Anonymous wrote:You need to find a different orthodontist. What kind of orthodontists doesn't do traditional braces? Lazy one, imo. They send out for treys and your DS just changes them every two weeks, hence follow ups are rare and no work is required after braces are ordered. I had invisalign and they are great, but not for teens, as you really have to clean them and brush teeth and there is a lot more saliva production which can be uncomfortable.

Yup. The orthodontist doesn't want to have staff and pay them.

Our kid is super absent-minded and he has never list an invisalign. Plus, if you lose one you can just keep using last week's for a couple of days until it's time for a new one. Not a big deal unless you lose them all the time.

We had the choice between braces and Invisalign. But, do see more than one practice -- a fancy one in Tenleytown quoted us sometthing like 3k more than one up the street.

You need to find a different orthodontist. What kind of orthodontists doesn't do traditional braces? Lazy one, imo. They send out for treys and your DS just changes them every two weeks, hence follow ups are rare and no work is required after braces are ordered. I had invisalign and they are great, but not for teens, as you really have to clean them and brush teeth and there is a lot more saliva production which can be uncomfortable.

My son just cups his hand over his mouth, kind of turns to the side and swoops them into his pocket. If you didn't know what he was doing, you would never notice. He also does not brush and floss at school and it hasn't been a problem.

My 14 year old son got Invisalign. Absolutely no problems. He sticks them in his pocket to eat or drink, and puts them back in when he's finished.

Anonymous wrote:Funny how fixing a broken bone costs less than straightening your teeth.

Why? My kid has been in the office every month for nearly four years now. A clean break of a bone is routine.

OP. Get a second opinion. Invisalign is not always appropriate.

What this costs should reflect the work that needs to be done, with Invisalign a bit more expensive when there is a choice. Fixing a bite is often more than 5k.

This orthodontist doesn't sound like a good one, at least in part since you don't seem as well informed as you should be after a good consultation.

We love Invisalign for our 13 year old he's doing great with it. Cost is about 5k but insurance covered 3k

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much $ are we talking, Invisalign vs. braces?

Aren't either about $5k?

Oh my god, I never knew braces were so expensive, my children's teeth have always been straight.

That seems on the low side. We paid about $6K, as did many of the people we know.

Invisalign and regular braces cost about the same at our ortho, but my child wasn't a candidate for Invisalign.

Funny how fixing a broken bone costs less than straightening your teeth.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much $ are we talking, Invisalign vs. braces?

Aren't either about $5k?

Oh my god, I never knew braces were so expensive, my children's teeth have always been straight.

Anonymous wrote:I have Invisalign. Don't do it for a teen! Get traditional. They gave clear traditional braces. Try dr. Garai in Vienna. My DC goes here. Great experience!

+1

I have heard this too. Also, from what I understand, the follow up to braces is invisilign (used as retainers to maintain tooth placement after braces) - if true, this would make it a "two for one deal!".

My fairly limited understanding is that invisalign and traditional braces serve slightly different purposes. Traditional are favored if there are any issues with the bite, for instance. I wouldn't take seriously an estimate from someone who only did invisalign. I also wouldn't choose invisalign for a teenager unless he/she was extremely good at keeping track of things.

We got estimates from 3 orthodontists for our kids. We liked this practice in Bethesda and the price was slightly lower than the practice we ended up using, which is in NW DC and closer for us. Dr. Heller came recommended by several friends.

Dr. Alan R. Heller, 4405 East West Hwy. #106 tel: 301 654 5433