Price of Braces for Teen?

We took our daughter to an orthodontist when she was 7/8 who recommended all kinds of expensive work.  I got a second opinion from a wonderful orthodontist in Oakland who recommended we wait until her adult teeth were in.  He said that often the younger children have to have additional work done when they are older.  I love this orthodontist and the kids seem to like him too.  His name is Straty Rhigellis. 2220 Mountain Blvd.  Oakland 94611.  510 482-0600

I recently got my braces off, and had all my adult teeth. I bought DeltaDental's private insurance option, the cheapest California plan, and ended up paying $2500 for my braces(including retainers), plus $120 for the insurance. We went with Orthoworks in Hercules (but they have offices all over), and I was very pleased. They offered interest free financing, and we paid them monthly until the bill was paid. I had your basic brackets and wires, and now have an invisalign top retainer, and a classic bottom retainer. 

For complicated reasons, our 16-year-old didn't have her braces installed until this past February.  On the recommendation of a friend, her work is being done at the UCSF Benioff Orthodontic Clinic on Parnassus Street in San Francisco.  Why?  Because you can get top-of-the-line treatment there for half the price of a private orthodontist. The work is done by young orthodontists who already have their degrees (they are all called "Dr."), but who must work as "interns" for two years before becoming credentialed.  

Their work is always checked -- at each visit -- by a senior orthodontist, and so you you know that you are in good hands.  Our teen is being treated by Dr. Campbell, and we could not be happier with her, or with how her treatment is progressing at the six-month mark.

FYI, once the work is underway, the appointments are (nearly) always on a Friday.  I choose 11:00 a.m., because that way our kid doesn't have to miss her 1st period class.  I pick her up at 9:30 a.m. and we get there in plenty of time to find free parking on one of the nearby residential streets.  (I could pick her up as late as 10:00, or even 10:15 a.m., as I've never had a problem with traffic.  However,  you never know what might happen on the bridge.)  She does homework or snoozes in the car while we wait for the appointment.  

After the appointment -- which lasts from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on what needs to be done --  it's become a tradition to stop by the Jamba Juice on Irving Street for a smoothie -- a deserved reward! -- and then we drive back to Berkeley with almost no traffic at that hour.  

So... don't let the "distance" put you off -- except for perhaps one initial appointment, you'll never going during rush hour traffic, and it's fun to have a regular opportunity to drive across beautiful San Francisco Bay in the middle of the day.

Feel free to email me with any questions you may have.  I've taken a lot of photos so that you can get an idea of how wonderful the facilities are! 

lmorland [at] gmail.com 

My child just started braces for a similar length of time, though who knows if the details are the same. Berkeley Orthodontics is charging $5800. 

That price seems a bit high. I had braces as an adult a few years ago and paid about $5000 after insurance which covered $1000. Treatment lasted 2 years and was uncomplicated. I went to Dr Abar in Pinole and was very happy with the service. They also offer interest free financing.

I paid $8000 for my son's braces because he needed 2 phases and started treatment before he had all his adult teeth. His treatment lasted 5 years. 

Hi there! We have 2 sons having orthodonture work. They have pretty extensive stuff needing to be done, and they are starting before all teeth are in, which mught be different than what you need. The idea is that because my sons have more teeth than there is room for in their mouth, instead of pulling the excess teeth, they expand the palate to accommodate them and then align them after that. My oldest son wore the expanding retainers 1 1/2 years, and then had braces 1 year. The cost for everything- $4,100 (we have insurance, but we submit the claims and it only pays for part of it, so $4,100 is the actual price.) This was a Phase 1 treatment. He will be re-evaluated to see if a Phase 2 needs to happen, but they are waiting to see what goes on when more adult teeth come in. I would bet that if he needs the Phase 2, it is gonna be the same price. This office has been great! We needed an emergency visit on a Sunday night and there was no charge, and they have been very easy to schedule with. It is Berekeley Orthodontics on Telegraph Ave & they have 2 more offices- 1 on Solano and 1 in Orinda. Good luck!

We go to Rhigellis. Most orthodontists offer a free consult why not go to another office & compare the cost & treatment plan

I think that price is typical. My teen with all his permanent teeth just saw someone in Danville. Estimated price was $6-7 thousand. Good luck!

After being told my son needed braces by 4 different dentists since the age of 7 we finally bit the bullet this summer now that he is12. I don't buy in to the phased approach of doing braces when they are younger and then again when they are older. We wanted to do it once and waited until puberty set in to begin. We have a Delta Dental HMO plan that we purchase for around $200 per year (family of 4) and we found an excellent orthodontist, Dr. Robin Williams in Concord (through two recommendations of friends) who takes the insurance. That was the hard part. I recieved two quotes at $6500 without insurance. With insurance, Dr. Williams was able to bring our out of pocket costs to about $3800. If we paid up front he'd reduce by another 10%. We opted to pay a flat rate of $150 per month, no interest for 26 months. It's a great deal and so far we love him! You must have the insurance for the two years your kid is going through treatment--so you'd need to work that in to your cost. Our family uses the insurance for our regular dentist visits so it's beneficial to us.

[Moderator Note Oct. 2018: it appears this practice has now closed.]

It's really hard to shop around! We go to Rhigellis because he has a good reputation and is close by. We're paying about $6000. I could never do what the person who suggested going into the city does. It just takes too much time for my schedule so convenience, even if it cost a bit more, is a must for me.