Cost - Is it expensive?

I'm sure the first question you have is, "Is it expensive?" The short answer is, not as expensive as you'd think. The cost of Invisalign has come down considerably since it came out. At many dental offices the cost is comparable with braces. You can find reasonable prices if you shop around. Skip the dentists who charge too much and want you to pay up front. I found a great dentists office with reasonable prices and more high tech equipment than I knew existed!

Cost

There are generally two types of invisalign treatment for adults - invisalign express and full invisalign. Below are some average prices and quick overviews.

• Invisalign Express is for adults needing very minor adjustments and whose expected treatment length is about 5 sets of trays. Expect to pay around $1500.

• Full Invisalign is for most adults who want corrections. This is what I got, and my treatment length is 24 sets of trays. My quoted price was around $3300, but I got a discount for pre-paying in full so I paid $3070.

Payment Options

I'd been postponing treatment because I thought hadn't saved up enough. To my surprise, the financing options were very flexible. My dentist offered an interest-free 20% down and the rest of 12 months, or an 15% interest plan over 24 or 48 months. If you're low on cash and are willing to pay interest, you can get away with paying less than $100 per month. Not bad.

Cost Breakdown

The dentist advised me that if I lose or break a tray each one costs $50. Please note, this is for per individual tray, top or bottom. The math works so you pay around $1000 for the appointments/design cost and the rest for trays. For 24 tray sets (24 x 2 x $50) = $2400.

What Insurance Covers

Any decent insurance plan will have some coverage for orthodontic treatment. Expect to pay up front to your dentist and file a claim with your insurance after you receive your trays. My insurance plan covered about half the cost of my treatment. Since it was a lifetime max amount, there are few options to spread the charges over different calendar years. If you're looking for additional coverage, most dentists will allow you to add a secondary insurance plan. Talk to your dentist about this, if your yearly dental cost is high, it might be a good option.

I'll be frank, there could be a couple months between your initial payment and when the trays are actually fabricated. This will delay your claim. Then expect insurance to take a while to fulfilling the claim. If you're looking to pay in full, best to save up and expect the cash back in a few months.

If you don't have insurance, you can still pay out of pocket with a payment plan. The options are that flexible.