Greetings,
After discovering from an honest orthodontist that my 12 year old
daughter was at least 1 year away from starting braces (she still had 10
primary teeth; she didn't get her first tooth until 19 months), I
decided to correct a mild drifting problem in my upper incisors
(diastema & subluxation of lateral incisor). I had braces on for 4 years
about 25 years ago. At my initial consultation I received a ballpark
figure (pending insurance contribution) & agreed to start treatment &
received x-rays, mold, etc. Two weeks later I showed up for my brackets.
I was to have brackets applied to 6 upper teeth. The technician studied
my chart & asked me if I was having clear or metal brackets. This had
not come up before & thinking that it was simply a preference  question
like "paper or plastic" in the grocery store, I chose clear. She
hesitated while studying my chart again, excused herself & returned with
the office manager who is a very friendly & likable person. She
explained that clear braces would be $250 more (the previous quote was
$1300 without insurance with an estimate of about $650 out of pocket;
treatment length of 9 - 12 months). Genuinely surprised I responded,
"Clear brackets cost $40 more each?". I have no idea what standard metal
brackets cost the orthodontist but I couldn't imagine anything that
small could be made of such exotic materials to cost $40 each, let alone
$40 more than a metal bracket. She thought for a moment ($250 was the
normal charge for a full arch) & offered 20% off, or $200. At 53 years
old, I wasn't inclined to wear visible metal & just said "that's fine".
Do ceramic brackets cost that much more than standard stainless steel
brackets? Or do ceramic brackets incur more labor & visits in the long
run due to increased length of treatment or breakage for the
orthodontist & the extra cost reflects this? Since I was relatively
blind-sided in the chair I didn't think to ask why they were more expensive.
Thanks,
Rich