Orthodontic info
How do people pay for braces or Invisalign, and what does the practice help with?
Braces and Invisalign can be paid for through dental insurance with an orthodontic benefit, an orthodontic office's own payment options and, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) says, money in a flexible spending account or health savings account, each following rules of its own.
On this page
On the insurance side, Carvalho & Roth Orthodontics helps you make the most of your coverage and assists with filling out forms and paperwork if necessary, and each way of paying has its own answer below.
When a dental plan carries an orthodontic benefit
A dental plan's orthodontic benefit covers a portion or percentage of the fee and may stop at a lifetime cap, according to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), and the plan's own contract sets the terms.
- How orthodontic insurance works defines the lifetime maximum, the waiting period and the age limit, and explains what a pre-treatment estimate tells you before treatment begins.
- If your employer offers no orthodontic coverage, buying orthodontic insurance yourself weighs individual dental plans and the limits that decide how much one helps with braces or Invisalign.
- Insurance and a replacement retainer spells out why the AAO says most plans leave a replacement to be paid out of pocket, and what to ask your own plan.
When the money comes from an FSA or HSA
Pre-tax accounts bring a separate set of questions, about timing and about what an account will treat as orthodontic care.
- FSA and HSA money for braces or Invisalign works through a plan year that ends before treatment does, money held in an HSA, and treatment that could look cosmetic to a plan administrator.
- For clear aligners in particular, the cost of Invisalign page notes when you receive your quote and how insurance, FSA or HSA funds and payment options apply.
What the financial and insurance page lists
Carvalho & Roth Orthodontics sets out its payment options on the financial and insurance page, and they apply to any type of treatment, from braces to Invisalign.
- Most insurance plans are accepted, and your own plan's contract still decides what it pays toward treatment.
- Payment plans are offered, and the details are worth raising at your consultation.
- Checks, cash and credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are accepted, along with automatic payments from a bank account and the financial options of the Orthodontists Fee Plan.
Your treatment cost, explained at the consultation
After the exam at your first consultation, the orthodontist talks you through which treatment fits, how long it should take and what it costs.
Bring your dental plan's details and any FSA or HSA questions to that visit, and ask about payment plans while you are there.
Request a consultation
Tell us which office and who the visit is for, and we will call you back.