We have dental insurance that covers $1500, which I'm sure is a fraction of the cost. Still better than nothing. What should I expect to pay (ballpark), and who do you guys like/dislike?

[meme]Home Simpson: "Dental Plan.. Lisa Needs Braces.."[/meme]

I don't have advice but I can't get this scene out of my mind. Good luck on your quest.

Out total treatment estimate for our son was almost $5700 for about 2 years of treatment. I am currently in braces again on just the bottom teeth.

We use Andrews Orthodontics and have been really pleased. He does not oversell and tries to keep the cost down as much as possible. For example, he could have put braces on the top on me to fix some purely cosmetic issues. I went with just the lowers which is the main cause of my bite problems. I know that there are others who would have highly encouraged me to do both.

My son got braces with Andrews on Sept 2020. It was $5,600 before insurance paid their part. They let you set your payment plan and don't charge interest so that is nice. I just have them bill my HSA card every month. The office is really nice and they can usually fit him in quickly when he breaks a bracket or a wire pops loose.

Regardless of who you go with, ask about fixed retainers that go behind the teeth once the braces come off. Unless your kid is totally diligent about wearing night time retainers (and not losing or breaking them) the teeth will move. Perhaps they won't go back to original position but they will move. It is frustrating when you pay $6000 to watch that work go down the drain. Now the downside to the permanent retainers is that it is a pain to floss but once you get used to flossing with braces on, it is not that big of a deal.

Thank you guys. Good advice.

All (3) of my kids use Elms and we are happy

I'm on kid #2 with braces. SHOP around - get quotes from more than one orthodontist. They all charge differently and our estimates varied from $200-$900. For our teeth, we went with Andrews both times. After getting more than one estimate for both kids, Andrews was the best value and the best terms (no interest, name your monthly payment).

Seems like Elms was around 5k, but that was a while ago . One kid needed just a little work, one kid needed a ton. He charged me the same regardless and did great work.

we used Elms for our 3 kids. around $5K.
andd we had similar insurance... $1500 total lifetime for each kid... but it was better than nothing.

another recommendation for Elms