What's the cost of braces these days?

[zephyr]

So I am thinking about getting braces for my top teeth only, the bottom ones are fine. I was wondering what the price of braces these days is and also if you know anything about Invisalign ones, I would love to hear your experience as well.
Zephyr

[jayali]

I had braces, for the second time in my life, about 4 years ago. Wore them for two years. I thought I only needed them for the top teeth also, but after my consultations learned that most orthodontists will put them on both upper and lower because they need to align the teeth at the same time (so don't be surprised if you need them on both). I think I paid $4500, which included everything. Of course as soon as you stop wearing your retainer your teeth begin to move, so make sure if you do it you are diligent about your retainer.

At the same time I was wearing my braces someone at work was using invisalign (sp?). I think he got discouraged and stopped using them because the progress was so slow. We no longer work together so I can't comment on the outcome.

[brittone2]

DH and I both did braces not long ago as adults.

He did Invisalign only and it was about 4K

Mine was a combo of Invisalign and traditional (plan was to go as far as possible w/ Invisalign, but it didn't correct one of my issues w/ a rotated tooth so we finished w/ traditional) and it was 6K or so.

Invisalign works great for a lot of people, but depending on what you are dealing w/, IMO and from my research, I'd be more comfortable opting for an orthodontist vs. a dentist that does Invisalign. There are certain things Invisalign is not great at, but for many problems, it does work well IMO.

Price really depends on severity/projected length of time to treat the case from what I can tell. The price was closely related to the number of visits you would require/length of treatment time.

When we did the last phase of my ortho treatment my dentist tried to talk me into the Damon speed brackets, but I wimped out because it was all metal. But it was supposedly much faster and I would have been finished much sooner. Unfortunately they sprung it on me and I had to make a quick decision, so I opted for the more "clear" brackets with regular wire. Depending on your case, you may want to look into the "speed braces" thing.

[daniele_ut]

I did traditional braces as an adult and it was around $4000, but we had insurance that paid for $1500 of it. This was about 6 years ago.

DH is now doing Invisalign and his treatment total is about $3500, but he doesn't need as many trays as some people do. We have insurance coverage for his as well that covers $1800 of it.

[BeachBum]

My sister got braces for the second time as an adult. Her teeth were something that most people would already be happy with, but not her! Anyway she was only in them for 9 months and it was $1K.