Next Level Blog

Everyone wants a beautiful smile these days. In a world full of social media and instant photo uploads, it’s no wonder why so many people are seeking perfect, straight, white teeth.

Having a beautiful smile that you are comfortable with undoubtedly raises your confidence! In turn, I think we all know how a rise in confidence can affect a person!

So, it’s a great thing that braces were invented over a hundred years ago for all those who desire that perfect smile. Thank goodness for the evolution of them too! Braces used to be bulky and uncomfortable, but these days, they are just about as small as they can get. It’s actually a cool thing now, for kids to get braces. They love being able to change the cool colors at each visit! Braces have come such a long way that we even offer CLEAR ones! These happen to be favored by adults. I’m talking clear brackets. We all know that Invisalign trays are awesome too!

The big question is, “How can we make orthodontic treatment available for everyone?” So, how much should braces actually cost?

Well, I’ve worked with orthodontists for about 10 years now, so I am speaking from my own, personal experience here. The cost of braces can vary greatly! There are several things to consider and look at when it comes to pricing out dental braces.

First and foremost, finding a specialist in braces, an orthodontist, is MOST important, in my opinion. I heard this analogy once and it stuck. If you had a heart issue, your primary care doctor would certainly be educated enough to inform you of what is happening with your heart and why. Your doctor might even be able to perform a procedure that is necessary to help you. However, a primary care physician is not a heart specialist, like a cardiologist would be. Cardiologists deal with cardiovascular therapy, day in and day out. It’s most likely that your primary doctor would even send you away with a referral to the specialist to perform any necessary surgeries or therapies.

In the same manner, it is recommended that when you are searching for someone to move your teeth around and adjust your bite, you see a specialist in braces, which is an orthodontist. You may have a general dentist that happens to do braces and may charge you less for the treatment, but they do not specialize in braces solely, like an orthodontist does. The bottom line is that an orthodontist does braces and Invisalign, day in and day out, and this is their primary focus. When you choose an orthodontist to treat you with braces, it is likely that the quality will be much higher than someone who does a little bit of everything.

We also happen to live in a generation of social media marketing, and for some reason dentists have been able to get away with doing orthodontic treatment via snail MAIL. The sound of that as a dental provider is chilling, honestly. A could do a whole separate blog post on this topic, and I just might. I caution everyone to do their research before proceeding with a treatment like this. I know the prices are very enticing, but let’s not forget that saying, “You get what you pay for.” I truly believe that to be the case here. My best advice is: SEE A SPECIALIST. Get a free consultation from a doctor who spent 3-4 extra years in school learning specifically how and why braces work. These consultations are likely free, and will cost you nothing but maybe an hour of your time and possibly save you from a bad treatment.

So, what should braces actually cost? There are a couple reasons that I can say affect your cost, for sure.

First of all, there is most definitely an average range, but this will mostly depend on where you live. For now, I’m going to speak for our area here in New Braunfels, TX, since that is where I currently work and operate out of. The average cost of braces in New Braunfels is roughly $3,500 to $6,000.

Why such a wide range? Well, let’s talk about variables, there are a few.

The first and biggest variable, would be the amount of treatment time a patient needs. On average, MOST people need about 24 months for treatment. With treatment time, comes treatment cost, not only to you, but to your orthodontist. Time spent in the chair can become costly over time for your doctor. However, not everyone needs a 24 month treatment. If we all had the same size mouth and teeth, treatment times wouldn’t vary so much, but variation is what makes us individuals. So it only makes sense that your braces treatment wouldn’t look the same as maybe your best friend or your neighbor. Orthodontic treatment is very personal and should be custom to each and every individual.

This is why it is typically recommended that you schedule a consultation with your orthodontist. Dr. Smith and his team here at Next Level Orthodontics have made it a point to ensure these consultations are absolutely free. At this point, it’s an industry standard, so if you are seeing someone who is charging you on your first visit, and you are looking to save money, you might as well move on. I can most likely guarantee that there’s about 3-4 surrounding orthodontists that have also made it a point to conduct free exams.

If you are unsure of what a free consultation consists of: here is what we do here at Next Level Orthodontics, and here is what you should be looking for.

A consultation should include x-rays, photos, and a full exam by the orthodontist, in which he or she explains what type of treatment would be necessary to resolve your concerns. Our consultations here at Next Level also include a full breakdown of cost and a customizable financial plan that will allow you to be comfortable proceeding with your braces treatment.

The second, and most obvious factor, would simply be the market pricing around you. This is just like any other industry. The cost of living around you will determine a large portion of your cost. This is to be expected anywhere you go.

A large portion of my job as a dental hygienist is to educate patients. My goal is to educate as many people as possible, but for me, it’s not only on their oral health when they are in my chair getting a dental cleaning. I’d like to share as much knowledge that I have been able to gather over my 10 years in dentistry. Part of that, is just knowing how the industry works and why!

Don’t hesitate to call us! We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Request your free consultation today!

-Krystal Smith, RDH