We know that we will be facing braces soon with our oldest. With A&M's open enrollment coming up I'm trying to figure out which plan would cover it best. It looks like the HMO covers more, but Dr. Lasell is the only general dentist covered under this plan and he got some pretty bad reviews. We currently have the PPO plan and use Dr. Case, who I'm very happy with. He is also an orthodontist and quoted us about $4400 for the braces. So, questions are: does the type of insurance make a huge difference in cost for orthodontics? Do the prices for orthodontics vary between the different orthodontists in town or are they pretty similar? And which orthodontist would you recommend?? Thanks!!!

Cost does vary between orthodontists.

I am using Dr. Pratt on A&M's BCBS plan, the more expensive option, whichever that is.

They covered $1500 of my orthodontics but I am > 18yrs old. I also started treatment before I was on BCBS, so they couldn't very well expect me to change orthodontists.

[This message has been edited by Max06 (edited 6/25/2012 11:58a).]

I think you can also save money via the Tax Saver option for this purpose. Paying for it with pre-tax money will help some. Call the System benefit office to confirm this is possible.

When we faced this expense some years ago, the orthodontist set it up on a monthly payment plan designed to be completed at about the same time as the work. We had actually paid about a third of the cost for one of our kids before the orthodontist decided it was "time" due to both his physical growth and maturation to begin the actual work. Don't be shy about starting a conversation about the financial obgligation before making your decision.

Use Dr. Pratt; he costs more but is worth it!

In the last couple of years, I shopped for braces. Case was less than Elms by about $500. I've only seen insurance cover $0 or $1500 for lifetime orthodontia.

We have Delta Dental/A&M and Dr. Case is our orthodontist. They are covering $1500 of the costs. We also use the tax saver plan. I have been happy with it so far.

We take ours to the UT Dental school (ortho) school in Houston - most recently cost $2,300 for adult braces (older teen), and insurance BCBS paid a little more than half - however you have to pay up front and BCBS reimbursed a portion each month.

Depending on the price of gas, and knowing it means a trip to Houston one weekday per month, that may or may not be an option.

The TAMUS Dental Plans are Delta Dental (either the HMO or PPO). The PPO is cheaper per month, but you'll end up paying more down the line, and in my opinion, it's not worth the ability to only see one sub-par dentist in the BCS area. Go with the PPO, and use the payflex. It saves you money in the long run. We currently use Dr. Elms, and LOVE him. Staff is so nice, and they pick/up drop off from local schools for appointments, and the waiting room is great too! Delta pays 50% of the claims with a $1500 max for orthodontics.

We use Dr. Case. My pediatrician recommended him. I have been very happy with him for both general denistry and orthodontics.