I recently paid $5,000 for 18 months and insurance covered $2,000 of this amount. The fee included lifetime retainer maintenance but not the retainer itself which was about $350 (there are various retainer options that cost more or less than this.) This was in upper Silver Spring.

Do shop around. Our son has near-perfect teeth, yet one popular orthodontist on New Hampshire Avenue wanted to start a 3-year program for $4,000. We had heard other funny stories about this orthodontist. DS' dentist expressed doubt, so we went for a second opinion. The second orthodontist said that DS only needed braces if he were going to pursue a career in movies (actual quote). This ended up being the orthodonist I chose for my own messed-up teeth, the orthodontist I mentioned in the 1st para.

Also, just FYI, almost every kid and adult I know has needed to keep the braces for more than the stated time. I've wondered with other parents if this is a way to suck you in. You will not need to pay anything more, however, because fee quoted at the start ($5,000 or whatever) is fixed.

I'm 19:43. Our price included lifetime permanent retainer maintenance.

I always figure that every orthodontist will find things at the 5K level....DD's braces and such were 5200

Anonymous wrote:get a second opinion. I had a ortho quote me $5,000 and a second ortho quote me 0. He told me my child might not even need braces. So, keep shopping around.

Exactly! And if they are too young and get them, they will need a second set which has happened to numerous kids. We saw 4 and received 4 different opinions. Total bunch of BS these orthodocs are.

Length of treatment matters too. I'll be paying $4,500 for 18 mos of treatment for DD including a retainer at the end. It was more expensive for longer treatment and will be less if they can get it done in 12 or 15 mos.

Anonymous wrote:What insurance do you have?

Met Life.

Get more opinions.

get a second opinion. I had a ortho quote me $5,000 and a second ortho quote me 0. He told me my child might not even need braces. So, keep shopping around.

It really depends on what is wrong.

Mine were that price ten years ago, to fix a bite problem.

$2000 won't fix a bite.

Feel free to get consults from more than one dr. (in fact if you are feeling pressured by an office to go with them that may not be a good sign). I think we were quoted around 5k.

What insurance do you have?

Anonymous wrote:I have an 11 year DD. Had an evaluation for full comprehensive braces and was quoted just under $6000 from an Orthodontist in downtown Bethesda. He was highly recommended to me by a very close friend that I trust. But now home, I am having second thoughts regarding the fees. My insurance has a Lifetime maximum of $2000 for DD and I will be paying the balance in full.


Do this sound like a good price? Should I have tried to negotiate a lower price? Should I have shopped around more? Is getting braces like negotiating for a car? I suddenly feel as though I rushed into it. Should I have shopped around?

Any assistance would be great. TIA.

That sounds high to me. However your insurance pays quite a bit more than most policies - so you're lucky.

^remaining 2/3. We each paid 1/3.

This was what we paid for older DD. Insurance paid 1/3. Ex and I split the remaining 1/3. I did a payment plan through credit offered by the orthodontist. I think I paid $200 a month for ten months.

I have an 11 year DD. Had an evaluation for full comprehensive braces and was quoted just under $6000 from an Orthodontist in downtown Bethesda. He was highly recommended to me by a very close friend that I trust. But now home, I am having second thoughts regarding the fees. My insurance has a Lifetime maximum of $2000 for DD and I will be paying the balance in full.


Do this sound like a good price? Should I have tried to negotiate a lower price? Should I have shopped around more? Is getting braces like negotiating for a car? I suddenly feel as though I rushed into it. Should I have shopped around?

Any assistance would be great. TIA.