Metal Mouth Message Board

Today I went for a consultation and was told the total costs would come out to be around $7000cdn. The treatment involves braces on both upper and lower teeth to close multiplie spaces and correct minor overbite...on for around two years with visits every 6-8 weeks.

From what I have read before most people say their costs are in the 2000-3000 range. Does anyone have any insight into the discrepancies or am I simply being ripped off?

My ceramic uppers and metal lowers are setting me back just a hair under US$5,000 here in the Midwest. Insurance is covering a portion of it, albeit a small one...

Mstikl in California is paying ~$4800.00 out of pocket, looking at about 18 months for treatment.
I hear some ortho's charge a standard fee, and others charge by the complexity of the case.
I also hear some orthos charge a 'switching fee' if you change to them after another ortho installed the hardware.
Is it a good idea, if you're worried, to comparison shop, and have an itemized treatment outline before your start? Is it possible?
Best wishes!

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.

Needless to say - I went with the second one! So, shop around!

-Cathy
Day 11

Useful thread! I'm very curious, especially on other people in the UK.

My treatment plan would have cost £3500 (pounds sterling) if I had metal all around, £4000 if I had ceramics on the uppers only and £4500 for ceramics on both (which is the option I went for). So it would be double that in US dollars but as the dollar is doing so badly at the moment, I think timesing my figures by 1.5 instead of 2 would be more representative.

Initially, the ortho said that it might come in at £2500-3500 (broken up at the same way as above) but once the treatment plan was done, it came in at the figures I said at the beginning, for example I had to have a bite plate which added £300 onto the amount.

I expect I am paying on the high end as I am in central London so things always cost more. In dental terms, I pay £60 for a dental consultation and £70 for a hygienist appointment (reason more expensive than consultation with dentist is it's longer). I did consider shopping around for an ortho but I'd have had to pay consultancy fees to every one but much more importantly I felt comfortable with my one. She's excellent. Also, my ortho is based at my dental surgery (1-2 days a week) which is less than 10 mins walk from my home so I don't have to shlep around London on public transport. She's just in a room on her own with an assistant and does most things herself with assistance (I've read on the board of other people visiting clinics where there are lots of chairs and assistants doing stuff and then the ortho comes around).

I think the price I'm paying for the ortho treatment is more than worth it (especially considering what I'll get at the end of it). The thing that does seem expensive to me is the difference between the metals and the ceramics...?!

The quarterly hygienist appointments that the ortho has recommended will also add quite a bit to the total (£380 a year). I am tempted to shop around for a place where I can get this cheaper but on the other hand I like the hygienist at the dental clinic (as she's very sensitive to the fact that I'm sensitive to dental stuff) and also if she knocks off a bracket or something by accident, I know it will be hassle free as it's all the same clinic.

I'm in the UK too, Tigerlily, and my treatment also cost me just over £4000. I'm not in London but my treatment is more than averagely complex, and the price reflects that. My adjustment appointments are double-length (at least 20 minutes), I've had 3 different Nance appliances and will probably need one more, and two micro implant screws.

FYI, ceramic brackets really do cost more than metals. The metal ones cost mere pence, but each ceramic bracket costs about £7 wholesale.

hiya, im from the uk and my ortho cost was £2000. It pays to shop around thought. my first visit to an ortho ( near the center of birmingham ) cost me £60 consutation fee , then for the next visit for the moulds it would cost £80 then treatment cost of £2900 not inc after care . it was just to much and i coulnt afford it.

luckly i moved area and were my ortho consulation fee was free , plus free moulds taken the same day. and then a total cost of £2000 including after care.
tc sarah

Hi im from the UK and i am paying out £2150 for my treatment.

This will be to fix my overbite and overjet and slight crossbite of a molar on one side. I will have a nance button throughout my treatment as well. My treatment will be for 15 months with a visit every 6 weeks.

My consultation cost £20 and i will be getting four teeth extracted at my NHS dentist for around £50.

Hannah x

Before I moved to the USA I was looking at braces in Canada. I was quoted about $5000 CAD for the whole treatment, which is identical to what I am paying in the States. It may vary greatly on which part of Canada you live in, but since this was the price from SK it most likely on the lower end of cost for braces in Canada. (Not implying anything about SK except for the lower cost of living in general).

Good luck with your treatment!

Hello, I live in Iowa, just got braces put on this past Monday. My total cost was $4700.00. I paid $200 for intitial consultation fee, then put $1500 down so I am making payments of $125 for the next 24 months. I know that every place is different . Good luck!! Lori

Grinderman,

I'm in Canada and my treatment is $5600. That includes my damon braces and retainer when I am done.


$7000 does seem a bit excessive!

I'm in Alabama paying $4200 out of pocket - clear brackets on top and 18 month treatment time. I didn't shop around at all but I like my ortho and his office staff and I think the price is reasonable so I'm fine. Seems like in the ballpark of everyone else.

i would say definitely shop around for costs. I went to 3 different places not only for cost but ortho as well. Anyhow i was quoted 6-7 thousand for braces at the first place i went too. Second place it was cheaper but dont recall price (didnt like the ortho or the office staff) and third place (place i am at) just a little over $5000. You can just say $5000 pretty much. I make payments and there is no interest charges or finance charges of any kind on the entire repayment (i thought that was great)! I am from Michigan and have metal on upper and lower.

That £7 per ceramic was just quickly grabbed off orthoshop.uk's site. I don't think they were any special brand, just "generic".

I think someone mentioned they'd paid £179 (?) for 10 ceramics for Clarity (?) as they were on the NHS so ceramics not possible but their ortho had given them details to order them.
So allowing for breakages etc, maybe I'm not paying over the odds. I don't know what brand my ceramics are but they don't seem much bigger than my metals.