You have likely seen teenagers walking around with a nice shiny metal smile. These people are likely wearing some form of conventional braces. Although there are many designs, they all serve the same function, to straighten teeth. These types of braces work very well and have been a standard for decades. Below you will find information specific to conventional braces, the cost of braces at Schau Dental, the braces system used by Dr. Schau, and sample cases done by Dr. Schau.
If you think you or someone in your family may benefit from braces, contact us for a free consult today.
Pros and Cons of Conventional Braces
The main benefit to conventional braces is there effectiveness for really complex cases, and developing the shape of the jaw. Compared to Invisalign, conventional braces have better force control on the teeth which can be used to guide teeth in a three dimensional plane, over great distances with amazing predictability.
The second benefit is they are less dependent on patient compliance. With being fixed in place the patient does not have the option of not wearing the braces, or forgetting them at home, or accidentally throwing them in the garbage.
Despite the pros for conventional braces, they do have two major cons. Poor aesthetics and decreased ability to brush and floss normally. Due to these cons, dentists and researchers have worked hard to find an alternative treatment option, which has been found in products like Invisalign.
System Used at Schau Dental
There are many types of conventional braces on the market today. At Schau Dental, Dr. Schau has chosen to use the Carriere self ligating bracket system (follow the link for company product website). With these brackets and modern wires, Dr. Schau has been able to:
- Increase orthodontic treatment predictability.
- Decrease orthodontic treatment time.
- Increase the time between visits, which means less trips to the dentist.
- Decrease trauma to the teeth that could cause severe long term damage.
- Increase comfort during treatment by using continuous lighter forces, rather than the traditionally more intense, short lived forces.
- And put an end to the hassle of little elastics on each bracket that discolor and collect food and bacteria over time.
Sample Cases and Photos, Treated by Dr. Schau
Extractions and Conventional Braces
In some cases, even with doing braces to straighten the teeth, there still will not be enough room to align all the teeth properly. So for some cases, multiple teeth may be extracted to help free up space for the remaining teeth, and speed up overall treatment time.
When this patient first came to the office, she had multiple baby teeth covering erupting adult teeth, making hard to assess if there was enough space for all the teeth. Once the baby teeth were all removed, it was evident there were significant crowding issues, primarily with the top teeth. To help relieve the crowding on the top two adult teeth were removed (1st premolars). The rest of the adult teeth were allowed to fully erupt on their own over the next couple of months and then active treatment with conventional braces was started. Just over a year later, treatment was completed, braces removed, and the patient entered her retentive phase with a whole new smile she could be proud off.
Before Braces and Extractions
After Extractions
After Braces
Conventional Braces No Extractions
When the teeth are the right size, but fighting for space, it is often due to an underdeveloped jaw. With this type of crowding, the best and quickest results come from moving virtually all the teeth at once. The forces required to do this are best achieved with conventional braces and can stimulate significant growth of the jaw structure to allow all the teeth to fit into place.
For this case, a pretty straight forward approach with conventional braces was done. The difference after only three months was remarkable and overall treatment took approximately just over a year. To do this same case with Invisalign braces would most likely have taken close to two years, and possibly not have achieved as nice of a result.
Before Braces Photo
After Braces Photo
Retainers
After orthodontic treatment is complete, it is important to hold the teeth in place to prevent future drifting of the teeth, or Orthodontic Relapse. At Schau Dental, it is our policy that retainers be worn for a minimum of 6-12 months full time (minus when eating), and then slowly tapering down to nightly use for as long as you want to keep your teeth straight. To help keep the teeth in place indefinitely, all our conventional braces patients are fitted with a temporary set of clear retainers, and then provided with four sets of Invisalign Vivera Retainers. With this approach, our patients have the opportunity to experience straight teeth for life.
General Dentist Vs Orthodontist
Some may be thinking, if I am going to have orthodontics done, why not see an Orthodontist? An excellent question. For some cases, the complexity of the case is so severe that the added training and experience of an Orthodontist is a real asset (E.g. cases where jaw surgery or major growth modification is required). Other cases can be a fare bit simpler and easy for a General Dentist to treat with the same level of quality. A General Dentist also has the ability to perform any required extractions or modifications to the teeth (E.g. bonding, veneers) that may be required, which may open up other treatment options potentially overlooked by an Orthodontist. The General Dentist can also combine visits between regular cleanings and checkups with your orthodontic visits (something an Orthodontist cannot do).
Dr. Schau has taken numerous courses in Orthodontics both during and after Dental School. He knows his limits and works closely with several Orthodontists in the city and will not hesitate to refer a case that would be better treated by an Orthodontist. As there are multiple options with Orthodontics, as well as alternatives, Dr. Schau recommends you see him for a consult before starting any treatment with an Orthodontist.
Costs for Conventional Braces
At this point you are probably thinking “OK, I’m interested, but how much?”
The cost for braces will vary from dentist to dentist, and case by case depending on the length and complexity of treatment. When comparing prices, be sure to keep in mind what all is included in that price relative to the treatment being offered. At Schau Dental we endeavor to keep our prices competitive, affordable, and reasonable.
At Schau Dental conventional braces have a range in cost. For cases that can be completed in under six months of treatment, the cost is $3500. For cases that take longer and are more complex, the cost is $5,500. Included in these prices is the cost for orthodontic records as well as a temporary set of clear retainers and four sets of clear Invisalign retainers.
To help with these costs, Schau Dental offers interest free payment plans on all orthodontic cases. The fees are split over multiple visits with the initial no obligation consultation visit being free. If you decide after the consultation to proceed, a final records visit will be scheduled, and the first payment of $400 will be due at that time, with no obligation to proceed beyond this point. The third visit is scheduled a few weeks down the road at which time your treatment will start and the braces will be placed. For shorter cases, a cost of $1,000 will be charged at that appointment with the remainder of the costs being spread out over six monthly payments of $350 each, bringing the total cost to $3,500 and spreading it out over 8 months. For longer cases, a cost of $1,020 is charged at the braces appointment with the remainder of the costs being spread out over twelve monthly payments of $340 each, which brings the total cost to $5,500 and spreading it out over 14 months.
If you have orthodontic coverage with your insurance, all fees will be submitted to your insurance company first, and the remainder amounts charged to you.
For those who would rather pay us the full amount and not do a payment plan you will be eligible for a discount of up to $500. A further $200 discount can be earned for each friend you refer that enters into active orthodontic treatment at our office.
Please note that these fees may change at any time. However, once an individual has begun the records part of treatment, prices will be set for course of treatment without any increases along the way.