The Economics of Braces (And How to Save Money on Them)

My son just had his "phase 2" braces put on a couple weeks ago (am I mistaken, but didn't braces used to be a one-time event?) and I thought I'd share how we selected our orthodontist and saved some money on this fairly expensive procedure. Here goes:

• We started by getting second opinions (two extra opinions from recommended orthodontists) from what our main orthodontist suggested. No reason getting braces if he doesn't need them, right? Alas, both of the other doctors said he did need them (what was I expecting them to say?) BTW, both of these "consultations" were free.

• While my wife was getting the second opinions, she asked about pricing, insurance issues, discounts, etc. and also checked out both the professionalism and friendliness of the office/staff. This is a long-term effort and we wanted to be sure we thought the people were both good at what they do (they were recommended, so we had friends who liked both of the new offices) and easy to work with.

• In talking about price, my wife made it clear that she was considering other doctors. Here's the pricing she received:

• From our current doctor: $4,250 less $1,000 discount less $1,200 insurance coverage = $2,050
• From new option #1: $3,000 (this was probably discounted from some higher amount) less $1,200 insurance coverage less 5% ($90) if we paid all of it when the procedure was done = $1,710
• From new option #2: $4,380 less $1,000 discount less $1,200 insurance coverage less $109 for one-time payment = $2,071

Obviously, new option #1 was the cheapest. In addition, they had a couple other factors in their favor that made choosing them easy:

• They were deemed "the best to work with" by my wife -- she loved the doctor and the staff. Conversely, our current doctor's office staff is less than friendly and he's retiring soon. Option #2 was too "slick" in their marketing approach for my wife.

• Option #1 was, by far, the closest to our home.

So, we went with new option #1. We paid at one time using our American Express card (1.5% cash rebate) and then reimbursed ourselves from our HSA.

Anyone else out there gone through the braces decision? Any suggestions?

Comments

[Cheap Like Me]

Oh, good food for thought. It probably would not have occurred to me to cost-compare this "purchase," and it is a significant one. In fact, I am about to see a new dentist myself and will likely need a dental bridge (another significant expense!) redone in the near future, and it would likely be a good idea to compare those costs and dental practices as well.

[Paul]

Those of us who got braces in the old days only went through one phase. Plenty of us dinosaurs still have straight teeth. I am suspicious that the orthodontist industry has migrated to the two phase approach, with higher profits more of the motive than improved teeth positioning.

[Miss M]

I've been out of braces for 15-20 years, mine back then cost as much as you are being quoted for your son. And my poor parents had no help from insurance, it was all out of pocket. My current employer pays 50% for orthodontics, a pretty good deal, but I don't have kids yet to take advantage of it.