How do they figure out what to charge you?

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#1 Post by **lt81** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:48 pm

I have a question but not sure if anyone will be able to help.

How do they know what to charge for invisalign - is it dependant upon number of aligners? My dentist talks about easy or extreme cases to calculate the fee.

What distinguishes between the two? Number of aligners or other issues?

The reason I ask is I have discovered other people are paying A LOT less at the same dentist as me - I am having 17/17 and they are having 15/15. The difference is about Â£1,000 which seems absurd to me!

#2 Post by **myhollywoodsmile** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:40 pm

Hi there,

Ok, As far as I know there is standard Invisalign (as many aligners as you need, some refinements, mid course corrections possible), there is also Invisalign express ( limit on number of aligners- I think 10, plus much less ability to refine etc). There is also Invisalign teen for people that have unerupted teeth, but some ortho's always use this as you can get more replacements for lost aligners.

Standard invisalign and Invisalign teen are roughly, depending on ortho, the same price. Express is generally much less.

Also, I presume, some cases need to be seen more often, need more Ipr, all things that might influence the cost.

I think it all depends on your ortho. I believe, but may be wrong, that my ortho has two price bands, express for simple cases and standard for everything more than 10 aligners. Some ortho's do differentiate a lot more though. I am paying $6300 ish for standard, although that is Au dollars so would be slightly less Us

#3 Post by **John37** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:38 am

I'm not sure exactly, but perhaps the person with 15/15 has an easier case. I know it's only 2 aligners less, but maybe you have crowding that needs to be checked more frequently and the other person only has spaces/gaps that are being closed, so he requires less checkups. They may anticipate refinements for you and not for the other person.

#4 Post by **Lloydy** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:19 am

Hi I think its what you can negotiate with your dentist. I assume threre is a guidleline but its depends on how you are paying ie; cash or finance.
My initial price was Â£4k then I was told they had a promo and on the day as I was putting the majority down in cash & financing a small amount I negoiated & gto them for Â£2500 - a good price I reckon. Also my dentist said the more they do the cheaper it becomes to the patients.

#5 Post by **BraceFace2o1o** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:48 am

When I was looking arouind for a suitable Ortho I also came across a few who charged different prices depending on your case. Most were in the price of between Â£3000 to Â£4000.

The Ortho I have decided to go with charges a set price for everyone. (Â£2400). That's for upper and lower, refinements, retainer/s, whitening and a years after care.

I do believe they get a 'discount' from Invisaling themselves, so perhaps that's why they can charge so little and have a set price for all patients, no matter how easy or severe their case is.

#6 Post by **12U14L** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:16 pm

My understanding is that (aside from invisalign express) Invisalign charges the ortho different amounts for cases taking under a year and those over a year. since the ortho has to quote you a price in advance, they will make an estimate of whether they expect more or less than a years treatment and charge you accordingly.

#7 Post by **Natalyah44** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:47 pm

12U14L wrote:My understanding is that (aside from invisalign express) Invisalign charges the ortho different amounts for cases taking under a year and those over a year. since the ortho has to quote you a price in advance, they will make an estimate of whether they expect more or less than a years treatment and charge you accordingly.

Great little topic.
And Nice work--thank you for sharing- for me this makes perfect sense though.

#8 Post by **Mr Rich Uk** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:24 am

I've gone to a place in Harley Street, London. Basically they charge a fixed price of Â£1,800 which is way cheaper than anywhere else. The price is the same for whatever you need.

Someone I know through work went there and everything had gone fine, and the only extra you may have to pay for is if you require a retainer at the end.

So I'm not sure how other work out how much to charge, but all I know is this place (Q Clinic) have been really good so far.

#9 Post by **DrJasonKTam** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 5:35 am

12U14L wrote:My understanding is that (aside from invisalign express) Invisalign charges the ortho different amounts for cases taking under a year and those over a year. since the ortho has to quote you a price in advance, they will make an estimate of whether they expect more or less than a years treatment and charge you accordingly.

Not sure about other parts of the world, but this is not true in North America. Patient cases are not prepaid. There is a rebate schedule for Invisalign doctors here corresponding to the number of cases per quarter. That per quarter target is not reached by most providers, and the initial rebate level is about $125 per case... not an amount significant enough to drastically reduce the fees.