Braces or clear aligners
Braces or clear aligners? The cases each one suits.
The short answer
Fixed braces are PKR 325,000 and suit complex cases. Clear aligners are PKR 180,000 for one arch and PKR 350,000 for both, and are for simple cases only. Which one you need is decided by the complexity of your case, and you are told at the consultation, before you have paid.
Prices are given in writing before treatment begins. Rates are reviewed each year.
Side by side
Price
Fixed braces
PKR 325,000, paid in instalments across the length of the treatment. A retainer is PKR 17,000 per arch.
Clear aligners
PKR 180,000 for a single arch, PKR 350,000 for both arches.
Which cases
Fixed braces
Suits complex cases, including those involving extraction of teeth.
Clear aligners
Simple cases only. Complex cases involving extraction of teeth will not respond well to aligners.
How long
Fixed braces
Your braces case could be done in about a year, not two or three.
Clear aligners
Trays are delivered within a week of approval, and each tray is changed every ten days.
Visits
Fixed braces
The first three visits fall within the first month, then once a month after that.
Clear aligners
Seen once a month, when you are given new trays.
What is asked of you
Fixed braces
Low maintenance. Between metal and ceramic, it is always metal that wins: the surest, fastest way of reaching the goal.
Clear aligners
Compliance is the treatment. If a tray is lost it becomes a real problem, so responsibility on the patient’s side is a must.
Before it starts
Fixed braces
Photographs are taken at the start for the record. Bring your full-mouth films, an OPG and a lateral cephalogram.
Clear aligners
Photographs and X-rays go to the laboratory, and they send back the improvements that will be made. Treatment begins only after you approve them.
How to decide
It comes down to complexity, not preference. A simple case can be treated with aligners; a complex one, including any case that involves extraction, needs braces. One consultation with an orthodontist answers it, and gives you the price for each option for your own teeth.
Things to know either way
Treated by an orthodontist
Dr Tabassum Ahsan Qadeer, BDS, FCPS (Orthodontics), Professor of Orthodontics at Bahria University Medical & Dental College.
Payment
Instalments can be arranged, particularly for orthodontic and dental implant patients.
Written before treatment
Prices are given in writing before treatment begins.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this choice.
01Are aligners right for every case?
No. Aligners are for simple cases only. Complex cases, including those involving extraction of teeth, will not respond well to them, and you are told that at the consultation rather than after you have paid.
02How long does a braces case take?
Your braces case could be done in about a year, not two or three. The first three visits fall within the first month, then it is once a month after that.
03What should I bring to a braces consultation?
For a thorough consultation, bring your full-mouth films, an OPG and a lateral cephalogram.
Ask before you decide, and get the price in writing.
Bring your X-rays to a consultation with Dr Tabassum Ahsan Qadeer. The price is given in writing before treatment begins.