How Much Do Braces Cost? Metal, Ceramic, Lingual, Adults

Three named publishers put the whole treatment with metal braces, before insurance, in ranges from $3,000 to $7,000 (Oral-B) to $2,500 to $10,000 (CareCredit, a lender); a fourth, Pearl, puts braces of any type at $3,680 to $9,650. Only two publish a national average: $5,645 for braces of any type (Pearl) and $6,343 for metal braces (CareCredit). Ceramic (tooth-coloured) braces run from about $2,000 to $11,312 in the same sources, and lingual braces, fixed behind the teeth, from about $5,000 to $17,411. None of the publishers we cite gives a separate price for adults. Each figure below is shown with who published it, when, and why it may lean, and none of them is a price for your mouth. For the other straightening and cosmetic costs, see the braces, aligners and cosmetic guide.

General information about costs, not dental, medical, insurance, tax or financial advice. Your dentist decides what treatment suits you; your plan’s documents and a pre-treatment estimate decide what it pays.

Orthodontic care uses devices such as braces to straighten teeth, correct bite problems and close gaps between teeth, and while most people who get it are children, “adults get braces, too” (MedlinePlus, Orthodontia, updated 29 July 2024). This page compares money and time only. Your dentist or orthodontist decides what is clinically suitable for you.

On a treatment plan or an insurer’s statement, a full course of braces for a teenager is usually billed as D8080 and for an adult as D8090; the retainer stage after the braces come off is D8680. Code numbers are from the CDT Code, maintained by the American Dental Association; the descriptions here are our own.

Published prices side by side

These are published estimates for the whole treatment, before insurance. They measure different things, come from different years and are not averaged here into one figure. Read the “may lean” column before comparing them with a quote.

Source (who publishes it)	Metal	Ceramic	Lingual	Date	What it measures, and why it may lean
CareCredit (Synchrony), a lender that finances dental work	$6,343 average; $2,500 to $10,000	$5,834 average; $4,480 to $11,312	$9,221 average; $7,321 to $17,411	Article 19 July 2025; metal figures from Synchrony’s 2023 study (October 2023 tables), ceramic and lingual from its 2024 study; read 11 Nov 2026	Surveys Synchrony commissioned from ASQ360 Market Research. Excludes “accessory gear” and insurance. The publisher sells financing for this treatment.
Healthline, an ad-funded health media site	$3,000 to $7,500	$2,000 to $8,500	$5,000 to $13,000	Published 1 April 2021; read 11 Nov 2026	Type ranges are not sourced; the article is five years old.
Oral-B (Procter & Gamble), a maker of oral-care products	$3,000 to $7,000	$4,000 to $8,000	$8,000 to $10,000	“Last updated 08/26”; read 11 Nov 2026	No source given. The maker sells toothbrushes and care products for people wearing braces.
Pearl, a price-transparency site run by a company that sells AI tools to dental practices	All braces: $3,680 to $9,650; national average $5,645. Ceramic “20-30% more” than metal; lingual 50% to 100% above metal			Updated May 2026; read 11 Nov 2026	A modelled estimate it says draws on ADA survey benchmarks, regional fee schedules and insurance payment data; the method isn’t shown in full.

Three things stand out when the sources sit together:

• CareCredit’s ceramic average ($5,834) is lower than its metal average ($6,343). Pearl and Oral-B put ceramic above metal, while Healthline’s ceramic range ($2,000 to $8,500) starts below its metal range and ends above it. We print each source’s figures as published; CareCredit’s page doesn’t explain its difference.
• Only two sources publish an average: $5,645 for braces of any type (Pearl, modelled, labelled with the teen code D8080) and $6,343 for metal (CareCredit). Two averages are too few to say where a typical fee sits.
• Older figures haven’t caught up with prices. The consumer price index for dental services was 6.0% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. The October 2026 index was 14.4% above October 2023, the date of the CareCredit tables behind its metal figures, and 11.1% above the 2024 average, the year of its ceramic and lingual figures (BLS series CUUR0000SEMC02, read 11 Nov 2026; the last two figures are our arithmetic). That is a general dental price index, not a braces index, so we don’t adjust anyone’s number with it.

For a figure near you, FAIR Health runs a free consumer lookup by zip code at fairhealthconsumer.org; we link to it rather than copy its figures. CareCredit and Pearl both publish state tables as well. The American Association of Orthodontists publishes no national dollar figure; its consumer page (published 16 October 2025) says cost depends on the type of treatment, how complex it is and how long it takes, and suggests asking whether a fee is all-inclusive, retainers included.

Metal, ceramic and lingual: money and time

The FDA describes traditional braces as small brackets cemented to the teeth and connected by a wire; the brackets can be metal, plastic or ceramic and “can be made to match the color of your teeth”, and lingual braces put the brackets and wires on the back of the teeth instead of the front. It gives “an average treatment period” of two years, which “may take more or less time” (FDA consumer update, content current as of 8 September 2026).

On money alone, every source that prices lingual braces puts them highest, and the sources disagree on whether ceramic costs more than metal (see the notes under the table above). None of the three 2026 federal dental brochures we read sets a different orthodontic benefit for metal, ceramic or lingual brackets; what they pay depends on the plan option, whether the patient is a child or an adult, and the lifetime maximum. Clear aligners are priced on our Invisalign and clear aligner cost page, and the two are set side by side in braces vs Invisalign: the costs compared.

Braces for adults

Adult treatment has its own code, D8090, and the clearest difference for adults in the documents we read is what a plan pays. None of the price sources we cite gives a separate figure for adults, so they can’t tell you whether adults pay more for the treatment itself.

Coverage for adults is thinner in the documents we read:

• The 2026 MetLife federal dental plan covers adult orthodontics up to a $3,000 lifetime maximum on its High Option and $1,500 on its Standard Option (MetLife 2026 FEDVIP brochure, pp. 23 and 41).
• Delta Dental’s 2026 federal plan covers members and spouses only on its High Option, up to $2,000 for life; its Standard Option covers orthodontics for dependent children only (Delta Dental 2026 FEDVIP brochure, pp. 16, 35 and 36).
• Among 641 individual-market stand-alone dental plan designs with any adult cover on HealthCare.gov for plan year 2026, 22 cover adult orthodontics (our count from the CMS 2026 public use files, which cover the 30 states that use HealthCare.gov).
• Two individual plans we read list orthodontics as not covered: Delta Dental of Iowa’s 2027 Individual Platinum Prime policy and Cigna’s Dental 1000 summary of benefits (form 888306, 8/25).

What the price includes

Orthodontists usually quote one case fee, but it is built from parts, and a quote can include or leave out any of them. Pearl lists as usually included the first consultation and planning, X-rays, photos and impressions or 3D scans, adjustment visits every 4 to 8 weeks, and in most practices the first set of retainers, and lists replacement retainers as often billed separately (Pearl, May 2026). Line by line:

Part (our description, code)	Published price, if billed apart	Often billed apart?
First exam by a new office (D0150) and records: X-rays such as a panoramic X-ray (D0330), photos, models or scans	Panoramic X-ray alone: CareCredit $200 average, $157 to $343 (lender, 2024 survey, posted 31 Jan 2025); MetLife $100 to $250 without insurance (insurer, 21 Sep 2025); Humana up to $160 in Orlando, Florida only (insurer, from its own pricing tool, updated 1 Jun 2026)	Sometimes. Pearl lists records as usually included; GEHA’s 2026 federal plan lists the records separately and Delta Dental’s counts what it pays for diagnostic work done with orthodontics against the member’s annual maximum
Full treatment: brackets, wires and the adjustment visits, teen (D8080) or adult (D8090)	The case fee in the table above	No: this is the core of the fee. GEHA’s and Delta Dental’s 2026 brochures treat regular adjustment visits as part of the complete treatment, not separate services
Taking braces off and fitting retainers (D8680)	Per retainer or arch: Align Technology (retainer maker), Hawley $150 to $340, Essix (clear) $100 to $300, fixed $225 to $550 per arch (Nov 2025); CostHelper, Hawley $150 to $300, clear $100 to $250, bonded $250 to $500 one arch (undated, read 11 Nov 2026); CareCredit averages, bonded $344, clear $181, moulded acrylic $302 (lender, 2023-2024 surveys)	Ask. CostHelper says a retainer is usually included; Pearl says the first set is in most practices; GEHA and Delta Dental treat retention as part of the total case fee
A new retainer after one is lost or damaged, upper or lower (D8703 / D8704)	See retainer cost; we found only two published ranges	Yes. The 2026 GEHA, MetLife and Delta Dental federal plans don’t cover replacing a lost appliance or repairing a damaged one

A public comparison point: Virginia’s Medicaid dental fee schedule, effective 1 July 2024 (the newest we found on the agency’s site), sets a maximum of $1,408.63 for the code for a teenager’s full orthodontic treatment (D8080) (Virginia DMAS Cardinal Care Smiles fee schedule). The same schedule lists separate fees for the code line for a regular orthodontic treatment visit ($545.29) and for taking the braces off and fitting retainers ($563.75, D8680), so $1,408.63 is not what Virginia Medicaid pays for a whole case. Each is the most Virginia Medicaid pays a participating dentist for that line, not what a private patient is charged, and the schedule doesn’t say who qualifies or how many visits are paid.

Why quotes differ

• What’s inside the fee. Records, retainers, repair visits for a broken bracket and the follow-up after braces come off can each be in or out. Hold your quote against the table above line by line.
• How long the treatment is planned to take. The FDA’s average is two years. GEHA and MetLife, in their 2026 federal brochures, pay orthodontics in instalments over the planned treatment, so the length shows up in both the fee and the plan’s payments.
• Full or limited treatment. Plans and fee schedules separate full (comprehensive) orthodontic treatment from limited treatment, under different codes. The published figures above don’t say which they measure, except Pearl, which labels its figure with the full-treatment teen code.
• Teen or adult. None of the price sources we cite splits its figure by age; the difference that shows in the plan documents is what a plan covers.
• Where you live. Pearl’s state averages include $4,905 for Oklahoma and $7,150 for Hawaii (May 2026).
• In or out of network. In network, you pay your share of the plan’s allowed amount. Out of network, the 2026 GEHA, MetLife and Delta Dental federal brochures all make you pay your share plus the difference between the plan’s allowance and the amount billed, which is called balance billing.
• The survey year. A 2018 or 2021 figure isn’t a 2026 price; see the price index above.

With insurance: the lifetime maximum

Where a dental plan has a yearly maximum, cleanings, fillings and crowns count against it (how that works is on how dental insurance works). In the three 2026 federal plans we read, orthodontics has its own lifetime maximum instead: the most the plan will ever pay for one person’s orthodontic treatment. The coinsurance (your percentage share) applies first, and the plan stops at whichever is lower: its share of the fee or the lifetime maximum. The three 2026 federal employee plans we read show how far apart plans sit:

2026 plan and option	You pay	Lifetime maximum	Plan pays on a $6,000 fee	You pay on a $6,000 fee
GEHA Connection Dental Federal, High	30%	$3,500	$3,500 (70% would be $4,200; capped)	$2,500
GEHA, Standard, in network	50%	$2,500 ($1,500 out of network)	$2,500 (capped)	$3,500
MetLife Federal, High, child	50%	$3,500	$3,000	$3,000
MetLife Federal, High, adult	50%	$3,000	$3,000	$3,000
MetLife Federal, Standard	50%	$1,500	$1,500 (capped)	$4,500
Delta Dental Federal, High, member or spouse	50%	$2,000	$2,000 (capped)	$4,000
Delta Dental Federal, Standard, member or spouse	not covered	none	$0	$6,000

The fine print matters as much as the percentages:

• The plan pays over time. GEHA divides the case fee by the months of treatment and pays each month “until the lifetime maximum is paid, treatment is completed or eligibility ends, whichever comes first” (p. 35). MetLife pays at most 25% of the lifetime maximum when the braces go on, then equal instalments over at most 29 months, and payments for a child stop if coverage ends or the child reaches the age limit (p. 41).
• Treatment started before coverage. GEHA doesn’t cover orthodontics at all if the braces went on before your coverage started (p. 35). MetLife and Delta Dental prorate instead: MetLife treats 25% of the allowance as the fee for putting the braces on and doesn’t pay it, then pays its share of the remaining monthly visits (MetLife p. 23); Delta Dental prorates by the date the braces went on and the treatment still to come (Delta Dental p. 36).
• Age limits. MetLife doesn’t cover orthodontics for civilian employees’ dependent children aged 22 and over (p. 42); Delta Dental’s limits run to 21, 22 or 23 depending on the family’s status (p. 16).
• What counts. GEHA covers orthodontics “only when necessary to treat a malocclusion” (a bad bite) and not for treatment mainly for looks or for mild to moderate crowding or spacing (p. 34). Your plan’s own wording decides.
• The lifetime maximum follows you within the plan. GEHA counts what it has already paid even if you leave and re-enrol (p. 16).

To run your own plan’s numbers, enter its orthodontic coinsurance and lifetime maximum in the braces and aligner payment calculator; for a single procedure under the yearly maximum, use the dental insurance out-of-pocket calculator. A pre-treatment estimate from your plan, sent in by the orthodontist with the code numbers, is what decides.

Children: Marketplace, Medicaid and CHIP

• Marketplace plans. Dental coverage “is an essential health benefit for children” (18 and under) but not for adults (healthcare.gov, read 11 Nov 2026). The federal rule bars plans from counting “non-medically necessary orthodontia” as an essential health benefit, for plan years in 2026 and from 1 January 2027 on (45 CFR 156.115(d), eCFR up to date as of 9 Nov 2026). Whether a child’s braces count as medically necessary is in the plan’s documents.
• Medicaid. Medicaid “covers dental services for all child enrollees”, through its children’s benefit (EPSDT), and for those children dental services can’t be limited to emergencies (medicaid.gov, Dental Care, read 11 Nov 2026). That page doesn’t mention braces, so ask your state Medicaid agency or the child’s dental plan whether and when it pays for orthodontic treatment. Adult Medicaid dental differs by state; see Medicaid dental for adults, state by state.
• CHIP. Where a state runs CHIP as part of Medicaid (a Medicaid expansion), the child gets the Medicaid children’s benefit above (medicaid.gov). A separate CHIP program must cover dental services “necessary to prevent disease and promote oral health, restore oral structures to health and function, and treat emergency conditions” (42 USC 1397cc(c)(6), US Code 2024 edition; medicaid.gov). Whether that includes braces is again for the state’s program to say. To find a dentist or orthodontist who takes Medicaid or CHIP, states list them on InsureKidsNow.gov.

Paying over time and with pre-tax money

Tax. Braces are on the IRS list of dental treatment you can count as a medical expense (Pub. 502 (2025), Medical and Dental Expenses, for 2025 returns). You deduct only the part of all your medical and dental costs above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, and only if you itemize on Schedule A. Health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) money can pay qualified medical expenses tax-free (Pub. 969 (2025)). The 2026 limits are $3,400 for a health FSA (Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and $4,400 self-only or $8,750 family for an HSA (Rev. Proc. 2025-19). More on HSA, FSA and taxes for dental bills.

A worked example (our numbers): with the GEHA High Option row above, your share is $2,500. Pay $500 down and spread the rest over 24 months, and the monthly amount is ($2,500 − $500) ÷ 24 = $83.33. If you pay the $2,500 from a 2026 FSA and your tax rate is 22% (an example rate), the tax you don’t pay is $2,500 × 22% = $550.

Credit. A “no interest” promotion on a medical credit card is often deferred interest: if the balance isn’t paid in full by the end of the promotion, interest is charged back to the purchase date. The CFPB’s May 2023 report found that deferred-interest promotions financed almost $23 billion of healthcare purchases in 2018 to 2020 and put the APR of a typical medical credit card at 26.99% (CFPB, Medical Credit Cards and Financing Plans). CareCredit, a medical credit card issuer, offers deferred-interest promotions of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months on purchases of $200 or more, and gives its purchase APR for new accounts as 32.99% (its provider page, read 11 Nov 2026). Braces take about two years on the FDA’s average, so a shorter promotion can end with treatment still underway. The deferred-interest and dental loan calculator shows what is left at the end of a promotion. Your agreement’s terms decide.

Lower-cost care. Federally funded health centers must provide preventive dental services, must not deny care because a patient can’t pay, and charge on a fee scale that discounts by ability to pay (42 USC 254b, US Code 2024 edition; 42 CFR 51c.303(f), eCFR up to date as of 9 Nov 2026); orthodontics isn’t on the required list, so ask. Find one at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov; other options are on free and low-cost dental care.

What to ask before you sign

• Ask the office for a written treatment plan with the code numbers (D8080 or D8090, D8680 and any records), the total case fee, how many months it is planned for, and whether records, the first retainers, repair visits and replacement retainers are included or billed apart.
• Ask the plan for a pre-treatment estimate, how much of the orthodontic lifetime maximum is left, your coinsurance in and out of network, whether there is an age limit, and how it pays if the braces went on before coverage started or if coverage ends during treatment.
• Before signing a credit agreement, read the promotion end date, the APR after it, and whether interest is deferred back to the purchase date.

Sources checked on 11 November 2026. Published prices are estimates from the named publishers, not quotes; plan terms are from the named 2026 brochures and may change for 2027.