I just received a quote from an orthodontist to fit either braces or Invisalign for my 12 year old kid. The price was the same regardless of which option selected.
I nearly fell over when she said $9200. There is no jaw surgery or anything out of the ordinary.
Is this the going rate for braces these days? I rang another place and they said 'sounds about right'.
No joy with private health insurance either as all I would get back is $800 a year, which is what I would pay to get the top 'extras' anyway.
The practices are in South/Eastern Sydney.
Thanks.
How Much Did You Pay for Braces or Invisalign?
Zaxxon on 13/11/2019 - 20:37
Comments
thanks Lenny
Lisa needs braces.
I was charged aprox $6800 (I can't remember the exact price offhand but it was in the high $6000s) for my teenager's braces a few months ago. They are just the basic metal braces, since that is what the orthodontist recommended. I paid $2000 upfront and am paying the rest in installments at each visit. Our orthodontist is in the Sydney CBD.
thanks wizzy. I think I'm getting shafted.
Man… that price is almost criminal
https://orthodonticsaustralia.org.au/how-much-braces-cost/
It will vary on the issues and treatment (and competition - note living in a high income area means higher prices I suspect). Some places charge for inevitable repairs.
I paid $7500 for mine in 2017, Melbourne. Got the standard metal braces. I don't think the price increases for more complex teeth issues, there's just a standard cost for each type of braces. Probably could've gone to a cheaper place but my dentist recommended the place for my referral.
$7k for braces, $8k for Invisalign. discount for cash. $800 back each year from health fund (max $2k). Health funds are pointless.
$6.5k for mine from someone in the north. My son's going to double that easily, already spent $6.5k on whatever those maxillary expander and once he hits 12 years old, braces.
Yeah, from memory, my Invisalign was around $8k in total quite a few years back.
I remember getting pretty much all of the initial fee (several thousand, I think) back from my health fund - maxed out my life time orthodontics benefit.
The rest was paid in installments over the course of the treatment.
I don't begrudge the guy his fee… my teeth were starting off from a pretty extreme state and they didn't charge me a cent more for the two and a half years of visits, three refinements to the retainers, and a bunch of temporary fixtures to help the Invisalign do their thing.
I'm pretty sure that I would never have stuck with regular braces that long. I couldn't be happier with the results.
Regular braces should be a lot cheaper than Invisalign. I did the latter last year for $8k.
Get a couple more quotes, if you can.
Oh.. just re-read OP's post. I was under the impression that most orthodontists don't recommended Invisalign for kids.
Having gone through it myself, your kid would have to be extremely mature for a 12 year old to even consider Invisalign as a serious option.
A good orthodontist will be very upfront with you… Invisalign can be as good as regular braces, but you've gotta be very disciplined. You get as much as you put in… if you're not disciplined the standard flat fee generally doesn't cover refinements to the aligners due to not sticking to the programme. So you either fork out extra, stop Invisalign altogether, or switch to braces.
Completely agree - I've gone through it myself and I have a couple of 12-year-olds. One is quite neat, organised and careful, and I'd maaayybe consider letting her do it, but probably not. The other can't even keep track of her hair ties - no way. All the cleaning required to prevent tooth decay and keep the aligners from stinking, the need to take them out for eating but still wear them for as close to 22 hours a day … I sometimes found all that hard to remember and fit in even as a reasonably responsible adult.
Clear top Metal bottom 2 years, $6k.
Cheaper to pay outright than using a finance option
Both my teenage boys were fitted with braces in Brisbane a few months ago. Approx $7500 each, with 5% disc if paid upfront , 5% disc for second child and they fitted the top teeth with the white enamel braces for no extra charge. Total price includes all appointments including after care. Both not difficult cases Health fund rebate off total and balance over an 18 month direct debit plan.
I work for an orthodontist. Costs vary depending on treatment type, length, and complexity. Invisalign is usually longer, treats simpler cases, and is costlier. The trays come from the USA which means it's not cheap.
My employer charges around $6800 for basic treatment with braces. $9200 may be a bit high, but you are in Sydney so costs may be higher. If in doubt, seek a second opinion.
The standard of treatment varies. My orthodontist fixes breakages for free but if a patient is non compliant and keeps coming back with more they start to get charged for it.
6k clear for braces in 2015, got 2k back from health fund over the years
Not a recommendation, only found with a search, but might be worth consideration:
https://bexleydental.com.au/lp-invisalign-landing-page/?utm_…Lol downvoted by orthodontic haters.
hey they gave me free teeth whitening which is great but they gave completely random advice when compared with orthodontists I met up with!
~$6k each for both of my kids (4 years ago).
Aline Orthodontics Hurstville for the eldest
Smile Design Hurstville for the youngest.
I wouldn't use Smile Design again.
They were always running late. Usually 45 mins but often over 1 hour.
My rapport with the orthodontist was less than optimal. He wasn't a good listener and had a high regard for his own intelligence. (I'm trying to be diplomatic). Negotiation is difficult when somebody is carrying out cosmetic changes to your child's teeth.I got lucky, whe I found out I needed invisiligns/ braces, I went home to think about it, and came across a Groupon deal for invisiligns … A full set program. Andit cost me just under $5K. Knowing th as most teeth straightening costs close to $10k. I bough it, coz it had the fine print that my money would be refunded if free the first consultion it was deemed I ws not suitable for invisiligns. Look at groupon deals… U may find 1 near u
I paid $6500 for my daughters braces and $5000 for my Invisilign. 2 different dentists in the Ryde area.
Paid $5800 for half ceramics half traditional in 2011. Sibling paid $6200 for the same set up, but I think her case was slightly more challenging.
Another sibling paid $6000 in 2017 for self-ligating braces.
Cousin had invisalign, it cost them hell a lot more and bloody long time to achieve the same result (4-5 years).
Invisalign takes a long time, patience and persistence. This includes If your child can't commit to that, it's best to stick with braces.
Its moments like this I am glad I do not have any teeth
It's crazy how much it costs these days. Got my braces around 20 years ago, fairly sure parents didn't pay anymore than $3000.
For that amount of money, I would expect a 3D model of my face showing before and after.
I visited two orthodontists for an initial consultation, and they both behaved like car salesmen. They were in a rush, didn't like that I asked a lot of questions, and were pretty vague about the expected result. The vibe rings alarm bells for me, and I imagine that they would rarely recommend no treatment.
I had braces as a kid, and the orthodontist pulled too many teeth and I ended up with a quite pronounced recessed jaw. Hence my general distrust. Feel sorry for my parents who paid a lot of money for a bad result.
Having said all that, I think 99% of the time it's appropriate, and the treatment has been around a long time so very rarely any problems these days.
Actually, Invisalign did provide the 3d animations of your treatment plan with each refinement to your set of aligners.
Mine was quite a while back, I'd hope that they still do nowadays.
Any tips on how to convince my kid to become an orthodontist?
I wonder how much it costs them to make the aligners? Can't be that expensive with all the 3D printing technology around.
Thanks for everyone's comments. Looks like the average prices were $6,500-$8,000 (taking into account a bit of inflation).
I think I'm going to go back to them and just press for more granular breakdown of the costs. I also find it a little dodgy that both the braces and the Invisalign magically work out as the same price. Failing that I will shop around.
Have you heard of ClearCorrect? It's a much cheaper alternative than Invisalign from what I've heard. https://www.dentistscost.com.au/clear-correct-aligners.html
I paid $8,500 for my invisalign from CCC in Mosman. So far I am really happy with the results, easy to book appointments and they're always on time! Price inclusive of refinements, teeth whitening at the end of treatment and a set of retainer.
Anyone have experience of Smilestyler for a 12 year old? They seem to be an Australian version of Invisalign and regular dentists fit. I think very expensive and discipline required though.
https://www.smilestyler.com.au/Any 2022 updates on this topic?
My braces were 6000 back in 2011.
Dental Plan!