There are a number of reasons for your dentist to recommend braces for you. To use a technical term, maybe you have ‘malocclusion’ or a ‘bad bite’ (a lay man’s term) i.e. crooked or crowded teeth. Or maybe, your upper and lower jaws don’t meet properly, even though your teeth are straight. These issues could be due to thumb sucking in your childhood, loss of milk teeth too early or late, or due to injury.
Apart from the esthetic aspect, you need to correct a bad bite in time, in order to prevent:
- Loss of teeth
- Gum disease
- Tooth decay
- Wear and tear on tooth enamel
- Problems with your jaws
- Chewing and/or speech defects
What type of braces do you need?
There are different ways to deal with bad bite. It really depends on your orthodontist or dentists’ recommendations. Conventional braces apply pressure to realign your teeth. They have small metal or tooth colored brackets connected by a wire, which are cemented to your teeth. They can also be placed behind your teeth. These are regularly tightened to slowly shift your jaw and teeth.
Treatment plans can vary between one year and three years – based on the condition of your teeth.
Budgeting for braces
As with most things dental, braces aren’t exactly cheap. But they do come in a range of prices, depending on the type you want and need. On average the different types cost:
- Traditional metal braces: From $3,000 – $7,000
- Invisalign: From $4,000 – $7,400
- Lingual braces: From $8,000 – $10,000
- Ceramic braces: From $4,000 – $8,000
Why are braces expensive?
For starters, braces are made from some fairly rare metals. But that’s not the issue. The treatment itself is long term, so you have to factor in the dental professional’s fees based on their skill, experience, time and effort. They regularly monitor your progress and adjust the braces as your teeth start getting aligned.