Invisalign vs other method

[myladyjane]

Took dd to an orthodontist appointment today. Very kindly we got this for free as her sister has had to have extensive work over the past 3 years and he’s confirmed that she has mild misalignment, any treatment is purely cosmetic.

he has suggested a fixed brace but also said Invisalign would be fine. He doesn’t actually do Invisalign himself though and said price wise he thought it would be around 5k.

dd doesn’t want a fixed brace (she’s almost 17 so I am not going to force her). I had hoped Invisalign would be a bit cheaper given she’s at the mild end of the spectrum.

i had promised her that we would help out with something so I am wondering if there is another method worth looking at (I have seen suresmile and 6 month smile) and also if 5k sounds about right. Other local dentists seem to have ‘starting from’ prices at half of that but i appreciate the reality will be higher. We are in the SW for reference

i have a couple of other dentists to try but we understandably won’t get the consultation for free so want to get a bit more of a plan together first.

thanks

My Invisalign was 5K. This included all the trays, all appointments, three sets of retainers for after treatment (to wear nightly) and whitening. It’s a pretty standard price. I only had treatment for 11 months (including slight Covid delays), so was a “minor” case.

Invisalign is great if they wear them for the required time. I had it and my orthodontist said the non-compliance rate is quite high. Check that maintenance/ aftercare is included, eg bonded wire and/or night time retainers. Not sure it's included with the cheaper online providers but teeth are likely to move back without.

Also check whether extra retainers after the initial plan are included in the quote - they will map out 20 or so sets to move the teeth to the right place but sometimes you need a few more to finish it off.