Price - UK

[xTc]

Been browsing here for a while, really great site with lots of nice people

I've decided I'm gonna get Linguals, only problem is I need the upper and lower done as my upper are slightly crooked but my lower are even worse. I have been quoted £4000 for just upper ONLY. This is from a dentist in Manchester who has a great background in orthodontics and seems really nice.

He says the price is because of the low value of the Euro/Pound and the exchange rate. I see a lot of people here from the UK and US that are paying that price for Upper lingual and lower ceramic, or full linguals..

Wondered if I'm getting ripped off..

[loopyloo]

That sounds way too much! So doing both would cost you £8000? I wasnt even quoted that at the leading lingual ortho at Harley St London!

I have no idea if this exchange rate etc would affect it, but if I was you I would go and get another quote, possibly somewhere outside Manchester city centre if you can. At one place I was quoted just over £4000 for both sets - still in London. Hopefully someone on here can recommend you somewhere in Manchester.

[xTc]

That sounds way too much! So doing both would cost you £8000? I wasnt even quoted that at the leading lingual ortho at Harley St London!

I have no idea if this exchange rate etc would affect it, but if I was you I would go and get another quote, possibly somewhere outside Manchester city centre if you can. At one place I was quoted just over £4000 for both sets - still in London. Hopefully someone on here can recommend you somewhere in Manchester.

Yeah he said £4k just for the uppers, so £8k for both! I've googled loads and only found him in Manchester that does it, nowhere even kinda close does Linguals..

It seems strange that it's cheaper in London.. when everything else is dearer..

http://www.lotusorthodontics.com/chris.aspx here's the link to the website.. he definetely seems like a good orthodontist, but I can only just afford about £4k... it's be great if I could get both upper and lower done for about the same price..

[loopyloo]

I'm sure he's probably very good, but that seems like extortion. I dont want to persuade you from doing it if you are truly happy with the ortho though. Perhaps if he truly is the only lingual ortho in Manchester, there's no competition, so he can charge what he likes. But surely he cant be the only one?

I did a search and maybe this could be of use http://www.blos.co.uk/orthodontist.htm You put in your postcode and it will come up with orthos near you. It might be a case of ringing each one (if they do not have a website) and asking if they do linguals. If so, you can book an appoitnment. And before you give details or make an appointment, you can always ask what the price range for lingual treatment typically is. They might not want to tell you, because they cant be specific and it will depend on your treatment time etc, but you can say that you just want a general price, so you know whether you can afford to come in or not. Remember, you are the customer, you will be paying them a hell of a lot of money, so you should be able to get this basic information without paying their rip off prices for consultations and xrays. English orthos really know how to rip off their customers, unlike the US, who not only charge less for ortho treatment, but they appear to do consultations either free, or very cheap. In my experience, each consulation costs roughly £100 in London, though it might not be so bad for you in Manchester. Let us know how you get on

[xTc]

I tried the site, all it came up with was Chris West - 7 miles away, and 2 others which were 29-40 miles away

Thanks for the help, dunno what to do at all... really wanna do it but don't wanna get ripped off..

Another thing I remembered is when I originally rang him like 4 months ago he quoted me £3k-3.5k, now he's saying more

He said the consultation is £95, which I would be happy to pay, as long as I knew I was definetely going ahead with treatment, and with it being £4k I dunno whether I can..

[loopyloo]

That's a shame. Would the 7-miles-away ortho not be do-able? A lot of people I know travel quite some way for their ortho, because otherwise they are stuck paying the huge prices of the orthos in their area. They usually end up having appointments on weekends or evenings because of this. Have you tried the yellow pages? or been to your regular dentist and asked for several referrals?

It would be a shame for you not to get the smile you wanted. Have you considered ceramics? I know that seems like a massive compromise, but I have seen people with ceramic braces and they really arent that noticible. They are so much cheaper as well. You would probably be able to get both uppers and lowers. Everyone (me included) thinks that they cant cope with people seeing that they are wearing braces, but in reality, other people wont care unless you care. I know that's a very hypocritical thing for me to say, seeing as I have linguals, but having braces for a few months has completely changed my mind about them. Now, I tell everyone I've got them anyway! I might as well have got the cheapest, most visible option, because everyone knows I have them - I couldnt stop myself from moaning to my colleagues and friends about them etc

[Daveyboy]

Hi,

I would check that both arches really are simply double the cost as I wouldn't expect this to be the case.

Lets ignore the fact that overall the whole process seems ridiculously expensive and look at the fact that when quoting, they are charging for hardware, plus their time.
If you have both arches done then the time element isn't very different so I would expect both arches to cost maybe 1/4 more than one arch.

Just for comparison, I was quoted 3800 for one arch, and 5700 for both arches.

I would definitely check with them first. Also, it's a prime area in order to think about haggling.... e.g. "I've been to see another ortho and they've quoted £xxx, I would however prefer to use your services... is there any leeway with regards to price"

This worked for me!

[xTc]

Yeah you make a valid point.

So how much did you pay in the end?

If he had said £5-6k for both I wouldn't have been as shocked..

Loopy - The 7miles one is the guy that is charging me £4k I really wouldn't ever get ceramics, I have worn braces already so I understand they aren't that bad, it would be the constant embarassment for me having to tell everyone who asks me "I thought you were braces a few years ago" - it would get me so depressed :\

I haven't told a single person I'm considering Linguals, I'm too embarassed because everyone knows I wore braces when I was 15 (19 now lol).

When I said the price seemed high he said it was due to the increased time in the chair due to it being Linguals, and the exchange rate at the time..

[rolo]

I paid £3500 for top only (and £1500 for cermaic lowers) about 5 months ago. Factors affecting cost were how long treatment was likely to take, and also if potonic (false temporary) teeth are needed - usually used to cover any extraction gaps and then filled down over the course of treatment.

The brand of linguals used also affects cost, IBraces or Incognito as they are known in the UK, are most expensive, other brands cost less. Incognito are generally regarded as the most comfortable to wear, and my ortho tells me the company is very efficient and system easy to use, so finishing stages correct first time.

As you point out, since my Incognito was ordered, in March, you get less pounds per Euro, so the cost has gone up dramatically. Incognito come from Germany so have to be paid for in Euros. In addition the price of gold went up, although I'm not sure if it is still as high, as Incognito is made of gold alloy, this affects the price too.

I would definitely get another quote for comparision, but if it was the incognito system, then £4000 doesn't sound too far out. I hope this helps

[loopyloo]

Yes, Rolo appears to be right, from reading the website again, he is offering incognito XTC. I dont have these, though I would have liked to, seeing as they are supposedly more comfortable. The ones I have, stb brackets, are not as expensive, but work just as well, and I am totally used to them now. Did you have your heart set on incognito? FYI, I paid roughly £5,000 for top and bottom stbs.

[rolo]

Loopyloo, do you know where stb are made, ie if they have been affected by the Euro? If not they may well be a bigger price difference between them and Incognito now than there was say six months ago, a given that most people get used to any brand quickly they may be a good option

[loopyloo]

No, I dont know where they are made, but as they dont have to be individually made like incognitos do, I should imagine that most orthos have plenty in stock anyway, and they must be manufactured en masse. I certainly was never told that the quotes for my braces would be affected by the euro.

I would imagine STBs would be a cheaper option, but problem XTC has is finding an ortho that offers them

[xTc]

Yeah he offers Incognito, he said they are the "Lamborghini" of braces, the best money can buy. I supposed this offers some justification to the price..

Thanks for all the great help it's really appreciated

[xTc]

I paid £3500 for top only (and £1500 for cermaic lowers) about 5 months ago. Factors affecting cost were how long treatment was likely to take, and also if potonic (false temporary) teeth are needed - usually used to cover any extraction gaps and then filled down over the course of treatment.

The brand of linguals used also affects cost, IBraces or Incognito as they are known in the UK, are most expensive, other brands cost less. Incognito are generally regarded as the most comfortable to wear, and my ortho tells me the company is very efficient and system easy to use, so finishing stages correct first time.

As you point out, since my Incognito was ordered, in March, you get less pounds per Euro, so the cost has gone up dramatically. Incognito come from Germany so have to be paid for in Euros. In addition the price of gold went up, although I'm not sure if it is still as high, as Incognito is made of gold alloy, this affects the price too.

I would definitely get another quote for comparision, but if it was the incognito system, then £4000 doesn't sound too far out. I hope this helps

Ah thanks, £4k doesn't sound too bad then considering what you paid for them 5 months ago.

[rolo]

I couldn't find an orthodontist who offered linguals other than incognito locally. I did read that someone in Manchester got sTB brackets, but sorry can't remember the details. Good luck with whatever you decide. Post and let us all know how you get on.