Metal Mouth Message Board

I learned that it pays to shop around. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first Orthodontist that I went to quoted me $7,400.00 out of pocket for full upper and lowers, they did not take my insurance either and charged me $50.00 for the consultation. The second one I found after many phone calls quoted me $2,450. 00 out of pocket and $800.00 from my insurance and the consultation was free.

That is very cheap!!!!!!!
I am living in same area and I am paying $6000! I dont have a car, so I cant easily go to "cheaper villages". To get braces in Western dental would have been around $4000 or less, but I have read about problems with western dental. The ortho office i visit is well known here, and when ever I complain something to my general dentist, he just says "trust them, they know what they are doing". ... but what you pay is so much less than i do

On a related note, what does everyone pay for the monthly visits? I might be having to change orthos mid treatment, and my current amount is set at $175 (not paying it yet, but that's what it will be). Does it vary by geographic location?

My braces will be $4,000. This includes my records appointment, an estimated 12-18 months of treatment, and my retainers.

I did quite a bit of research, and finally decided to go with my ortho for two reasons:

1. The doctor and her staff are all really friendly, and I feel very comfortable in the office.

2. I work a fair distance from where I live, and she's the only ortho I found in the area who is open on Saturday's! (That was the big one!)

So, basically, with the exception of my actual appointment to get braced, all adjustments, etc. will be on Saturday's which will keep me from having to miss work and/or leave early all the time.

Mine is $5,600 and I'm paying for all of it. I'd rather pay for it and be able to choose the orthodontist then be stuck with someone I don't really feel comfortable with through insurance. Also I chose to have PPO dental insurance through BlueCross which doesn't cover ortho, BlueCross HMO does, but it's not worth it still because I like to have the flexible to change my primary dentist etc whenever I feel like it.

PPO coverage is more expensive than HMO btw. It's odd that the cheaper plan would cover ortho but not the more expensive plan. I prefer paying more for flexibility and better service.

Around 5k is average for where I live for ortho, I think it's a fair price.
I have no problem paying for all of it as long as my teeth look fantastic in the end.