Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Will Two-Phase Treatment for dental care Cost More?

Many parents are worried about the cost of braces in Houston, so when their orthodontist recommends Two-Phase treatment, they start to panic.  Two phases of treatment?  Isn’t that twice the braces and twice the cost?

This thought process drives many parents to put off treatment so they can invest in just one set of hopefully affordable braces in Houston, TX rather than two.  While logic would make you think that putting off treatment would save you money, the truth is that it could cost you a lot more in the long run.

To help put this in perspective, understand that the comparison you are making is between the cost of Two-Phase treatment on your child and the cost of one-time orthodontic treatment on a child who is recommended to have this one-time treatment.  The accurate comparison would be between the cost of your child’s Two-Phase treatment and the cost of your child getting treatment exclusively later in life.  Why do you need to make this comparison when thinking about the cost of braces in Houston?

Because orthodontists only recommended Two-Phase treatment and Invisalign treatment in Houston in cases where they believe that delaying treatment will result in more significant problems that will require greater intervention.  So while two sets of braces are more expensive than one, two sets of braces are cheaper than, say, tooth extraction, palatal expanders, surgery, and braces—all of which could be a possibility without Two-Phase treatment. 

However, even if significant interventions will not be needed—and it is difficult to predict if they will—the cost of Two-Phase treatment is not significantly higher than just going through the process once.  You would expect it to double the cost, but in some cases it will only cost about 25% more than waiting.  In addition to the fact that there will be two sets of braces and two retainers, other additional costs include the visits during the interim years between the two phases of treatment, x-rays, and other diagnostic tools. 

The affordability of Invisible braces treatment in Houston, TX aside, you might be wondering why you would consider putting your child through the struggle of braces twice in their life.  Essentially, the benefits outweigh the costs, both in terms of the financial costs and the adjustments needed when wearing braces.  Early intervention allows our team to get the kind of results that just are not possible in any other way.  Not to mention that that early intervention reduces the possibility of needing to take extreme—and often painful—measures to correct the position of the teeth and jaw. 

And you truly cannot put a price on the confidence your child will feel.  When young, there is nothing awkward about wearing braces because everyone else is too.  In fact, your child might be the cool kid for getting them earlier than most.  But going through life with a smile that doesn’t make them feel their best?  That can be devastating, even for young children.


So does Two-Phase treatment cost more?  In some cases, yes.  But ultimately, it is worth it.