no matter how many times it happened. Ask me how many free fixes Digger received...LOL.

Perhaps the cost is a regional thing?
Your quote is almost what I paid the orthodontist for two kids. Does his service included cleaning and checkups? I had to pay our regular dentist for this while my kids had braces. Maybe this is the difference in cost?
Also, does he put on the invisible braces?
I'm sure these cost much more than the brackets attached to the teeth my kids wore.

On the subject, isn't it amazing how far orthodontia has come? "Metal Mouth" perfectly described the braces I wore. The braces encircled my teeth and we all talked funny while we had them on. I never noticed my kids having the 'talking with your mouth full' problem when they wore braces.

Lori

Hi Lori,

It doesn't include cleanings, because he stressed that she still needed to do her every-6-month cleaning at the dentist. He didn't discuss about if things break, but he may do that when we sit down and go over everything again at the end of June, when he tells me the whole game-plan.

And he didn't say anything about invisible braces. And we were looking at their "wall of fame" of other kids that go there, and everyone had regular braces, not the invisible ones, so I don't think it's for invisible ones.