Tell me about braces (for kid and adult)

[ang79]

Our dentist has recommended DD2 (8) see an ortho due to overcrowding, he said she needs an expander. He also recommended that I get a consultation. I had braces as a kid, but my teet appear to be shifting and are now suddenly not matching up right when I bite down. They may have been shifting slowly over time but one morning I woke up and it felt like my bit was way off and now it is bothersome because my bottom teeth are clashing some with the insides of my top teeth when I bite down.

Our dentist gave me cards to three othos that he refers to (the first 3 below). I've looked at their websites and asked around. Our insurance has no coverage for orthodontics. DH says to get several consults and go the cheapest route if two of us need ortho work (and who knows if DD1 will need anything once all her adult teeth come in - she doesn't have good genetics considering both DH and I had braces as kids!) I need to call about consultations. If you (or your kid) has gone through ortho work, I'd love some input comparing the different types - is one better than the others, how do costs and time in braces compare between the types, etc.. How any consultations did you get before you committed somewhere?

Ortho A - this one a friend took her son to and highly recommended, the dental hygenist at the dentists office also used this ortho for her son and liked him. This ortho is the only one in our area that uses Damon braces.

Ortho B - One of DD1's friends from Girl Scouts uses this one and she said she really likes him (I didn't have a chance to ask her mom about him). He uses metal, ceramic, and Invisalign.

Ortho C - I haven't gotten any personal recs on this one. He uses traditional and Invisalign.

Ortho D - recommended by a friend whose daughter goes there. He uses In-Ovation (seems to be like Damon?), Clear Correct, and Invisalign.

Ortho E - recommended by another friend shoe daughter goes here. He uses metal, ceramic, and Invisalign.

[jren]

We had three of us in braces at once. DD(13) is about to get her stage 2 braces off. DD(8) had a palate expander and also has braces to correct a cross bite and overcrowding. His expander has been out for a while now, but the braces are still on.

I had Invisalign because I woke up one morning unable to bite down all the way because of front teeth hitting each other. I'm in the retainer phase now. I never had braces as a child, so my teeth are much better now but still not perfect on the bottom. In retrospect, I probably would've been happier with the clear regular braces or Damon. Invisalign ended up taking longer than expected.

The kids didn't have Damon, so can't speak to that. Not sure how much more expensive those are?


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[mmsmom]

I would pick 3 to visit and then choose considering their recommendations, price, hours, location. I recently went through this with my kids and location and hours were a big factor because they will need to go once a month so I wanted to be able to take them after school to a location not too far from school. Around here, suburb of large city medium COL braces are $6000-7,500. DD is getting an expander first which is $2800.

For an adult I think Invisalign is the way I would go. I was surprised it wasn't that much more than traditional braces ($400 more). I decided against it for my kids because you take them out to eat and no way they would keep up with them! There is also the option of clear braces which were $200 more for us.

Do not be afraid to negotiate prices especially if you and DD will both need work. Our Ortho waived the "records" fee (impressions, photos, X-rays, etc) since I will have 2 kids there at same time.

Also, consults should be free. We went to one where Dr wanted us to pay $300 per kid for photos, X-rays, etc before they would give me a plan and quote. The other places did this for free.

[icunurse]

We visited two orthodontists. Both were free consultations. I found the more popular group to be quite disorganized and they gave me incorrect information about pricing (we had orthodontic coverage for a short period and they said that an expander would be covered - it's not). They also gave me less info during our initial meeting and cost more overall.

The group we went with has multiple offices and a group of docs. They spelled everything out during out first visit as to pricing, expected length of treatment, etc. They do Damon, so they explained that, too. They give a deep discount on Phase Two of treatment, so the expander and full braces come out to cost about the same as just braces.

Both kids were getting orthodontic treatment at the same time. Our group would give a discount if paid in full and you don't have orthodontic coverage. They also were willing to extend out payments to lower the monthly amount, if we wanted.

I would also ask about office hours. I was surprised to find out when DDs wire snapped that most of the local orthodontists only work Mon to Thurs, regular business hours. They were willing to meet us at the office, if needed. But something to check into.

[ang79]

We visited two orthodontists. Both were free consultations. I found the more popular group to be quite disorganized and they gave me incorrect information about pricing (we had orthodontic coverage for a short period and they said that an expander would be covered - it's not). They also gave me less info during our initial meeting and cost more overall.

The group we went with has multiple offices and a group of docs. They spelled everything out during out first visit as to pricing, expected length of treatment, etc. They do Damon, so they explained that, too. They give a deep discount on Phase Two of treatment, so the expander and full braces come out to cost about the same as just braces.

Both kids were getting orthodontic treatment at the same time. Our group would give a discount if paid in full and you don't have orthodontic coverage. They also were willing to extend out payments to lower the monthly amount, if we wanted.

I would also ask about office hours. I was surprised to find out when DDs wire snapped that most of the local orthodontists only work Mon to Fri, regular business hours. They were willing to meet us at the office, if needed. But something to check into.

Ours all seem to have M-Th hours, 7 or 7:30 to 4:30 or 5. Not sure about after hours coverage, will have to ask about that during consults.

[icunurse]

Ours all seem to have M-Th hours, 7 or 7:30 to 4:30 or 5. Not sure about after hours coverage, will have to ask about that during consults.

Oops, my typo. Ours are Mon to Thurs, too. Which is a shock when your child's wire breaks on a Thursday night :/

[JBaxter]

Who is a preferred provider for your insurance I currently have ceramic braces I could have done Invisalign as an option. They are open M-F 2 locations Fridays are 1/2 days Mondays are 1/2 days in one office full the other. Summer hours are different than school year I would get personal recommendations then match it with your insurance and get consults. It was a 1000 difference for us using a in network vs out of network dentist. DS4 will be seeing her next year.

[MelissaTC]

We went for two consults for M. They had differing opinions on treatment and method. M loved dentist #1 but refused to wear metal. We went with dentist #2 who had a bigger office and offered a short plan using Invisalign Express. We did that and he is now just wearing retainers at night. He also has a permanent appliance in the back of his front teeth. His teeth look amazing. This treatment plan also cost us less than the other. Both accepted our dental insurance.