Charged in full but with only 10 aligners

[Fiona C]

Started wearing my first tray last week. It's been pretty manageable so far. I'm a patient at one of those fancy, esteemed..sumptuous cosmetic dental offices. The surgeons have been in the media and work with many actors and models. They are extremely nice people, the experience and professionalism there is wonderful. Anyway, I was quoted around 6k for invisalign braces before actually starting treatment. When I arrived at my first appointment to get my attachments and try on my first tray I learned I only had 10 aligners and that I would be finished within a few months. My hygienist commented that it was the fewest she'd ever seen someone receive. I had little insight on the matter and the number didn't mean very much to me. Until that is I read about other people having 20, 30 plus aligners. Crazy! Anyway, I think I was charged a flat rate which some offices have for Invisalign but I will still inquire about the price w.r.t the length of treatment. I hope I can in a diplomatic, gracious tone. Isn't it outrageous that one could pay so much no matter what the length of their treatment? Outrageous..

[sammywantstraightteeth]

Outrageous for someone such as yourself who has such a short treatment time. A great thing for those that need 30+ aligners.

I paid a flat rate, and I require 24 aligners, so I'm pretty much in the middle somewhere and my costs are probably about right. Although my provider isn't at all interested in seeing me unless I think I have a problem.

I'd love to know how much invisalign actually charge the providers though, and if they have a flat rate or base it on number of aligners.

[kcj]

I started out with 10 aligners and asked the exact same question! I figured I should be on Invisalign Express since I had so few liners, and that would save me a couple thousand dollars.

Fast forward to the end of my original 10, and I now have 10 more for my 1st set of refinements. Had I been on Express, the refinements would not have been included. I think I would have been more reluctant to be not quite satisfied with the result if I had to pay more for refinements, so keep that in mind as your treatment progresses.

[ohioinvisguy]

"I'm a patient at one of those fancy, esteemed..sumptuous cosmetic dental offices. The surgeons have been in the media and work with many actors and models"

You just answered your own question. Did you shop around for treatment at an office that isn't "famous"?

[Fiona C]

I went through some of my paperwork and it includes 3 refinements and upper and lower retainers. A replacement aligner is 65 dollars. Complimentary in office Zoom whitening at the end of treatment. I received this documentation before starting treatment. As for shopping around, no I didn't. I've been with this dental office since I was a child and never thought to. I've never had a problem with how my oral care was being carried out or with the professional staff. I don't know, I guess they will clarify the rate on my next visit when I breach the subject as delicately as I can. My point in mentioning the success of the business was to suggest the possible notion that some offices would charge a flat rate for invisalign? Kcj--better safe than sorry I guess. Your experience is comforting.

[DrJasonKTam]

There are a couple of different ways to view this and each office is allowed to select how they wish to approach Invisalign/orthodontic fees. As it is a fee for service, the doctor can choose whichever approach they wish, and if you feel it is unreasonable, then it is your prerogative whether you would like to be seen elsewhere.

Some doctors feel that their job is to get your teeth from where they are now, to an improved final result. No matter what that takes, they feel that their patients are paying for a specific result. Certainly, that will benefit those that have longer treatment times and those with shorter times may be "subsidizing" others.

That being said, it is more common to have different fees based upon the level of difficulty/amount of time treatment takes. One of the great difficulties for many doctors is accurately estimating the amount of time Invisalign treatment takes, leaving it to Align technicians to dictate the number of aligners. Keep in mind that the number of initial aligners does not necessarily indicate the amount of time you will be in treatment, as mentioned above. Also, a cosmetic dental office that has been in the newspaper does not speak to anything with regards to their quality, nor experience of Invisalign treatment.

Best of luck speaking to your doctor. You may just go ahead and ask directly whether there are different fees for Invisalign depending on duration. You may also ask about whether you should expect refinement. Be prepared that, regardless of their answer, there may be little to nothing that you can do because of what has been stated above.