consultation fee

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#1 Post by **cardlady52** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:46 am

The ortho my dentist recommended is now charging $50 consultation fee (which will be credited if I proceed with ortho work. Two other orthos I know don't charge for a consultation . How common is this or is this Dr. just money hungry (my husband's definition for all dentists)?

It makes me a little cautious to proceed with him.

#2 Post by **cosmicgirl** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:59 am

$50 is cheap! In the UK it cost me Â£80 ($160) and that doesn't come off the final cost! For that though, I got two state of the art complete head X rays, a most becoming digital snap of my wonky gnashers bared in all their glory and a decent chat with the ortho who explained exactly what he was going to do. I know of another ortho who charges Â£36, so it seems standard practice... It's an expensive business and the charges keep coming - wax, floss, mouthwash etc etc, but I consider it money well spent. I'm also considering forcing my daughter to go to dental school and become an ortho but that's another story...

#3 Post by **discomom** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:39 pm

I just had a consultation that cost me $200. I had impressions done, and they did a full head xray. I don't know what is normal. In a few weeks I will go and the dentist will discuss the treatment plan, and I assume that the 200 will cover that as well.

#4 Post by **Cleobabe** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:16 pm

My consultation was $65 and it didnt include x-rays or anything. The ortho just looked in my mouth, discussed what was wrong and how it could be fixed and gave me the price list for braces and then it was my choice if i wanted to continue treatment with him or not. I did of course!
A good idea is to ring around and ask what the fees are. You could check out the ones that have free consultations but they might not be the best orthodontist for your needs. It's all up to you and what you feel comfortable with.
$50 really isnt that much if he's going to be giving you a beautiful smile in the end.

#5 Post by **Dimples** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:50 pm

my consultation fee was 50 USD,(with my insurance) if it hadn't been for my insurance, I would've paid 90 USD. All he did was look at my teeth, talk about my treatment plan, take pictures, and a little small talk....and that was on top of the 250 USD I paid for records. But my ortho is great none the less. I'm glad I chose him...he's a great ortho,very warm spirited and easy to talk to

#6 Post by **KikiloSugilo** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:32 pm

I find it a bit unusual that your ortho charges a $50 fee for the consult. All the ones I know of don't charge for the initial consultation. However I did have to shell out $400 for the records. My recommendation would be to go to ones who don't charge a fee, unless of course you are certain that you want to be treated by the one who was recommended to you by the dentist.

#7 Post by **markybwoy** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:05 am

In places where there is a lot of competition some orthos will offer free initial consults to compete with the other orthos in town. In places where there's not a lot of choice, that's less likely to happen.

However, there's never such thing as a free lunch. You may find that the ortho that offers lots of free consultations recoups the cost of that time by charging those that go ahead a few upfront charges for records, impressions, x-rays etc. Compared to the cost of the brackets and other equipment, the chairtime is the most expensive resource.

I saw two orthos in the UK before going ahead. One charged an initial consult fee and one didn't. I think the overall cost at the end of the day would have been pretty similar with either one. I picked the one that explained things best and I felt most at ease with.