Braces can help effectively treat skew teeth or a bad bite. Depending on the severity, type of braces you want, and your overall oral health, the cost of braces varies significantly.
If you’re looking to get treatment with braces, considering the cost, your insurance benefits, and possible Medicaid or Medicare cover is essential before choosing an orthodontist office or treatment plan.
This article covers the main types of braces, their cost for kids and adults, and how to lower the total cost of your treatment.
|
Type of Braces |
Average Cost with Insurance |
Average Cost Without Insurance |
| Metal | $3,400[1] | $6,500[2] |
| Ceramic | $4,000[3] | $6,000 – $8,000 |
| Clear Aligners | $2,000 | $1,895 – $7,000 |
| Self-Ligating | $2,000[4] | $5,000 – $7,000 |
| Lingual Braces | $6,000[3] | $8, 000 – $10,000[3] |
| Accelerated Orthodontics | Not usually covered[5] | $2,000 – $6,000[5] |
The average cost of braces varies according to a variety of factors, although a general range is between $2,000 and $10,000. Clear aligners are cheaper and faster than traditional braces, but only for mild to moderate teeth straightening.
Often, clear aligners offer a cost-effective, faster treatment plan which is why they are becoming all the more popular. For more information on clear aligners or invisible braces, check out our Byte Aligners review.
Braces can cost anywhere from $1,895 to $10,000. The cost of getting braces treatment depends on the type of braces and the extent of the treatment needed.
Several factors can affect the price of getting braces, including:
If you can’t find suitable payment plans for traditional treatment and insurance companies don’t cover the pathway you wish to pursue, you may benefit from looking at clear aligners as an alternative.
For more information on high-quality clear aligner brands, check out our Byte Aligners review and AlignerCo review.
The cost of braces varies greatly according to the type of braces you wish to use. The most commonly chosen options are reviewed below. Prices also vary according to whether you are buying an adult or child’s braces treatment plan.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $3,000 – $7,000 |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $2,500 – $7,000 |
| Insurance | Dental insurance will typically include cover for this type of orthodontic treatment. General medical insurance may or may not include dental benefits, depending on the insurance provider. |
Traditional braces are the most well-known form of orthodontic treatment for misaligned or crowded teeth. These braces realign your teeth using metal brackets that move them in incrementally small sections to your desired position.
Metal braces are still the most popular type of braces for children, and their affordability spurs many parents to choose them for their kids. Most kids also like picking different colors for the rubber bands used to secure the braces.
However, these braces may be too noticeable for adults, who will likely opt for ceramic or lingual alternatives. The restriction of your diet due to wearing traditional braces may also spur many people to choose alternatives that allow them to still eat their favorite sticky or crunchy foods.
In most cases, insurance will cover most of the costs of getting traditional metal braces as long as the realignment of your teeth is deemed medically necessary. Otherwise, there are typically a variety of payment plans available to help you finance your treatment.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $4,000 – $8,000 |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $3,500 – $8,000 |
| Insurance | Dental insurance plans will typically cover part of the costs for ceramic braces. General medical insurance plans will vary in coverage from provider to provider. |
Ceramic braces are similar to the traditional metal type of braces except that the brackets are ceramic, clear, or tooth-colored. This means they’re not nearly as noticeable as metal braces and often help the people wearing them feel more confident, especially if worn by teens or adults.
However, because they’re not made of metal, they aren’t quite as strong as traditional style braces, and the light-colored brackets are more prone to getting stained than their metal counterparts.
Ceramic braces are typically in the same average price range as self-ligating braces. Most insurance companies should offer plans covering around half of the total cost depending on your plan preferences and where you get treated.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $1,895 – $7,000 |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $4,000 – $7,000 |
| Insurance | Some dental insurance plans will cover clear aligners as they do traditional braces. |
Compared to traditional style braces, clear braces are nearly unnoticeable, comfortable alternatives. Clear aligners usually involve wearing a transparent aligner tray that gently repositions your teeth for at least 22 hours a day.
Clear braces are an excellent option for people who don’t want to make their orthodontic treatment noticeable. This type of braces is typically not recommended for people with extremely skew teeth as more intensive treatment may be necessary in this case.
The most well-known clear aligner brand is Invisalign, which provides clear aligners alongside a comprehensive dental treatment plan. Invisalign is quite expensive compared to other transparent aligner brands.
Alternatives like Byte Aligners are not only cheaper but can be obtained without visiting an orthodontist for imaging or evaluation. Instead, you use a home impression kit to provide the company with the correct impressions required to create an aligner that fits your teeth and treatment goals.
Although mail-order clear aligners aren’t approved by the American Dental Association, many types of clear aligners are recommended by dentists under their supervision. They also offer a much more affordable and convenient option for tooth alignment.
Another disadvantage is that only some insurance plans cover clear aligners like Invisalign or Byte Aligners. Thankfully, Byte Aligners are affordable, at around $1,895 for complete treatment, and also offer various payment plans to finance your treatment.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $3,500 – $7,000[6] |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $2,500 – $7,000 |
| Insurance | Dental insurance and medical insurance with dental benefits may cover a portion of the costs for these braces. |
Self-ligating braces work in precisely the same way as traditional metal braces. The only difference is that conventional braces hold their wires in place with elastic bands, while self-ligating braces hold them in place with metal brackets.
This type of braces often reduces the amount of time in the dentist’s or orthodontist’s office after the initial installation as they don’t have rubber bands that need to be removed and replaced each time. Because the actual body of the braces or the part stuck to your teeth, are smaller than traditional braces, they can also be easier to clean.
The only downside is that the hinges that hold the brackets in place may break and require a visit to the dentist to repair or replace them.
In most cases, self-ligating braces receive the same insurance cover as any other traditional kind does and will have at least a part of the costs paid by your dental or medical insurance plan with dental benefits.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $8,000 – $10,000 |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $6,000 – $10,000 |
| Insurance | Medical insurance plans don’t usually cover the full costs of these braces. |
Lingual braces are an excellent option if you’re interested in making your orthodontic treatment almost entirely invisible. Instead of being fitted to the front of your teeth, these braces are placed on the back, making them very difficult to see under normal circumstances.
As the installment of lingual braces is more complicated than other types of braces, a dentist or orthodontist with greater expertise is usually necessary, which makes them more expensive than other options.
Lingual braces can also slightly impair your pronunciation of the letter “s,” leaving you with a temporary lisp.
Another factor to consider when choosing the type of braces you want is that not all insurance plans will cover lingual braces. In some cases, the best you can hope for is that your insurance benefits will refund some of the costs required for the initial orthodontic treatment.
| Avg. Cost for Adults | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| Avg. Cost for Kids | $2,000 – $6,000 |
| Insurance | Not typically covered by insurance |
Accelerated orthodontics involves the scraping or slight irritation of your jaw bone by an oral surgeon, promoting jaw bone growth and faster movement of your teeth into the desired position. Instead of wearing braces for one to three years, accelerated orthodontics can help reduce this time to 6-18 months.
Due to the rapid rate at which your teeth move, many patients who undergo accelerated orthodontics treatment experience a slight itching sensation after the minor surgical procedure.
Besides this slight side effect, the primary disadvantage of this treatment is its cost. Generally, accelerated orthodontics costs between $2,000 to $6,000 in addition to the cost of your braces.
Although insurance plans will cover braces, they don’t cover additional treatments like accelerated orthodontics. If you are interested in this treatment, your dentist or orthodontist may offer payment plans to finance the procedure.
There are several ways to reduce braces costs, including:
Here are the most commonly asked questions about the cost of braces.
There are many different types of braces available for treating skew teeth or a misaligned bite. If you’re looking for supervised treatment, lingual or self-ligating braces are great options. More affordable options, like clear aligners, can even be ordered without visiting a dentist.
If you’re interested in invisible braces, take a look at our Byte Aligners review and AlignerCo review.
Whether you are looking at traditional, lingual, or even invisible braces, to improve your oral health and correct any dental problems, there’s an option to suit every budget.
