Orthodontics (Thanks all for the replies)

[Wishing on a star]

I am looking at the possibility of braces for my DS...

I have a neighbor who tells me her orthodontics cost $4,000.00 !!!!

I called a couple of local Orthodontists offices, and this is what they are quoting. Wow, that seems exhorbitant!! I am assuming that braces for kids can be just as high.

How much did/do your braces cost???

 

[yourtravelpro]

Wow, how lucky! So far I have gotten 2 consultations for my son and they both came in about 6000.00.

Insurance only covers 1000.00.

 

[stitch79]

Mine were about $4000. It just depends on what you need to have done or how complicated your treatment will be. I have the clear ones on top, so that was an extra $400 in itself. There was a down payment amount and a fee for records/molds....so even though my insurance paid about $1200 I was left with $115/month for a year to finish paying off everything. Its expensive but definitely worth it for me, I had to wait until last April to start them at 23 yrs old. I really wish had been able to get them earlier. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[crz4mm2]

Mine were about 3000. DD was 2500. We had them at about the same time Mine were on less time though, only 9 months for me. DD had hers 2 years.
I can't beleive the amount of really young kids that have braces! I took both our kids to the orthodontist when they were younger and two different (older) orthodontists told me to wait til all their adult teeth were in. It was hard to wait, but we did. I am sooo glad we did. I know of quite a few people who had braces for their kids when they were very young and all are having MORE braces now...... Disturbing to say the least. How old is your DS?
Shop around too. There are many dentist that are doing ortho along with general dentistry. I wanted an orthodontist (DD and I ended up going to the same one).

Good luck. It is an investment. Keep telling yourself that.

 

[Allie322]

$4000 sounds about right. By the fall, both of my children will be in braces. Ours were $4200 per child, with insurance covering about $1700 each. The orthodontist offers 2 years with no interest to pay for them, or if you pay it all up front, he offers a 5% discount. The braces and retainers will take care of everything for my younger child but unfortunately, my older one will still have some cosmetic issues even after the braces are done. I can thank DH's side of the family for her lousy teeth!!

 

[kasar]

They break our treatments down into "phases" (now, isn't that nice of them???LOL) Each phase was around $3000. So, for two kids, two phases each we've got $12,000 worth of hardware around here. That would have been some nice college savings, huh?

At least our insurance covered some - $3000/child - which is excellent from what I understand.

We always joke that our orthodontist should name his island in the Caribbean after us!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Mine were about $4k, I think. I had insurance cover about $1k, I think... then I set up a payment plan (no interest) with the ortho, and paid it off... so now I can't remember how much I really paid, LOL!

I sounds as if that's about average in your area... I know everyone pays a diff amount, depending upon how much work they feel you need. I paid more than my bro did.

I also had to pull 4 teeth, which costs me even more... be sure and ask about that, too, if he/she feels you'll need anything pulled or fixed.

 

[tmq2766]

My DD started her treatment at the ortho at the age of 8. She started out with a pallet expander on the top then on on the bottom then bracees on the top then on the bottom. Her pallet was way too narrow which caused all of her teeth to back up and not have the room to come down. I look at pictures of her 1 year ago and what her teeth look like now and I would not change a thing! This is considered phase 1 and there is a good chance that she will have to have them again when she is a teen but they will not have to be on for long and I knew this ahead of time. So far it has been 2800.00 and I have NO insurance coverage. When an if she has to have phase 2 I will get a credit from the amount I paid into her mouth so far!
Our regular dentist is the one wh reccomended that I take her to an ortho and this is coming from someone who has 6 kids and 3 of his kids had to have the same thing as my DD. I went to the same ortho as my dentist goes to.

 

[bballmom56]

The total orthodontic care for DS was about $4000. That covered phase I which was an expander, then we went to braces, now we're into the retainer, but he still has checkups every couple of months. This has covered treatment starting in May of 1999. So we are at 5 years of orthodontic care and still counting. Insurance covered $1000 of the cost.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

$6000 per child here.

but my girls' orthodontist is also a professor at the dental school...

 

[jetsetter90]

DS 13 started off with a spreader 2 years ago and is supposed to get his braces on this week. Cost was $4000 insurance covered 1900, bill has been paid in full for six months.

DS 10 just got his braces put on this past Thursday. The price has gone up to 4900 and again insurance is covering 1900. We haven't started any payments on this.

Good Luck

TTFN

Jetsetter90

 

[monarchsfan16]

My braces were just shy of $4K. Between my braces, my sis's braces and expander, and my stepsis's braces and expander I think our orthodontist can name a couple of his speedboats after our family (he has a LOT of racing boats). $4K is just about the average for braces around here. And the price tag on mine covered 7 years of orthodontic care.

 

[meeshi]

My DD's were about $3,500, our insurance doesn't cover any orthodontics. So we paid a downpayment and then a monthly payment until they were paid off. That included the palate expander, braces and retainer.

That didn't include all the teeth she needed pulled, I think she needed at least 8 teeth pulled. Her baby teeth just did not want to come out. Then her permanent teeth didn't want to come in so she needed to get 6 exposures (where they cut the gum away) @ $300 A PIECE. Her mouth was a mess. Thank goodness insurance covered 80% of that.

But 3 years later her teeth are beautiful! She just got them off a couple of months ago. It was definately worth it.

 

[Otto's Doll]

My DD (she will be 9 next month) went for her six month evaluation yesterday (this is her 3rd one). The doctor said it is too early to do anything yet, she doesn't have enough adult teeth to warrant anything right now. She will need an expander, braces and possibly some teeth pulled. He thinks she will probably start treatment around 11 give or take 6 months. There is no charge for these visits, they start charging when they start treatment. She will continue to go every 6 months until then.
My dentist recommended this Orthodontist, and DD is very comfortable with him. My dental insurance is rotten, I am sure we will be paying all the charges for this. Oh well. It will be well worth it.

 

[cats mom]

Expensive aren't they?

Our insurance does not cover any orthodontics at all

Make sure they include ALL costs in your quote if you are checking around.

DD gets hers off next week - we are all paid up with the ortho, but I forgot about the $150 we have to pay after they come off for full mouth x-rays! (had to do the same thing before they started)

 

[Nutsy]

My DS's are costing us $4,000, but that covers all treatments for the term he has the braces & the retainer. It is a lot of money & a huge outlay. I so wish it was more affordable. We are still paying ours off & won't have them paid off until December.

 

[Mermaid02]

$3500 in 2001

 

[diznee25]

I got braces at the age of 22 and the cost was $4,000. That included braces and retainers. Since I got braces as adult, that money came from my pockets! But it's all paid off and I'm happy with the results!!

If your dental insurance doesn't cover orthodontic treatment, then shop around for prices and payment plans. My orthodontist charged me $119 per month for two years. I believe the last payment was $450, which covered the retainers. All together it totaled $4,000. No interest......no down payment. I just paid $119 per month from the very begining.

Forgot to mention: I got braces in 2001.

Diznee25

 

[Snowysmom]

Both my son had braces. Older DS cost $3500 and younger DS cost $4400. DH wanted braces too and that cost $4000. Plus he needed dental surgery to the tune of $2200. Insurance paid $1000 for older DS and DH, $1500 for younger DS. I am sure we sent our orthodontist on many vacations. It is expensive.

 

[shelbyjosh]

DD9 got her braces last August. Insurance covered $1000. I think our portion was around $1400. She only has them on the top and bottom front 4. She wears headgear at night. He said this would be a 12-15 month treatment. Then she will wear retainers until her back molars are in--around 12-13 y.o. Then she will get the full mouth braces. They will credit us $1000 towards phase 2. Then we will pay an additional $2000. So there...we are over $4000 all together. Some orthos are against doing them when they are so young. Ours said her jaw is so pliable that he is hoping this will prevent future extractions for phase 2. I remember when I had them in 9th grade (1982ish) they cost my mom $1200. Insurance was good and covered half. So my total bill was $2400. Now it is double. YIKES!!!