How much do orthodontics cost?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest dc's braces cost approx 6k. He went to a very popular orthodontist who we ended up hating. Dc was in braces longer than expected and ortho blamed dc. Once we had paid the full amount but dc was not out of braces, orthod treated us like crap.

Our pediatric dentist recommended a different ortho for dc #2. This guy charged us $1800 for invisilign and we love this guy. Yes, that's the total cost. He's a sweetheart and is putting a hurting on the business of the ego monster ortho mentioned above.

Names please!!

Kravitz in Ashburn. We love him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't you all have dental insurance that pays at least half?

Lol, lots of us are Feds here. What is this dental insurance of which you speak?

I'm a Fed and I have dental insurance (Met Life Dental). Did you not get the memo?

Yup, got it and have Met Life. It pays $1500 max, so way less than half. I mean, we go to a university clinic and it is still less than half.

[Anonymous]

We're paying just over $3k for palate expander and top braces. DS may need more in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain how the language of dental plans work. I don't understand.

The coverage for GEHA is "you pay 30% of the allowable charges" but it also says there is a $2500 lifetime max. So, in practice, let's say the orthodonist cost is $6000 with $5000 being the "allowable charge."

How does the 30% and the $2500 fit into this?

[Anonymous]

We went this morning for our consult. $7600 for palate expander, top and bottom braces. Fed MetLife high covers $5000, so we will pay around $89 a month for the next two years which is way better than I expected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went this morning for our consult. $7600 for palate expander, top and bottom braces. Fed MetLife high covers $5000, so we will pay around $89 a month for the next two years which is way better than I expected.

Wow, that's really high. We paid $4500 for the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Just palate expander is going to be $4k. NW DC

[Anonymous]

My kid start the orthodontic process this spring, expander, top and bottom braces and retainer program in Vienna. All-in before insurance was $6,900.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$5k+! Ouch! I guess that makes sense as I remember it costing my parents $2k or so 30 years ago.

Not a great leap when you’re talking about 30 years. Very little in fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest dc's braces cost approx 6k. He went to a very popular orthodontist who we ended up hating. Dc was in braces longer than expected and ortho blamed dc. Once we had paid the full amount but dc was not out of braces, orthod treated us like crap.

Our pediatric dentist recommended a different ortho for dc #2. This guy charged us $1800 for invisilign and we love this guy. Yes, that's the total cost. He's a sweetheart and is putting a hurting on the business of the ego monster ortho mentioned above.

Please do us a favor and mention both names if you’re comfortable. Looking for a kind person for my kid who will need significant orthodontics and is not chill about medical/dental stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just palate expander is going to be $4k. NW DC

Same here. Estimate if they need braces for phase 2 is $7500.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain how the language of dental plans work. I don't understand.

The coverage for GEHA is "you pay 30% of the allowable charges" but it also says there is a $2500 lifetime max. So, in practice, let's say the orthodonist cost is $6000 with $5000 being the "allowable charge."

How does the 30% and the $2500 fit into this?

GEHA will not pay more than $2,500 on your behalf. Switch to met life once you've hit that number.

[Anonymous]

Get estimates from 3 different places and avoid Rad Orthdontics.

[Anonymous]

We paid $3500 for a fairly run of the mill case needing full braces and then retainers. Insurance covered the other half - it was $7000 total.
In northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get estimates from 3 different places and avoid Rad Orthdontics.

David Rad did a great job with my child’s teeth.

However, I think his brother’s personality is a bit lacking……