Orthodontic treatment is a big investment. Not only does it take time to get that beautiful smile, there is a financial commitment that patients (and families) make, which is why it is important for you to have all the information before you make a decision regarding any treatment.
There are options!
There are lots of options available for straightening teeth or preventing teeth from crowding in the first place. From early interceptive treatment to the treatment of crowded teeth and bad bites. Orthodontic treatment can involve space maintainers, expanders, plates, functional appliances, braces, hidden braces, and invisible braces. This is made even more complicated in that people seeking orthodontic treatment have many different problems with their teeth, bites, jaws etc. meaning that no two people have the same problem.
Get all the facts first
From the very brief description above, you begin to appreciate that it is hard to give an honest indication of price. Exact quotes online or practitioners that provide only one type of treatment both have a disadvantage in that compromises are often made to the final outcome of your best smile.
To provide transparency and honest advice to patients, a specialist has to be able to see patients to assess their needs, the result possible and which technique will work best. At Shakespeare Orthodontics, we provide the first appointment as a consultation visit at no charge. This way, our specialist orthodontists can provide all the treatment options, expected time frame to get the results and a cost, so that our patients can make an informed decision, with no pressure or obligation to continue any treatment.
Cost of Braces & Invisalign
In New Zealand, orthodontic treatment of adults and children is carried out best by specialist orthodontists. These specialists have had a minimum of 8 years of university education which equals thousands of hours of understanding everything there is to know about teeth, jaws, growth and development. It is so important have your teeth issues assessed by a specialist so that nothing is missed and you can expect the very best outcome. The costs are often very similar if you were to see a specialist vs non specialist so this should not be the deciding factor.
Costs of braces vary and relate to the expertise of the provider and quality of the treatment. There are $900 discounted braces that are offered through discount websites! Caution and due-diligence is a must when assessing these offers as often there are significant hidden costs, the practitioners are inexperienced and the expected outcomes are not of a standard acceptable.
In Auckland, braces cost around the $7500-9500. There are cases that specialists treat that can be much less than this, with fees that start around $4500 on average. Certain factors affect the cost and relate to the difficulty of the case, the time it will take to finish the treatment, the type of braces used or if there are other appliances that are used. There is also a difference in costs if patients are adults, or growing children. Adult treatment on average tends to be more complicated and the teeth movements occur a little slower because of the “healing ability”.
Treatment with Invisalign (clear aligners) cost on average around $8500-10500. Invisalign offer different types of treatment (depending on how easy or difficult the treatment is) which can considerably affect these prices. As above, there are cases that are treated for much less than this which highlights how important it is to have your teeth and bite properly assessed by a specialist orthodontist to provide transparent and honest advice.
