How much are you paying for your child's braces?

[tar heel]

$285

That's how much I have left to pay -- so excited to be near the end of paying even though ds probably has a year left in braces. Our total cost was in the $5,000 range, but that included a "w arch" and a palate expander as well as upper and lower braces, headgear, etc. He will be 16 and two weeks and has been in orthodontic care half his life.

 

[Nutsy]

My DS 15 got braces in September & they are going to cost just over $4,000.

Paying them off of course...............not many of us have $4,000 lying around hey?

 

[kapica3]

$4800 or so. Insurance will take care of $1,500.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I am an adult in full braces for most likely well over three years. With extraction surgery (8 teeth), full braces, and permanent retainers, it will be $9000, all of pocket. A HUGE investment for me! As for prices for kids, an 11 year old girl that I babysit is getting braces very soon, and it is $6000. Seems to be the going rate around here. Every child around my area gets braces, not one escapes!

 

[my3kids]

About $4100. We have dental insurance, but it does NOT cover any orthodontist's fees, only regular dental care. That fee covered upper and lower expansion, and full braces.

 

[Robinette]

My 10 yr DD is in her second phase now. She also needed the palate expander in the first phase. Grand total...$6,960 with insurance covering $1,700 of it.

It is so worth it!!!!

 

[eeyoreforever]

My dd's was about $3800, but I also had to pay her regular dentist $600 to pull 7 teeth before the ortho could put on the braces. I have no dental insurance, so I pay $125/month. I like to tell her that she has a mouthful of money!!

 

[cheeringmom]

My dd (16) has her 2nd set-yes, they call it "Phase II" and the first set was about $2500. The second set is almost $5000-different dentsts. We moved so of course we had to pay for records too!! We only had $1200 insurance. Don't be surprised about Phase II. Its pretty common now. Many of my dd's friends have had braces on twice. Its not a happy site when you have to tell your kid they need MORE braces!! YIKES

 

[suzannen]

$6,000 is what we're currently paying for our DD and although we have dental insurance, orthodontia is not covered at all.

It meant one less trip to see the Mouse for us!

 

[Tess]

Our oldest, a son, began his ortho treatment at the end of 6th grade and ceased in 9th at the end of the year. The cost for his txmt was $4,300. That didn't include the cost of extracting 4 adult teeth--an additional $500.

Our daughter began her txmt in 7th grade (slow to lose those baby teeth) and her course will cost $5,400. She, likewise, has had to have teeth extracted--6 total (last two out today) at a cost of an additional $800! She had to have the spacer bar and all sorts of appliances that our son did not.

Our son's teeth look good, but aren't very white at all. He sure doesn't have that "movie star" smile at this point. Cosmetic dentistry isn't going to happen with college looming. We're hopeful for a good result with our daughter too--though she also has whitening issues. I guess both of the kids have "stained" teeth as a result of over medication with antibiotics as babies. Both spent their early years practically living on them due to asthma, ear infections, tonsillitis, etc. Thankfully, they are very healthy now as teens!

 

[MAC3]

DD11 got her braces 2 yrs ago this May.... We paid a whooping $5,000.00 for them. Put half down and were able to spread the rest of the payments over a period of 2 yrs.

Our dental doesn't cover esthetics!

 

[LisaRay]

We have just begun this process in September. But my DD 13 has to have a retainer for 6 months, then a different retainer for 12-18 months then braces for 6 months. Total was $4800. Had to pay $500.00 down and insurance pays $1500 then we make intrest free payments for 30 months. She should have them off just in time for getting her license and our higher car insurance! It never ends.

I tried to shop around but every place I went wanted to do there own exrays, and other stuff and charge me for them $$$ so I figured I was going to spend $500.00 just figuring out who was cheapest. and may not save anything in the long run. So we went with who was most convinient. She is able to get in right afterschool and even ride the bus across our very small town to the the grade school and walk next door to the dentist. Then i can pick her up when she is done. Has worked out well so far.

Have to say that if her teeth looked bad it would be alot easier to write those checks every month but her teeth are perfectly straight! she just has a very small mouth and all those retainers are for stretching it and making room. She also have a very small over bite.
Oh well, at least our other child is only 4! Gives us time before we have to pay for him. Can't imagine paying for 2 at once.

 

[Christine]

All I can say is "shop around." My DD will be getting braces this year. I've gotten 3 different quotes - $3,500, $4,800, and $5,000. The guy that charges $5,000 holds ice skating parties, gives away prizes, has Gameboys in the waiting room, personal TVs over the dental chairs, etc. His practice is a real "experience." Frankly, it gave me a headache. Between all 3 dentists, they are ALL going to do the exact same thing to my DD. So, I am going with the cheap guy. He went to the same exact dental school as the others and has a very large practice. He is an older guy and his office is run more traditionally, he also has good references. I think he just keeps his costs down better. If I hadn't shopped around, I'd be stuck with the $5,000 bill!

Also, what's with this "phased" orthodonture? I heard about it a few years ago and I thought the purpose of it was to prevent some kids from requiring "full up" braces. I've heard recently, from my dentist, that it is a way for them to get more money and it isn't really necessary in most cases.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I am getting so scared by reading this. My kids are only 6, 3, and 3 right now, but I had to wear braces for a long time, so I am guessing they will need to also. I guess I need to start saving now.

 

[Tess]

Those orthos that use the Phase I and II are typically padding their already inflated fees. Our own orthodontist (believe it or not has the Gameboy thing, etc., too) is one of those "conservatives" who waits until girls hit puberty and until boys are at the end of 6th grade to begin txmt. Our family dentist is also of a like mind and has indicated that to begin txmt earlier is folly in almost all cases.

I know that our nieces (now adult women) went through the Phase I and II txmts and had no better result than our son (now finished after a 3 year stint). Further, the Phase I didn't prevent the Phase II necessity in either niece. They both spent their elementary years and entire high school years in braces. The only braces break they received was middle school when their teeth shifted due to puberty.

Our son was in braces from end of 6th to end of 9th and will now have nice straight teeth for those awkward dating years and beyond! Our hope is that our daughter will be out by her sophmore/junior year--she has more issues than our son.

 

[holycow]

4800 - 1000 for insurance + 700 for 4 teeth removed = OUCH

 

[RitaZ.]

Tess, it's interesting that you should bring that up.

My older DS started going to the dentist when he was 4, by the time he was 5 I brought up the orthodontist to his pediatric dentist. I did this because some friends said that their dentist told them that if children start getting treatment early (braces/expanders) that it would be better. I shared this with our ped. dentist and he said that wasn't true. He said that it is best to wait until more permanent teeth come in, but at the same time he wouldn't hesitate to make a referral to an orthodontist if he felt it was really necessary. He said not to rush things and that he would refer DS when needed.

DS is now 11 (almost 12) and at his last appointment, the dentist said that it's now time to go to the orthodontist. When DS's first permanent teeth came in, they didn't look so good. However, as more permanent teeth have come in they have "shifted" into place, they really don't look that bad.

 

[Gette88]

DD's cost $5,400. Ins. paid $1,000. I'm also on a monthly payment plan w/ no interest, $150.00 a month. DD has an overbite and a few other problems which is probably why her bill is a little higher.

 

[kimber79]

My orthodontist has a game boy at each chair as well as 3 or 4 full size video games (for play while waiting) ~ ~ just a gorgeous office. He does not believe in making money on clients that don't need his services yet.............my son (now 12) went in for an observation a couple years ago, and he would not start treatment yet because he had not lost all his baby teeth. We are now set for another observation because he has now lost those baby teeth, and still has major spacing problems.

Do shop around.......there are ortho's out there that are not just in it to see how much they can get out of your pockets! I do think that the "phase" thing is craziness ~ unless they need to use the expanders ~ but to straighten teeth that are just going to fall out??????

 

[MAC3]

Originally posted by Christine
All I can say is "shop around." My DD will be getting braces this year. I've gotten 3 different quotes - $3,500, $4,800, and $5,000. The guy that charges $5,000 holds ice skating parties, gives away prizes, has Gameboys in the waiting room, personal TVs over the dental chairs, etc. His practice is a real "experience."

Yikes!!!!!!!!!! I had to double check what state you were from..... This is my daughter's Orthodontist! I guess we are paying for all those parties that I thought was such a nice guesture!