So, How Much Does Invisalign Cost?
First, if you don’t know what Invisalign braces are, then let us tell you. They are a type of teeth aligners similar in a way to regular braces except that the Invisalign braces are almost transparent and cannot be easily seen by a naked eye from a distance. They were invented in the 1990s by the company Align Technology and have attained great popularity since then.
The teeth aligning procedure with the use of Invisalign braces differs from the way teeth are aligned using regular traditional braces. For example, one notable difference is that the Invisalign braces do not press as hard on teeth as conventional braces. Also, it is not uncommon for dentists to use x-ray 3D CT scans before actually commencing the Invisalign treatment. To apply Invisalign with precision, dentists use specialized computer software and communicate with other dental centers over the network. A pretty complicated technology, in other words.
In this article, we will answer the commonly asked “how much does Invisalign cost?” question and also provide you with some tips on how to make the treatment process less pricey (also some brief information on how to decide if they are for you or not, and something more, as well).
How Much Does Invisalign Cost Without Insurance?
Well, the price of Invisalign varies greatly and is influenced by many factors. For example, the severity of your teeth problem is one of those factors. Think about it – the more crooked your teeth are, the more aligners you need and the longer your treatment is, which makes the procedure more expensive. The level of qualification and the amount of expertise of the prosthodontist also influences the cost of Invisalign treatment, as the better a specialist is, the more he is likely to charge for his services. The location where you get the therapy also matters, for sure – the more expensive the city (Los Angeles Dentists, Newport Beach dentists), the higher the prices.
If you are interested not in vague answers to the “how much does Invisalign cost” question but more wrong numbers, then we apologize and will bring these numbers to the table right now. The cost of Invisalign braces ranges from $3500 to $8000 with the national average being around $5000, as stated by them themselves, but there are also so-called Express cases that cost from $1500 to $4000. The difference between the standard cases and the Express ones is that they differ in the number of aligners they have. Express kits have fewer aligners and are geared towards fixing milder teeth irregularities, and so they are also less expensive.
The vast discrepancy between the lowest and the highest price for dental service is not a rare phenomenon, as other dental services also fluctuate in their prices a lot, including the cost of dentures and many other dental operations. If you fly to certain Asian countries, like Singapore and Thailand, the cost of invisible braces will be much lower, but the topic of dental tourism is not something we will cover in this article.
How Much Does Invisalign Cost With Insurance?
That above was the cost of Invisalign without insurance, of course, but you can obtain some financial aid from the insurance provider, if you pass their terms. Usually, to get the money from them, the “Adult orthodontics” has to be listed in the list of coverage. The cost of Invisalign braces with insurance is approximately 500 dollars less, although sometimes insurance companies offer full financial aid. Dental insurance does not deal with the cosmetic dentistry costs so if the only reasons for fixing your teeth with Invisalign are all of cosmetic nature; it may get a bit difficult to convince the insurance company to help you. Tooth pain relief is not the field of expertise of cosmetic dentistry, for example, while teeth whitening is undoubtedly always for aesthetic purposes.
When asking the “how much is Invisalign” question, you probably didn’t expect such high prices, but don’t worry. Even if you think that the cost of these braces is too high for you, there are many other ways to reduce the costs, or at least make it easier to pay for them. For example, you can ask your dentists if they are willing to provide you with some monthly payment plans. These do exist, and if they agree to your proposal, they will prescribe you one of those plans, sometimes with no growing interest. Well, we would all rejoice if dental services were free, but payment plans are fine, too (even the so-called free dental implants are not free).
Another way would be to use the FSA – flexible spending account. This is a type of account where you can store a certain amount of money each month. To be more specific, if you choose to use FSA, a certain amount of money from your monthly payroll will be deducted regularly and put into FSA. The point of FSA is that the money you put there will not be subject to taxes. If you are interested, then ask your job provider if they can provide you with FSA (they are the ones who can do that). When you get the medical bills, you should seek the FSA company, and they will reimburse all the costs. The Invisalign braces do qualify as a type of medical treatment that FSA can pay for so there should be no problems.
Does Invisalign Cost More Than Braces?
Short answer – the cost of Invisalign braces is only slightly higher than the prices of regular braces. Does that affect the quality and efficiency of the work?
Well, the opinions on whether the traditional braces or the invisible ones, of which Invisalign is one of the types of, are better vary, but the statistics show that in 97% patients are more than happy with the results that they get from Invisalign aligners. The best part about the Invisalign invisible braces is that they are transparent, and the treatment of teeth with them tends to take much less time, too, thanks to the use of computer technologies. 12 or even six months are not very rare timelines for full Invisalign treatment processes. And again, the cost of Invisalign braces is only slightly higher than the prices of regular braces, too.
Well, the only reason why traditional braces are still used is that they provide more pressure to the teeth and can deal with teeth crookedness problems of more severe degrees. Yes, that means Invisalign, despite how glorified they are, are not appropriate for terrible teeth (speak to your orthodontist, so that he can inspect you for eligibility for the Invisalign treatment).
Some Last Words Before Purchasing Invisalign
Again, a consultation with a dental specialist is needed to estimate whether these braces can cure your problems or not, as they might not be suitable for some instances, such as in cases of severe tooth crowding or when the teeth have not fully erupted. Consult with 2 or 3 orthodontists to make sure that you get the whole picture, and the only aim for those who offer consultations for free. Also, if you are curious about the answers to the “does Invisalign work” question, we answer it below.
How Does Invisalign Work
If you don’t know, Invisalign has been widely marketed as better, lighter, faster and more comfortable than traditional braces, the description which inevitably brings some hope. To answer the “Does the Invisalign work” question, we need to understand how they are applied and used in detail.
Before beginning the procedure, the orthodontist has to make sure that the patient does not have any allergic reactions to the braces. Moreover, your situation will be examined in order to understand if these Invisalign braces are really for you. Yes, that means exactly what has been suggested previously – that for some people Invisalign braces are just not recommended, just like how free dental implants and implants, in general, are not recommended for some, as they would result in tooth implant problems. But here are the reasons for our Invisalign case.
These braces work a little bit differently than traditional ones. The conventional braces are relying on stretching the teeth in a specific direction. They also cause your roots to become shorter since they are metallic and are putting a lot of pressure on your teeth. It is also known that they affect your gum in a not very positive way (sometimes resulting in gum disease symptoms, although that happens only when either the dentist applying them is terrible or the patient is uncooperative).
Invisalign braces, on the other hand, are relying more on the application of constant pressure, not as strong as that done by traditional ones. The fact that the force is consistent, though, manages to provide for really great results.
Usually, the patient is given three aligners for six weeks after which he has to revisit his orthodontist to receive the next set. Each set is worn for approximately two weeks (listen to your dentist – he will tell you the exact timeline), and on average one aligner moves the teeth for 0,2 mm “per iteration.” The full treatment can take from 30-40 alignments, six months to a year and more – it all depends on the degree of irregularity of the teeth. A 3D scan using the latest computer technologies is necessary to determine the pattern and plan of treatment. Of course, due to the relative novelty of the technique, not all dentists have the qualification required to offer this service.
The last thing, because the pressure applied by Invisalign is not on the same level of what traditional braces are capable of, and together with several other factors, the Invisalign braces are not capable of treating the situations, for example, where teeth are severely crooked. Generally speaking, they are suitable for straightening the patient’s teeth, but they not good fixing a person’s bite. The teeth’s movement will result in some pain (quickly relieved with tooth pain relief methods), but the sores that are usually present after the brackets treatment will not be there for long – generally for ten days and that’s it. Lastly, you need all your adult teeth to be erupted to meet the Invisalign treatment standards – some people might not have them all even by the age of 17 (it highly depends on an individual whether he will still have the baby teeth by that age or not).
Consult with the reputable dental clinics and orthodontists to learn if they are suitable for you.
So, Does Invisalign Work?
All we can say is make sure you consult with the right orthodontist who has all the necessary qualifications to do the Invisalign treatment, and only if you have been diagnosed to meet all the required standards you are eligible for these braces. Unfortunately, there are some stories, mostly from areas and countries where dentists are not very famous for having a high business integrity, where people are being treated by dentists who have no clue about what they are doing, who have no qualification in dentistry, and who even utilize used dental equipment in deplorable conditions. Bad dentists will sometimes try to lure you with lowered cost of their service, the very reason why you should be wary about agreeing to the low cost of veneers offers (and low cost of dental services in general), and with all the benefits of their skills, but you should be wary. The questions like “does Invisalign work for overbite” can be answered as no, because the situation of an overbite is too severe, as it has been mentioned above, and the Invisalign braces are suitable only for straightening teeth, not fixing the bite.
Those patients, on the other hand, who received the right consultation from the right doctors, those who were approved to be suitable for the Invisalign, and finished the whole treatment process, are usually pleased about the results (97% satisfaction).
Yes, your teeth may start to go back towards the original position at the end of the treatment, but that’s when you need to keep wearing your retainers. Consistently. Moreover, most people agree that Invisalign braces work much faster than traditional braces. And don’t you forget about their transparency, too.
Some patients do complain about the initial discomfort (about two days after the installation of Invisalign), but soon they get used to them, and the process of taking them off (to eat) and putting them on becomes more and more effortless. We bet braces wouldn’t be very pleasant to them, either, so there is not much to complain about.
So, does Invisalign work? Short answer – yes, generally, they work pretty efficiently. 97% patient’s satisfaction ratio strengthens that fact. Just check your particular situation, as it has been said. They are also pretty expensive, even for the standards of cosmetic dentistry costs.