It is estimated that over 4 million people in the United States wear braces. People get braces for a variety of reasons, including jaw alignment, teeth straightening, and to relieve tension and pain. Braces can become very expensive though. You might be thinking, “does insurance cover braces?” Luckily, insurance can help with some of the costs. If you live in Southern California, you might be asking yourself “what is the cost of dental braces in Los Angeles?” A review done by Smile Angels of Beverly Hills deducted that just out-of-pocket expenses for braces can range anywhere from $3,000-$10,000. Not factoring in the cost of braces with insurance looks a little intimidating. Fortunately, though, insurance paves the way for those costs to come down and not be such a burden.
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Does Insurance Cover Braces?
The short answer is yes! But the long answer is mostly yes with some stipulations that come along with it. In the majority of cases, if the patient is under 18, then the answer may be yes. The three biggest factors of whether braces are covered by insurance are age, types of insurance, and medical necessity. Below we will describe these factors in length to clear up any confusion.
Who Qualifies?
Unfortunatley, most insurance companies do not pay for braces for people 18 and over. The good news though; if you are under 18 that means most insurance companies will partially cover the cost of braces. The legal difference being braces for those under 18 are seen as medically necessary. For those over 18 wishing to obtain braces, this is seen as cosmetic.
Smile Angels recommends that you check with your insurance provider to see if you have a dental plan that supports braces. In the case your insurance plan does not provide brace coverage, there are supplemental orthodontic insurances you can find. Smile Angels also note that a common percentage we see being deducted for the cost of braces with insurance is generally 50%. Within that, there is a $1,500 lifetime maximum per child. For example, if braces cost $3,000, then 50% should be covered. If the braces cost $6,000, then the out-of-pocket cost will be $4,500.
Are Braces Tax Deductible?
In some cases, yes. If a dental procedure is deemed medically necessary, then the cost of braces can be tax-deductible. Braces are in fact medically necessary and apply to people of any age. The only catch is you will have to itemize deductions in order to write off your or your child’s braces. To put this into perspective, on a federal level, the standard deduction for single filers is $12,550. The standard deduction for Married Filing Jointly is $25,100. This means if you are a single filer, you will need a deduction of larger than $12,550 in order to write off the cost of braces. For more information on this topic, please visit the IRS website here.
Does Medicaid Cover the Cost of Braces?
If in the case you have Medicaid and your braces are medically necessary, Medicaid might cover part or all of the cost. Medicaid aid coverage varies by state, but the federal government requires a minimum set of standards that all states must follow for children (people under age 18). Among these, each state must provide teeth restoration, treatment to relieve pain and infections, and medically necessary orthodontic services (which includes braces!).
What is the Cost of Dental Braces in Los Angeles?
There are four main types of braces you can get, and each has its own set of varying prices. Below are the four types of braces people typically get and their average costs:
- Metal: $3,000-$7,000
- Ceramic $4,000-$8,000
- Lingual: $8,000-$10,000
- Invisalign: $4,000-$8,000
That might seem scary, but the cost of braces with insurance is less daunting. Below is an estimate of the cost of braces after insurance:
- Metal: $1,500-$3,700
- Ceramic: $1,000-$4,700
- Lingual: $3,500-$9,200
- Invisalign: $1,500-$3,500
The potential savings here are enormous. The largest amount of savings from this data on average is $4,500. The lower end of the savings is $800 from this data set, but it should be noted that these are purely estimates, and not the final costs of any procedure.
What Insurances Does Smile Angels Accept?
Smile Angles of Beverly Hills is a highly versatile business that accepts 40 forms of insurance. We care a lot about our patients, so we want to give people a wide range of insurances we can accept so we can provide the best care possible. The link to all of the insurances we accept can be found here. If you do not have insurance, we have many financing options. You pay $0 down and we make sure you are satisfied with our low monthly payments.
Sign Up for a Consultation!
If you found this information useful and believe insurance will help with the cost of braces, whether it is for you, your significant other, or your child/children, then consider a consultation with the professionals at the Smile Angels of Beverly Hills! We have a combined 40+ years of experience in our fields. We provide orthodontic services to people of all ages and are able to do well over 30 types of procedures depending on your needs. Please contact us through this link here.
We at Smile Angels want to ensure that the cost of braces with insurance is affordable so it is one less thing you have to worry about. We will give the best care for the most equitable price. We have a long-standing satisfaction rate among our clients. But do not just take our word for it. If you would like to see the many before and after pictures of our work, please click this link here.