Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey guys. This is on off the wall question but I couldn't find it anywhere online. I was just thinking; on average braces cost about $4000. How much does it cost for the orthodontist offices to buy the brackets & wires? Perhaps the cost of producing the parts?

The average prices clearly reflects that it is expensive (or else they wouldn't charge so much). Does anyone have any clue?

My morbid curiosity lol

No idea what the wholesale cost of the braces would be but presumably it's just one of many costs that are factored into an overall price (including the orthodontist's time, dental assistants' time, running costs of the practice, equipment, insurance, etc) so it's not necessarily that the braces themselves are pricey but rather the significant investment of time, equipment, human and other resources that go into a full orthodontic treatment.

My treatment is costing around €1400 so a lot cheaper than the US I think. So perhaps litigation insurance is a big cost for you there...?

I was just looking this up today myself lol. I found one site that listed the price of a bracket at $1.09-$2+. I'll see if I can find it again & post it.

The cost of the actual materials in a treatment can vary on the order of a couple hundred to a thousand dollars. When it comes to Invisalign, we're looking at up to a couple of thousand. As mentioned above, the cost of the treatment itself is not dependent on materials, but rather the costs involved in the service provided as well as the expertise to deliver the results. This is part of why even amongst offices, there is going to be a difference in cost for treatment. We often explain to patients that they are not buying the braces but buying a service to get towards a specific result, with differing results depending on who is doing the treatment, and how it is planned out.

A good analogy for this would be to ask how much a consultant's materials cost when they work on a project for a company. Most of them time the materials are minimal, but what is being paid for is the thought process and direction towards an end goal.

Hope that helps!

I paid $3040 in cash for my braces. I decided to not go with monthly payments haha. Anyways I definitely agree that you are primarily paying for the expertise of the orthodontist. I feel as if the actual braces material couldn't be anymore than $1000.

Quick tip: getting orthodontics at a school rather than an "established" practice is much cheaper, with little trade-offs in term of expertise. Schools are just as good as a more expensive office.

DrJasonKTam wrote:The cost of the actual materials in a treatment can vary on the order of a couple hundred to a thousand dollars. When it comes to Invisalign, we're looking at up to a couple of thousand. As mentioned above, the cost of the treatment itself is not dependent on materials, but rather the costs involved in the service provided as well as the expertise to deliver the results. This is part of why even amongst offices, there is going to be a difference in cost for treatment. We often explain to patients that they are not buying the braces but buying a service to get towards a specific result, with differing results depending on who is doing the treatment, and how it is planned out.

A good analogy for this would be to ask how much a consultant's materials cost when they work on a project for a company. Most of them time the materials are minimal, but what is being paid for is the thought process and direction towards an end goal.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for your response, Dr. Tam! Makes sense to me.

TylerWithBraces wrote:I paid $3040 in cash for my braces. I decided to not go with monthly payments haha. Anyways I definitely agree that you are primarily paying for the expertise of the orthodontist. I feel as if the actual braces material couldn't be anymore than $1000.

Quick tip: getting orthodontics at a school rather than an "established" practice is much cheaper, with little trade-offs in term of expertise. Schools are just as good as a more expensive office.

This is exactly what I'm doing my case is "simple", a re-treat from not wearing my retainers as a teenager. I'm going to Jacksonville University school of Orthodontics for ceramics. The cost is $2,300. Unsure of what it would be at a private practice. The school estimates they offer services at 30%.

TylerWithBraces wrote:I paid $3040 in cash for my braces. I decided to not go with monthly payments haha. Anyways I definitely agree that you are primarily paying for the expertise of the orthodontist. I feel as if the actual braces material couldn't be anymore than $1000.

Quick tip: getting orthodontics at a school rather than an "established" practice is much cheaper, with little trade-offs in term of expertise. Schools are just as good as a more expensive office.

In my case a nearby dental school was not much cheaper than a regular Orthodontist office (like $300 difference), and financing was easier at the Orthodontist office (the dental school only worked with Care Credit)

Strangely enough Amazon sells brackets. From a brief search; $3.50ish a set. But; it's like drinking at a bar; you're paying for the "ambiance." You're paying for the knowledge, experience, training, equipment, tools, computers, staff, and everything else you see in the office that allows your ortho to treat you efficiently.

Nozzelnut wrote:Strangely enough Amazon sells brackets. From a brief search; $3.50ish a set. But; it's like drinking at a bar; you're paying for the "ambiance." You're paying for the knowledge, experience, training, equipment, tools, computers, staff, and everything else you see in the office that allows your ortho to treat you efficiently.

I have never heard that comparison but I think it is terrific!