Are braces cheaper if you only get either top or bottom and not both?

[Saetia]

I posted before about my first consultation being soon. But it's not until like 3 weeks away and there was a question I was dying to ask. So. Are braces cheaper if you only get either top or bottom and not both?
I'm not too bothered about my bottom teeth. But if the price will not get reduced I'd get them done anyway too.

Thanks

[Rachel]

I'm honestly not sure, but I imagine there'd be some price reduction. However, even if you're not concerned with the appearance of your bottom teeth, you still may need them braced if you have any bite/alignment issues to be corrected (e.g. connecting elastics from your top to bottom teeth to fix an overbite or underbite would require brackets on both).

[Sunny]

The price difference will mostly be minimal. It is often necessary to have both arches treated, due to the need to realign teeth for the bite to be corrected.

Discuss with your ortho, as for some treatments that are only focusing on the cosmetic look of the front teeth, I'm sure it could be done.

[gosling_up_on_rainbow]

I only wanted my top teeth done, but the orthodontist said that I needed both top and bottom braces in order to close the gaps up top and fix my bite. My mom decided to go for Invisaline (guess she was inspired by me?) and all she wants is her lower teeth fixed, doesn't mind the upper ones. Same thing happened with her, the dentist told her that she needed both top and bottom done for the bottom to be fixed properly. This is two different professionals I am talking about. Seems to be a trend. . .

Get 'em both done. You'll be happy you did in the end

[ports]

Theoretically it will be half. Since it's half the work. But think about this.. both arches of teeth will need work, not just one. So you're only fixing half the problem... ie.. half assing it. and will regret it later.

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

Theoretically it will be half. Since it's half the work. But think about this.. both arches of teeth will need work, not just one. So you're only fixing half the problem... ie.. half assing it. and will regret it later.

While there is only one arch bonded, it doesn't mean the amount of time and cost is involved. The amount of time required at each appointment will be minimally reduced. As staff costs are probably the single largest expense in the office, and this is not really reduced with single arch care, you can expect some reduction. In our office, there is about a 10-20% reduction on the fee for single vs dual arch, and I think this is quite typical.

In the case of Invisalign, one of the major costs is the lab fee. Invisalign does not offer a single arch lab fee. Therefore, there is generally no difference in fee for single vs dual arch treatment.

As discussed above, there are often times when the positions of the opposing arch necessitates both arches being treated, in order for the teeth to fit together properly. Furthermore, there are a lot times when patients feel that one of their arches is "fine" and doesn't need treatment, but this is often only relative to the issues that they can see clearly in the other arch. The cost of putting braces on later would mean that treatment would be extended, and this cost would not be the same as starting both arches at the same time.