Download the complete guide to paying for braces

THE COMPLETE
G U I D E T O PAY I N G
FOR BRACES
We all want to look our
best. But how do braces
help us?
DR. SAL AND HIS STAFF ARE DEDICATED
TO EXCELLENCE AND CARING FOR
THE CORRECTION OF ORTHODONTIC
PROBLEMS IN PEOPLE OF ALL AGES:
CHILDREN, TEENAGERS, AND ADULTS.
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Are Braces Right For You?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A quick way to determine costs: 4
Why do braces cost so much?: 6
Don’t go broke fixing your smile: 9
3 ways to pay for your new braces: 12
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Are Braces Right For You?
A QUICK WAY TO DETERMINE COSTS
The reason why it can be difficult to find direct
answers to orthodontic costs through online
research is because costs depends on a variety
of factors.
Consultations & Evaluations : The first consultation
will allow your doctor to conduct a thorough history of
dental experience, examine your soft and hard tissues
in your mouth, make observations about the parents’
teeth and jaws, and discuss braces, other treatment
methods and appliances available to you.
Treatment for Children: Our philosophy at Dr.
Salvatoriello’s offices in New Hampshire is to avoid
braces. If we can see your child between the ages of
7-10 years, we may be able to prevent tooth alignment
or jaw imbalance problems in their future. Early
intervention is the best way to reduce treatment costs.
Types of Treatment: The American Dental Association
recommends that a child first visit the family dentist
between the ages of 6 and 12 months and that child
should also visit an orthodontist by the age of 7 years
or as early as an orthodontic problem is first detected.
At this age, your orthodontist should be able to
determine what type of facial development he/she is
going to experience.
Pre-Eruptive Guidance (PEG). A method that allows
the teeth to straighten themselves to a greater
degree. Space maintainers hold onto the existing
room in the mouth while primary (baby) teeth are
being lost. Both methods usually decrease the second
phase of treatment, and in many cases it can eliminate
future orthodontic treatment.
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Are Braces Right For You?
A QUICK WAY TO DETERMINE COSTS
Length of Treatment: Your doctor will provide you
with all the essential instructions and tools to maintain
good hygiene and take proper care of your appliances,
but the overall length of treatment depends heavily on
motivation and support.
If the patient does not avoid gummy, chewy, or hard
foods, brackets may get knocked off. Sometimes
unanticipated repairs are a result of bad oral habits,
like chewing on pencil erasers, pen caps, or fingernails.
Imagine the size of the health care bill after gum
disease treatment. Replacing 1 front tooth with an
implant after the extraction of 1 tooth can result in
approximately $4,000 in total fees. This is an example
for why it’s important to save natural teeth and invest
in early interceptive treatment.
Tips for Patients: Are Braces Worth the Investment?
Braces help to straighten teeth and can give you
a beautiful smile, but braces and other treatment
methods can prevent serious long-term health
problems, like:
• Tooth decay or loss
• Gum disease and jaw problems
• Affected speech and/or chewing
• Abnormal wear to tooth enamel
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Are Braces Right For You?
WHY DO BRACES COST SO MUCH?
Orthodontics is a specialized service that requires
a team of educated and trained professionals.
The services are provided by a business, so there
are day-to-day costs involved to keep the practice
running. The overall cost of braces will include,
professional costs, materials and laboratory costs,
and other operating expenses.
Professional Cost: These include the specialty care,
technical skill, and accurate judgment of your doctor
and his/her qualified staff. A specialist in orthodontics
is a college graduate, continues on to 4 or more years
of dental school, and then 2-3 years of post-doctoral
training. This equals 12 years of intensive training
after high school. Plus, the New Hampshire Dental
Practice Act demands that all orthodontic assistants
are certified to perform basic supportive orthodontic
procedures. An orthodontic assistant
qualified to perform skilled procedures is someone
who has additional years of training and/or has at least
400 hours of clinical dental assisting experience. The
education and training beyond college reflect a higher
salary base. We factor this into our treatment costs.
Materials, Laboratory Costs, and
Operating Expenses
These costs include sterilization, diagnostic casting,
hypoallergenic removable appliances, retainers,
brackets, wires, bands, and specialized equipment like
x-rays and digital cameras.
Operating expenses such as facility rent, taxes,
electricity, heat, and water are necessary to keep
offices open to the public.
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Are Braces Right For You?
WHY DO BRACES COST SO MUCH?
Tips for Patients!
Chances are, an orthodontist with several decades
of experience will confidently provide more accurate
diagnosis because they will have in-depth
knowledge of traditional treatment methods and the
latest technologies.
Also, the fields of dentistry and orthodontics are
constantly evolving because technology keeps
advancing. Ask questions about the type of materials
and equipment the practice will use to make
treatment more efficient. Check to see if your provider
has published recent treatment philosophies on their
website and/or in professional journals.
800SAYSMILE.COM
DO YOU HESITATE TO SMILE OR SPEAK
AROUND OTHER ADULTS WITH STRAIGHT
TEETH? MAYBE YOUR JAW IS MISALIGNED
AND YOU TRY TO HIDE YOUR PROFILE
IN FAMILY PHOTOS. ORTHODONTIC
TREATMENT IS ONE WAY TO IMPROVE
YOUR SMILE AND YOUR HEALTH.
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Are Braces Right For You?
DON’T GO BROKE FIXING YOUR SMILE
Value your health: You can choose to live with
crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw, but your quality of
life will continue to depreciate. Crooked or crowded
teeth are hard to clean and maintain. This may
contribute to conditions that cause not only tooth
decay but eventual gum disease and tooth loss.
Misaligned jaw joints can result in chronic headaches
or pain in the face and neck.
When your smile is left untreated, many orthodontic
problems become worse. Therefore, the cost of
orthodontics is often less costly than the additional
dental care required to treat more serious problems
that can develop later.
Dr. Salvatoriello, DMD has said,“We believe that cost
should not be the barrier when you seek the highest
quality of professional orthodontic care. After all, the
benefits of treatment will last a lifetime. One really
cannot put a price on your future health, comfort,
appearance, happiness and success. That’s why we’ve
worked hard to eliminate any potential barriers.”
Find a good specialist: To keep costs as low as
possible, you will want to see a doctor who specializes
in orthodontics and dento-facial orthopedics. A
specialist will be able to identify the severity of the
problem and provide effective treatment methods
that will work the first time.
You and your orthodontist will become a team.
The orthodontist should motivate you and provide
you resources before, during, and after treatment.
On average, braces will be on for 24 to 36 months.
Treatment will be completed on time (which can
save you a great deal in additional expenses), if you
cooperate with your doctor and follow instructions.
Ask for a fixed fee: A fixed fee is the way to go.
This means you will be given one cost for the entire
treatment plan without having to worry about
additional costs along the way. In this case, the doctor
takes on the risk because he or she has the experience
and training to accurately estimate expenses.
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Are Braces Right For You?
DON’T GO BROKE FIXING YOUR SMILE
necessary. In such cases, dental insurance plans
Practices that do not provide a fixed fee can charge
provide partial or complete coverage for qualifying
the patient for broken appliances or making the
repairs. Accidents happen throughout treatment, even orthodontic care, up to a specified lifetime maximum.
if you are being careful with the appliances. Therefore,
the patient takes on the risk of paying more than
they expected.
Use health insurance: Your orthodontist’s staff will
call the insurance company to verify what type of
coverage you have and how much will be covered.
Then, the best treatment options and payment plan
will be discussed with you.
Your dental insurance plan may offer different
coverage for you than your child. Most orthodontic
procedures are considered cosmetic as an adult, and
are usually not covered -- just as your health insurance
plan does not cover cosmetic surgery.
However, your child may need orthodontic treatment
to correct their bite alignment to prevent other
problems, so it may be considered medically
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Are Braces Right For You?
DON’T GO BROKE FIXING YOUR SMIL
Tips for Patients!
I heard dental schools are way cheaper. Many people
choose to save money by taking their child to a local
dental school. The lower cost may fit into your family’s
budget, but it may be worth investing in a wellexperienced specialist. You want the job to be done
right on time, the first time, in order to save money in
the long run.
Do you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?
FSAs are popular benefits provided by employers that
allow workers to set aside money to cover healthrelated expenses. Employees with an FSA will pay
towards that account before taxes are taken out of
their paycheck. This can add up to a lot of savings
over time.
Make sure if you have a FSA, you use your funds by
the end of the year because they become forfeit if not
used. These funds can be used to cover a variety of
expenses, so make sure you know what it covers.
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Are Braces Right For You?
3 WAYS TO PAY FOR YOUR BRACES
The total cost of orthodontics can be intimidating.
We believe that the benefits of treatment will
last a lifetime and we work hard to eliminate any
potential financial barriers to treatment.
Payment in Full. For those of you who are
economically capable of paying the full balance for
orthodontic treatment, you have the opportunity to
save up to 4-8%! Pre-paying will eliminate billing costs,
therefore we provide up to an 8% discount for what
we call the accounting services reduction.
The discount is determined by the agreed upon fixed
rate, or the total cost of treatment. You can receive an
estimate for the total cost of orthodontics after your
first visit. Cost is largely influenced by the complexity
of your child’s teeth and jaw problems.
The credit card market is very competitive, and there
are several banks and credit unions offering simplified
plans. Credit.com shared a blog post The Best Credit
Cards in America: Simple Cards, to give you an idea
how to find a card that is right for you.
CareCredit (3rd Party Financing). We accept
CareCredit at our offices. CareCredit involves a
third-party financier that is not affiliated with our
orthodontics office, but it can help pay for
your treatment.
You can apply for CareCredit online or through our
in-house rep and get accepted within minutes. The
moment you are approved, the funds are at your
disposal without having to wait for the physical
credit card.
Credit Cards. Our three orthodontic offices in New
Hampshire have credit card machines that process all
major credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard.
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13
Are Braces Right For You?
3 WAYS TO PAY FOR YOUR BRACES
CareCredit Plans:
Tips for Patients!
• No interest if paid in full within 6, 12, 18, or 24
months
What if you lose your job? Sometimes life throws
a wrench into your plans, and you may have issues
making your monthly payments. Most providers will
help you lower your monthly payments. CareCredit
offers longer payment options with a reduced, fixed
interest rate. Late payments result in an interest
charge, which can set you back from reaching
your goal.
• Purchases of $2500 or more are eligible for a 60
month offer
• Fixed monthly payments
• Easy application process with no fees with quick &
confidential results
This payment method can be made with or without
dental insurance. In some cases, dental insurance
does not include the entire orthodontic treatment
cost. Therefore, you have the option of choosing to
finance the remaining balance with a third party such
as CareCredit.
Remember, there is 0% interest and n0 penalties
for any of these payment methods if the monthly
payments are made on time.
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Get started today! Call Dr. Sal to schedule your consultation
and receive all the information you need to help determine the best
orthodontic plan for you or your child.