It seems to me that if you need full tx after having been debanded for 4
years that your original prob was misdiagnosed, poorly treated, or you
never followed post Tx instructions. I'd be bullshit if I had to pay
another 4.5k and I'd be back at the original doc with my complaints. Of
course no guarantees can be given.

When in doubt get a second opinion.  We are creating a new service that will
allow you to get multiple opinions from multiple doctors simply and easy.
Look for Easy Orthodontics on the web soon.  Good luck,

Art

seems very reasonable.  it is hard to say if you need full tx or can
be treated with Invisalign.  you may be dealing with a doc who is more
comfortable with fixed appliances and not Invisalign.  I'm no
Invisalign maven but I tend to agree with your doc in that Invisalign
is for people who want straighter "er" teeth without braces and are
willing to live with a slightly less than perfect result.  Invisalign
is not equivalent to braces in most cases and certainly not in cases
that are anything other than simple problems.  If you want straight
teeth without the "er" think fixed appliances.

Damon braces are a marketing ploy.  Nothing really special about them
other than they have been marketed by Ormco as better, faster, etc
than regular braces and a little of that may be true.  On the other
hand, they are way more expensive than regular braces so that means
your doc is probably being very fair with a fee of $4500.

You said that you paid less than $4500 for your other tx.  that seems
on the low side even if it was 4 years ago.  that may or may not be
why things need to be redone.

Please ask your new doc about fixed retention.  That is the way to go
for state of the art orthodontics.

I have the Damon 3 brackets on my teeth now.  I got them on in Jan.
06.  I didn't have braces before so I have nothing to compare them
too.  I went to two orthodontists, one used traditional brackets and
told me I had to have them for 3 years and maybe surgery.  The other
orthodontist used the Damon system and traditional.  He suggested that
the Damon system would be best for my situation.  I had crowding, an
open bite, and a cross bite.  He quoted me 24 mos.  So far, he says I
am on track.

The number one thing that I like about using the Damon brackets is the
time between the appointments.  10-12 weeks between each one.  If you
are like me and don't like taking time out of your day to go to a Dr.
and wait then this is for you.  I also like the appearance of the
brackets over the traditional bracket.  They are noticeably smaller
than the traditional bracket.  They are half clear on the front teeth
and all metal towards the back.

All in all, I have had a great experience.  I paid $5500.  I would
have had to pay $6000 for the other (most likely because it would have
been another year of treatment).  I went with the shorter treatment.
I know it probably will be longer than 24 mos. but it sounded better
than 3 years.  If you want pictures, let me know.  Good Luck!