I'm currently considering getting ceramic braces to fix a few out of place teeth and improve my bite. I've contacted a few orthodontist practices so far and have been quoted a variety of prices for an initial consultation (inc. x rays, photos, etc.). One has come in on £90, one on £135 and another at £156. Obviously I cant afford to go to lots of these consultations as it would cost far too much.
I was just wondering what other people in the uk have paid for their consultation and how they chose which ones to go for a consultation with and which to miss. I live in northern england (if this makes any difference).
Also, what kinds of prices are people paying for ceramic braces in the uk? Also, how much more expensive are the ceramic ones on average compared to metal?
Thank you in advance for your much needed help!
consultation prices uk
Moderator: bbsadmin
I paid (IIRC) £95 for my initial consultation, I was referred from my dentist and when I went to the consultation I found them helpful and professional so I was happy to not have a second opinion. I've gone with metal braces in the end but I did enquire about ceramic ones and he quoted me £400 more. Some orthos charge the same though, it does tend to vary quite a bit but I think on average expect to pay a few hundred quid more. My total quote (this includes everything including retainers, for metal braces was £3100)
Good luck with it!
Good luck with it!
My first consultation cost £95, however if I went ahead with treatment (I am going ahead), that will be taken off the bill. This included a very thorough inspection, measurements as well as xrays and molds.
I did go for a second opinion, which only cost £30, but was nowhere near as comprehensive as the first one, was really just a visual inspection and a discussion.
While it may cost a lot, I believe a second opinion is very valuable, especially where major changes are recommended; ie. extractions / surgery.
I will be getting ceramic uppers (on Monday
) and metal lowers. I was quoted £1800 for all metal, £2800 for all ceramic, and £2300 for half and half.
I did go for a second opinion, which only cost £30, but was nowhere near as comprehensive as the first one, was really just a visual inspection and a discussion.
While it may cost a lot, I believe a second opinion is very valuable, especially where major changes are recommended; ie. extractions / surgery.
I will be getting ceramic uppers (on Monday
) and metal lowers. I was quoted £1800 for all metal, £2800 for all ceramic, and £2300 for half and half.I live in the Midlands, and paid £60, £80 and £90 for initial consultations. I was quoted close to £3000 for ceramics at all three, although I have quite a lot of work to be done estimated to take 2 years, so that have resulted in a higher quote. As far as payment, my options were all at once with a 5% discount, monthly interest free directed debits for a year, or with interest longer.
Off the subject a bit, and just my experience, but I found my ortho who does mainly private work on adults much better in terms of listening to me than the others that I consulted who did mainly NHS work. Also an orthodontist at his practice will see me on any day, roughly when in the day is best for me, if I need/want to be seen between adjustments. The practice can offer more frequent adjustments, when they think this is beneficial. The mainly NHS practices were much more rigid and less accomodating, and not any cheaper. If I were to have to pay for initial consultations again, I would ask what percentage of private work and rule out the ones that were mainly NHS.
Good luck!
Off the subject a bit, and just my experience, but I found my ortho who does mainly private work on adults much better in terms of listening to me than the others that I consulted who did mainly NHS work. Also an orthodontist at his practice will see me on any day, roughly when in the day is best for me, if I need/want to be seen between adjustments. The practice can offer more frequent adjustments, when they think this is beneficial. The mainly NHS practices were much more rigid and less accomodating, and not any cheaper. If I were to have to pay for initial consultations again, I would ask what percentage of private work and rule out the ones that were mainly NHS.
Good luck!
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gingerprince
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:08 am
- Location: Ireland
Hi Babydoll,
I also live in Northern Ireland.
Initially I consulted a few cosmetic dentists, all of which recommended I should get Orthodontics instead of Veneers, as my teeth were really healthy, and I only needed my bite/alignment sorted out.
They all recommended one particular Orthodontist (in Lisburn). I've been with him for 17 months now, and am nearly finished. I can't recommend him highly enough, very friendly, and does a great job.
My initial consultation with him was £50, but that was a year and a half ago.
If you want exact details of this Orthodontist, send me a private message and I'll get back to you.
Thanks,
GP
I also live in Northern Ireland.
Initially I consulted a few cosmetic dentists, all of which recommended I should get Orthodontics instead of Veneers, as my teeth were really healthy, and I only needed my bite/alignment sorted out.
They all recommended one particular Orthodontist (in Lisburn). I've been with him for 17 months now, and am nearly finished. I can't recommend him highly enough, very friendly, and does a great job.
My initial consultation with him was £50, but that was a year and a half ago.
If you want exact details of this Orthodontist, send me a private message and I'll get back to you.
Thanks,
GP
hello, I had a really bad time when i first wanted braces ( i was 21 at the time ) , I found it really hard to get a appointment anywhere with most places saying i was too old or they had a 6/8 month waiting list
my dentist set up my first ortho consultation which was £60 and just outside of birmingham city center uk, i went to this and he just look at my teeth and wrote up a report and passed me the paper with the costs on it.
£60 first consultation- paid
£80 for xrays and impresstions
£2900 for i think it was for upper ceramic and lower metal
aftercare not included and was too be worked out after treatment.
I could not afford this and i became really sad
Luckly i moved house , Just rang up the local dentist , got an consultation to see an ortho the following week .
Consultation free !!!
and they even took xrays and impresstions
all ceramic £2000 including after care .
so £2000 all in
This was back in 2004/2005 but it always pays to shop around and yes you can get free consultations if you are lucky and find a great dentist / ortho like mine . good luck
my dentist set up my first ortho consultation which was £60 and just outside of birmingham city center uk, i went to this and he just look at my teeth and wrote up a report and passed me the paper with the costs on it.
£60 first consultation- paid
£80 for xrays and impresstions
£2900 for i think it was for upper ceramic and lower metal
aftercare not included and was too be worked out after treatment.
I could not afford this and i became really sad
Luckly i moved house , Just rang up the local dentist , got an consultation to see an ortho the following week .
Consultation free !!!
and they even took xrays and impresstions all ceramic £2000 including after care .
so £2000 all in
This was back in 2004/2005 but it always pays to shop around and yes you can get free consultations if you are lucky and find a great dentist / ortho like mine . good luck
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LondonLingual
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Wed May 24, 2006 7:52 am
- Location: London
My advice: Get a recommendation here before you go and forget about price altogether. Although I did not go to a cheap Ortho, I have been dissappointed with the service and although I spent vast amounts of money, now I think back and realise that £1000 either way is nothing to get the right person. If you must spend £300 on consultations, do it until you are happy you have found the right person. Personal recommendation is the best way if you ask me. Check out every aspect of the service from the reception staff, to the nurses, to the amount of free openings for appointments they have each week, all this will prove to be important Best of luck!
London lad... Linguals (http://www.ormco.com/products/promotions/PDF/stb.pdf) on top and ceramics (http://www.gacmystique.com/) on bottom! UPDATE: now have ceramics on top too after gave up on linguals 18 months in!!!
Thank you everyone so much for your advice! It's good to know what others have paid, as I had no idea what the average kind of price was.
river - sounds like you got a fantastic deal there! Free consultation and ceramics for £2000, wow. The only places that I've found doing free consultations are places which only offer invisalign, which I don't think will be appropriate for me.
I'm in west yorkshire, so has anyone got any places that they specifically recommend aroud here? The only people I know who have had braces had them when they were younger so got NHS treatment and thus went to NHS orthodontists.
Just one more qustion, how long did people have to wait for a consultation, and then how long was it between the initial consultation and getting their braces on?
Thanks!
river - sounds like you got a fantastic deal there! Free consultation and ceramics for £2000, wow. The only places that I've found doing free consultations are places which only offer invisalign, which I don't think will be appropriate for me.
I'm in west yorkshire, so has anyone got any places that they specifically recommend aroud here? The only people I know who have had braces had them when they were younger so got NHS treatment and thus went to NHS orthodontists.
Just one more qustion, how long did people have to wait for a consultation, and then how long was it between the initial consultation and getting their braces on?
Thanks!
Momo, that is very expensive. Mine are 5700euro (am Irish) which is about £4500 as well, but since so many people here travel up north specifically for cheaper braces I wouldn't have though many UK dwellers would be paying the same!
babydoll, my consultation was booked for 2 weeks after I called the office. I didn't get my braces for a few months afterwards but that was my own choice- I was initially asked to come back for my follow up appointment and braces 4 weeks later.
I tried to get an appointment for invisalign in another clinic 4 years ago and was offered a consultation 10 months later! I ended up with ceramic braces beacuse I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign, but at least this time it only took two weeks to find that out!
babydoll, my consultation was booked for 2 weeks after I called the office. I didn't get my braces for a few months afterwards but that was my own choice- I was initially asked to come back for my follow up appointment and braces 4 weeks later.
I tried to get an appointment for invisalign in another clinic 4 years ago and was offered a consultation 10 months later! I ended up with ceramic braces beacuse I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign, but at least this time it only took two weeks to find that out!
Hi, I'm pretty sure my orthodontist practice does mainly NHS work but they take their time at appointments and if I have any issues, for instance with a poking wire, they're happy to see me asap so I wouldn't rule them out necessarily.
It took about 3 week from dentist referral to initial orthodontist appointment (chat + x rays) then they gave me 2 weeks thinking time and I went in for the second bit of the appointment (confirmation + moulds). It was a couple of months before I had my braces fitted as I needed to have work done ahead of that and it clashed with a holiday my orthodontist had booked, it does vary but if you're paying privately you should be thinking weeks not months.
It took about 3 week from dentist referral to initial orthodontist appointment (chat + x rays) then they gave me 2 weeks thinking time and I went in for the second bit of the appointment (confirmation + moulds). It was a couple of months before I had my braces fitted as I needed to have work done ahead of that and it clashed with a holiday my orthodontist had booked, it does vary but if you're paying privately you should be thinking weeks not months.
sooo... after emailing lots of people i have the choice narrowed down to two (i think...).
1.
- does only private work
- charges £156 for consultation (inc. 2 visits, xrays, moulds, pictures, etc.)
- charges the same regardless of whether you choose metal or ceramic (says the guide price is £2980 for comprehensive treatment, but for simpler problems they may be cheaper)
- takes about 30-40 mins to drive to
- the orthodontist replies personally to emails, repies quickly and seems very friendly
- will refund consultation fee if you pay up front at the start of treatment
- ceramic brackets are either invu or inovation-c (but she said if you want any other kind then she can surce those for you too)
2.
- only does private work
- charges £95 for consultation (inc. same as above)
- charges between £1800 to £3200
- only 5 mins drive away
- took longer to reply, and was replied to by receptionist
- uses clarity sl ceramic brackets
i can't afford to go to both, so i was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions for how i should go about making up my mind?!
also, having an internal struggle as to whether i want to go ahead at all - it seems like such a long time to commit to, and i'm not sure how others would react, etc... argh!! it's so hard to know what to do!
1.
- does only private work
- charges £156 for consultation (inc. 2 visits, xrays, moulds, pictures, etc.)
- charges the same regardless of whether you choose metal or ceramic (says the guide price is £2980 for comprehensive treatment, but for simpler problems they may be cheaper)
- takes about 30-40 mins to drive to
- the orthodontist replies personally to emails, repies quickly and seems very friendly
- will refund consultation fee if you pay up front at the start of treatment
- ceramic brackets are either invu or inovation-c (but she said if you want any other kind then she can surce those for you too)
2.
- only does private work
- charges £95 for consultation (inc. same as above)
- charges between £1800 to £3200
- only 5 mins drive away
- took longer to reply, and was replied to by receptionist
- uses clarity sl ceramic brackets
i can't afford to go to both, so i was wondering if anyone had any further suggestions for how i should go about making up my mind?!
also, having an internal struggle as to whether i want to go ahead at all - it seems like such a long time to commit to, and i'm not sure how others would react, etc... argh!! it's so hard to know what to do!
Shouldn't either one give a free look-see and give you an idea of what the problem is and general remedy could / should be? Before paying for a what is essentially the treatment plan? Cross-bite, under-bite, Class II div 2 etc. etc. Extractions no extractions.
I think you should get a general idea of what the problem is and what the remedy can be from both without having to pay a single penny. If both say them same thing, then you can determine which one based on the details you have - how many minutes to drive, refund of consult fee, type of brackets used.
Make a deal with both of them:
1. Free general consult
2. Refund of full consult fee should you decide to give them your money when you hire them for the job. Regardless of payment scheme
If one should fall for 2, and you get an idea from both for free what is wrong and what can be done, you can then get a full consult from both and cancel the cost out of one.
Something like
I think you should get a general idea of what the problem is and what the remedy can be from both without having to pay a single penny. If both say them same thing, then you can determine which one based on the details you have - how many minutes to drive, refund of consult fee, type of brackets used.
Make a deal with both of them:
1. Free general consult
2. Refund of full consult fee should you decide to give them your money when you hire them for the job. Regardless of payment scheme
If one should fall for 2, and you get an idea from both for free what is wrong and what can be done, you can then get a full consult from both and cancel the cost out of one.
Something like
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gwynneth23
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2007 1:11 pm
You would certainly think it should be possible to have a free appointment just to look at your teeth and give you a quote. That would be the norm in any other line of business!
BUT to be honest I don't think that's going to happen, ArchAngle. That just does not seem to be the case with orthodontics here in the UK. Like all the other respondents here, I paid for a consultation where they took x-rays, moulds etc. Their line of argument would probably be that it's not reasonable to expect them to give you a quote, until they have done the x-rays etc to see what would be involved.
It's really more like seeing any other kind of private medical consultant I think.
My consultation was £80 and I'm paying £1400 in total for ceramic braces on my upper teeth only. I should be done in 12 months in total. It's mainly just for cosmetic reasons because my teeth were crowded - I didn't have any dental problems or problems with my bite etc.
It's hard to advise you babydoll - it's such a personal decision. Only you know how much your teeth bother you, and how you would feel about the treatment. Read up on these boards - that will give you a great idea of what's involved, how other people react, how the braces feel etc.
What does your own dentist say about your bite problems? Are they causing you pain, or is it likely to damage your teeth or cause you pain in the future? If so I would say it's certainly worth going ahead with braces if you can.
And maybe ask around all your friends. When I started thinking about it, I asked my friends and colleagues what they thought. One of them knew two people who had had braces as adults. She gave me their details and I rang them for a chat. They were really helpful and that helped me understand what was involved too, to help me make up my mind.
Also if you can afford it, go for the (cheaper?!) consultation. That will help you make up your mind too, because they can tell you how long treatment will take, whether you will have to have extractions etc.
Lots of people here will say 'go for it!' and I'm certainly glad I'm having mine done. I wasn't really self-conscious about my teeth before, but it does feel great having straight teeth now! The way I look at it is, if it costs £1400, and as a result I have straight teeth for 30 years (I'm already 40!), then that's like spending £50 a year on my appearance - much less than I spend on haircuts etc!!
BUT to be honest I don't think that's going to happen, ArchAngle. That just does not seem to be the case with orthodontics here in the UK. Like all the other respondents here, I paid for a consultation where they took x-rays, moulds etc. Their line of argument would probably be that it's not reasonable to expect them to give you a quote, until they have done the x-rays etc to see what would be involved.
It's really more like seeing any other kind of private medical consultant I think.
My consultation was £80 and I'm paying £1400 in total for ceramic braces on my upper teeth only. I should be done in 12 months in total. It's mainly just for cosmetic reasons because my teeth were crowded - I didn't have any dental problems or problems with my bite etc.
It's hard to advise you babydoll - it's such a personal decision. Only you know how much your teeth bother you, and how you would feel about the treatment. Read up on these boards - that will give you a great idea of what's involved, how other people react, how the braces feel etc.
What does your own dentist say about your bite problems? Are they causing you pain, or is it likely to damage your teeth or cause you pain in the future? If so I would say it's certainly worth going ahead with braces if you can.
And maybe ask around all your friends. When I started thinking about it, I asked my friends and colleagues what they thought. One of them knew two people who had had braces as adults. She gave me their details and I rang them for a chat. They were really helpful and that helped me understand what was involved too, to help me make up my mind.
Also if you can afford it, go for the (cheaper?!) consultation. That will help you make up your mind too, because they can tell you how long treatment will take, whether you will have to have extractions etc.
Lots of people here will say 'go for it!' and I'm certainly glad I'm having mine done. I wasn't really self-conscious about my teeth before, but it does feel great having straight teeth now! The way I look at it is, if it costs £1400, and as a result I have straight teeth for 30 years (I'm already 40!), then that's like spending £50 a year on my appearance - much less than I spend on haircuts etc!!
Very interesting, and also very peculiar to me.
How does one go about initiating orthodontics there?
Sit on the phone and phone them up where they give you the list of answers to questions posed (or via email as in this case), without even looking. Seems to be missing a step of going in for a look-see. Then again I can see the point of filtering out the bored and lonely who may do that just to kill and after noon.
Seriously though, with the first guy who responds to his emails. How about taking some decent photos open mouth closed, side etc. (check the brace story section for good clear shots one can take), and email them to that guy so he can maybe give some idea at minimum what the problem is. I think it would be important to know what the problem is before anything and for sure one should not have to pay for that. Even your dentist should be able to give an idea. If it is glaring overbite, under bite, mega over jet, etc. Or just a few skew teeth with a good bite, you can take it to the next step. If super complicated with possibilities of extractions head gear, surgery, then as many consultings and costings it takes, is worth it. If you get an idea that the case is straightforward, just go with the one ortho. You need some idea of what the problem is before doing anything for sure.
Try the photos to the one first as well as seeing what your dentist says. Or just jump in with the first guy who seems to be interested / capable / bothered enough to answer his own emails.
Who does you dentist recommend?
Even do a drive by and visit their practices - have a look at their portfolios - should cost anything. Even something as simple as that can give the the right feel who to go with.
Anyway good luck. Don't worry about what other people think about you having braces. And also the 2 years or so fly by and at the end of the day you simply cannot regret getting your teeth fixed.