Hi all - I am 30. Late to the the braces party. I can’t afford full set of ceramic braces - orthodontist said I could get half and half to reduce the cost by 25%. Should I get top teeth as ceramic or bottom ? I am unsure which teeth are more visible when speaking to someone.
Orthodontist said it was my choice.
Also if anyone has had experience is there any other advantage to ceramic braces other than aesthetics?
Top are always more visible but bottom are more visible than you think when speaking. Irrespective don’t let it cramp your style. I know lots of people who got braces in their 30s and just owned it - a lot easier than in the teens. Now it’s your personality and company that people like you for.
I just want to know if you can earn Qantas points https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/624037
when you pay for Braces. lol
Also if anyone has had experience is there any other advantage to ceramic braces other than aesthetics?
Isn't there a disadvantage with ceramic in that they are more brittle than metal so can get damaged easier?
Also from memory the ceramic and metal have different levels of friction so ceramic can take longer than metal for some applications I believe.
Correct, it's a lot easier to damage or have the ceramic break off leading to having to go back for a ln appointment to re-adhere it on. It also takes longer normally (incl. breakages) versus metallic in terms of progress although the time may not be very significant.
Invisalign has become a lot more affordable nowadays and could be an option?
Depending on how complex your situation is, you can either go top front with least need for movement and the rest metal.
Top ceramic bottom metallic. You could go top 6 ceramic as well to save cost. Looking at my old photos, you could barely tell I had braces, but again…photo resolutions weren't great back then.
Anyone use Invisalign instead?
I’m doing Invisalign/Spark right now. Cost $7k. Top and bottom. 20 trays. I pay via DentiCare payment plan over 2 years. Interest free.
How long do you have to wear invisalign for?
Can invisalign fix crooked teeth?
I wish costco can do braces at a more affordable prices like they do with hearing aids.
How long do you have to wear invisalign for?
If you meant per day, it's recommended to wear your trays for at least 20-22 hours. That doesn't leave you much time to eat, drink, etc but the more disciplined you are, the better the results (obviously). Given how much I'm forking out, I'm running a pretty tight ship!
If you meant overall, it depends on how much work/realigning you need done, how well your teeth respond, etc. I'm personally on an initial 40 week plan (20 x trays @ 14 days wear each) but once I got around to tray 6, my ortho suggested reducing the time to 10 days to accelerate the process. This is fairly common based on my research.
Note though I've heard some people thinking they're done after 20 trays only to find they need another set (how many depends on how much more work is required!). Best to work close with your ortho — everyone's situation is different.
Can invisalign fix crooked teeth?
100%. Even after 10 trays I've noticed significant movement. I'd recommend checking out comments, reviews, photos, etc on https://www.reddit.com/r/Invisalign. There are some amazing transformations on there. There's also lots of reviews/experiences shared on YouTube.
I wish costco can do braces at a more affordable prices like they do with hearing aids.
Hopefully one day :) In the interim, if you have private health insurance, pro tip: consider repayments via DentiCare (as I mentioned) if your ortho supports it because you can spread the payments over multiple years (ask for as long as possible since it's "interest free") & therefore claim the respective portions each year via your insurer.
@fault: wow, some of them are not even bad to begin with. Like this one here
https://preview.redd.it/9yat0rofxyf71.jpg?width=640&crop=sma…
Mine is a bit more crooked than that, similar to this one
https://preview.redd.it/eszvrb22czf71.jpg?width=640&crop=sma…
Do all practices offer denti care? Is it fully interest free with no hidden cost?
wow, some of them are not even bad to begin with
Everyone has their own perception of "bad" :) While I'm only mid-way, my main regret is I wish I had done/started this sooner! It's a good time to do it with COVID & WFH.
Do all practices offer denti care?
No idea sorry but their website says they offer it via 350+ ortho practices around Australia so sounds like it's broadly available. I'd ring up a few ortho's & just ask. Also, the first consultation is usually free where you'll get a quote/proposed treatment plan after the session so it's worth shopping around.
Is it fully interest free with no hidden cost?
It's interest free for you as the consumer. The ortho pays DentiCare a commission. There is a $39 establishment/administration fee but that was it. I did have an initial bad experience — they incorrectly entered my bank account details & charged me $16.50 for a reprocessing fee to correct this which is very steep but they apologised & refunded it when they realised they were at fault & had entered it wrong :/
@fault: Did you get yours done from a Orthodontist or normal Dentist? I've been doing some reading and normal dentist are cheaper than Ortho by $1-$2k. Invisalign all come from one factory in the USA.
@Homr: Ortho. I’m actually doing Spark (cheaper) but the Ortho provider I went with had Invisalign Platinum Elite status (which shows experience), 100+ largely positive reviews on Google, and was recommended by my dentist (I didn’t put too much weighting on that last part though!).
This is Ozbargain, so save you money! My daughter has just had (metal) braces installed. The nurse (who just had hers removed) said the ceramic ones were much worse when being removed and that she wished she had gone full metal not half and half.
@Cl any pointers where you went to? I am in the same boat I am 30 too want to get my teeth fixed. Which company I should go for? Any estimate how much it will cost. My top and bottom front teeth are not aligned properly. Thanks.
Does anyone here know more about these guys?
https://www.costofbraces.com.au/invisible-braces-price.html
$4950 for braces seems to be ok
or these guys
Typically it's top ceramic and bottom Metallic, that's what i had.