Metal Mouth Message Board

I was wondering with Invisalign, do you pay for the final result, doesnt matter how many trays you get?
Or maybe some practicioners charge more with more trays?
I heard they charge you up to $200 if you lose a tray and want a replacement.

Just curious, please let me know

So, in a sense, more trays should be more $$$

I think the price is pretty much the same regardless of the number of trays you are given (unless you go with Invisalign Express - 10 trays or less total - that was quoted to me at half the price essentially). Three refinements are included in the price I paid, but I think the number of available refinements varies from country to country. So, theoretically, extra refinements might cost extra. Also, some orthos include retainers and retainer follow-up in the initial cost, while others don't, so you could see a variation in price there, as well.

Also, losing a tray is a special case, although my ortho would not charge extra for it unless I lost them on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that a big part of the price of orthodontics is paying for the expertise of the doctor, not just the treatment.

That's part of the reason why metal brackets are in the same ball-park, regardless of how long the treatment time is.

Of course there is variability, but length of treatment isn't nearly as much of a predictor of cost as complexity of treatment.

One ortho I consulted quoted the price for me over the phone before ever seeing me; he said he charges $5050 for every case - no matter what needed to be done and no matter whether we would go with metal or Invisalign. My dentist also has a set price for Invisalign. However, my daughter's ortho did not quote a price until after he saw her. I also did a consult with him, and although the price was similar to my daughter's quote, it varied by a few hundred dollars. Go figure!

Our Invisalign fees vary depending on the level of difficulty and the length of time for treatment. We view Invisalign as a technique, not a product. This is the same situation as with fixed braces.

There isn't the same cost for us to correct some minor crowding or spacing in under a year, in comparison to someone with severe crowding requiring extractions for two years. More trays generally means a more severe malocclusion to start, requiring greater expertise, as well as expenses for chair time. Doctors who have a blanket fee for Invisalign likely aren't treating as wide a range of malocclusions.