DS has to get braces. Is $6100 too high, it sure seems too high!

[padams]

DS had a first phase of expanders and braces that cost us $3,000. He had everything taken off last spring and we are waiting for the rest of his baby teeth to fall out. Once the baby teeth are all out, he will have a second phase of braces for another $3,000. We knew going in that the cost would be $6,000 for the 2 phase process.

We do go to the expensive orthodontist in the area as we selected the one closest to school. I might have been able to shop around and get a lower price but we would have traded off a farther drive for appointments.

 

[SaraJayne]

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I am going to call around today and see if I can set up another consult or two. It looks like there is such a wide range of prices (I wish mine would be on the lower end though).

Like a previous poster said, everyone is different because everyone has different needs for their teeth.

DS started his treatment last fall with an expander, and is expected to wear braces (once he gets them on) for up to two years, with retainers after that.

We got a few consults and went with the ortho that DS liked and I loved their reception/assistants. I also love that he's a board certified ortho. We had to pay the total cost OOP (no ortho insurance), but we got a nice discount for doing that ($500).

Check around and see who you both feel comfortable with. You're going to be spending a lot of time with these people over the next few years, so you're going to want to at least like them a little bit.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

3 years ago we paid $4500.

 

[Pigeon]

I would get many opinions and I would research the effectiveness of the proposed treatment plan for the child's condition. There is a fair amount of refereed dental research to suggest that some of the current common approaches are only incrementally better when measured in yacht payments.

My sister took her son to ten (yes 10) orthos for a consult. The treatment plans were all over the map, as were the prices. One guy said he'd start by breaking my nephew's jaw, at which point my sister pulled him out of the chair and they left.

The plan they ended up with was much, much less extensive and expensive. His teeth turned out fine.

 

[mjkacmom]

We just had a consult today for our second child. Just like our first (who got his braces off this past October), it will be $5500 for two years worth of braces. (Palate expanders and such are extra.)

After our second child is finished with braces, we have two more children who need them. Then there is my toddler and unborn baby, who will likely need them, too. We have wide feet and crooked teeth.

All told, we'll have paid this orthodontist some $30,000 for braces for all of the children. It makes me want to cry and pull my hair but the end result is so worth it.

(I literally cried in the ortho's office when I learned that children #3 and 4 would need braces, too.)

I feel your pain - 4 of mine definitely need them (spacing, crossbites), but ds11 is optional. There is a small gap between his front teeth, and the bottom teeth are a little crowded (which will get worse). Dd13's cost 6300 (NYC area), and I expect the others to be the same. I'm hoping that ds11's will be less, because less work is needed. Insurance pays $1500.

 

[golfgal]

I feel your pain - 4 of mine definitely need them (spacing, crossbites), but ds11 is optional. There is a small gap between his front teeth, and the bottom teeth are a little crowded (which will get worse). Dd13's cost 6300 (NYC area), and I expect the others to be the same. I'm hoping that ds11's will be less, because less work is needed. Insurance pays $1500.

DD was in the "optional" category too. Her teeth were pretty straight with some crowding. The ortho said that she could either get them now or get them as an adult as there was about a 99% chance her teeth would shift as she got older and need braces. My sister is getting her braces on for that exact reason soon-she is 43.

 

[eliza61]

DH and I took DS12 to the orthodontist for a consult today. The orthodontist said DS needs top and bottom braces as well as some type of expander for a couple months on the bottom. DS has straight teeth on the top but was told he needs braces to fix his bite a little.

The price was $6100!! Our insurance will only pay $1500 so we will have to pay out of pocket of $4600. Is that normal? Or is that way too high? Also, we do not live in a big city at all. We live in Arkansas for crying out loud.

What do you guys think? I am definitely freaked out about this. Thanks!

Not out of the realm of possiblities. My son's ran us about $4800.
Hopefully your ortho will offer some type of payment plan.

Look at it this way, you've got at least 15 years worth of "guilt" from this.
I tell my kid all the time, my Mediterraen cruise is sitting in his mouth.

 

[PlutoPony]

That's about what we paid for braces (on for 2 years), Herbst, and palate expander ($800). This is with an ortho who is typically 10% or so higher than the others in the area but he is very well respected and the one that most dentists recommend first. His office is also very organized - they are ALWAYS on time and if you have an emergency, they'll get you in even outside of normal hours.

Most ortho's seem to require a certain amount down (~%20%) and then will spread monthly payments out for 2 years with no interest. That set-up can work well with a flex spending account if that option is available to you.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I have 2 DDs both who need them now. We went to 1 consult already and he quoted us for 18 months of treatment $5300 each, we will get a 10% disc. on the second set, and we receive about $1500 in insurance. But with 2 kids all at once, that is just a bit more than we can handle at one time. So, I got on the phone and found out that one of the Medical colleges in VA teaches Orthodontics in their Dental school, so we are going there in 3 weeks for our initial consult. They said that they are cheaper because it is a teaching practice and students will work on the braces, but they are over seen by Orthos who teach at the school. We'll see, if we don't get enough of a discount we'll regroup and do something else.

 

[wenrob]

$5400 for everything, expander, headgear, two phases and eventually the retainer. No limit on the time it takes or extra charge if something else needs to be done. If we move out of state he will find us an ortho that honors his plan.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

That's close to how much it is here in Knoxville. My 12yr old DD just got hers on last week and they are $4600. She had an expander when she was about 8 yrs old and it seems like it was $1000. My insurance also pays $1500. We are applying it toward our Flexible Spending Acct, so it should help some with taxes.

We're in Maryville, near Knoxville. My 8 year old son got top & bottom braces last month. He'll wear those a year and then a bionator device, which will correct his overbite, for a year. the total cost for the two years was $4740. We have no dental insurance, but we did get a 7% discount for paying the total up front. He has a very small mouth and may very well have to have braces again once he has more permanent teeth. The main concern this time was correcting the overbite while his bones are still growing.

 

[HM]

Make sure you consult with a least one more orthodontist, two more would be better.

The first person we took our DS to had a more expensive and much more invasive (taking out teeth and another possible surgery) plan. We took him to an orthodontist that was recommended by two moms I knew. She was less expensive and did not advocate for any of the things the first guy suggested. I think the first guy was close to $6000 and the second was more like $4800 for a two year plan. (DD is now going to her with a 2 1/2 year plan at $5400).

My son has been out of braces for more than a year now....and his teeth are lovely.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

About $6400 here.

 

[MomofKatie]

DD11 recently had a consult here in NC- we were quoted $4200 for a "95% purely cosmetic procedure". Our dentist said we needed an ortho consult, ortho said there was no bite issue, a small spacing issue, and no rotation issue. DD has a slight gap between her front 2 teeth, otherwise a pretty smile. Still wanted to charge $4200 for braces for basically no medical reason... we said no, thank you. We will revisit the braces idea in a couple more years.

 

[Cindy B]

My daughter got hers on about a month ago.

It was $5400 for everything: top, bottom, retainer, etc. Our insurance paid over half of that. We then took the cash discount for the remainder (just about $1900)

For that $1900 we used our FSA account money so that was our "savings" plan for it. We paid out of our pocket on 1217 and got our reimbursement check from FSA funds around the 10th of January.

 

[clovergirl5]

Wow, all these prices are alot higher than where we are. dd13 got braces, top and bottom last Oct. Total was $4100. Insurance paid $1500. She will have them 2-2 1/2 years. It included all monthly appts and up to 5 breakages. I believe 1 retainer was included in that price too for when the braces come off. We are on a set plan of $128/month.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

My DD (12) has top & bottom braces. The total cost is $5,760 ($280 of this was the records fee). Insurance is paying $1,000. The rest is being paid with my FSA account.

 

[golfgal]

That's about what we paid for braces (on for 2 years), Herbst, and palate expander ($800). This is with an ortho who is typically 10% or so higher than the others in the area but he is very well respected and the one that most dentists recommend first. His office is also very organized - they are ALWAYS on time and if you have an emergency, they'll get you in even outside of normal hours.

Most ortho's seem to require a certain amount down (~%20%) and then will spread monthly payments out for 2 years with no interest. That set-up can work well with a flex spending account if that option is available to you.

This sounds like our ortho, 20% down, payments spread out over the treatment time.

I have 2 DDs both who need them now. We went to 1 consult already and he quoted us for 18 months of treatment $5300 each, we will get a 10% disc. on the second set, and we receive about $1500 in insurance. But with 2 kids all at once, that is just a bit more than we can handle at one time. So, I got on the phone and found out that one of the Medical colleges in VA teaches Orthodontics in their Dental school, so we are going there in 3 weeks for our initial consult. They said that they are cheaper because it is a teaching practice and students will work on the braces, but they are over seen by Orthos who teach at the school. We'll see, if we don't get enough of a discount we'll regroup and do something else.

One thing to keep in mind is that you will be going to the ortho about every 6 weeks so if this is something that is not convenient to your house you might want to rethink this. If you have to drive 30 minutes for a 5 minute appointment, it can get to be a hassle. Also, make sure they have plenty of time after school hours unless you are ok with pulling your kids out of school for these appointments every 6 weeks. I see your younger child is 10, couldn't you want 2 years for your younger child to start? That is a possibility too.

 

[KatieA]

My daughter's cost us $4800 with insurance covering $1000

 

[DisneyTeacher]

We just paid $6400 for our son to get his braces put on.