Getting braces as an adult is straightforward: you schedule a consultation with an orthodontist, choose a treatment type that fits your budget and lifestyle, and begin wearing your appliance. The process typically costs between $2,750 and $10,000 depending on the type of braces, and treatment lasts one to three years on average.
Start With an Orthodontic Consultation
Your first appointment is an evaluation, not a commitment. The orthodontist will take X-rays to see the position of your teeth, roots, and jawbone, along with photographs of your face and teeth to document your starting point. Many offices now use digital scans instead of the goopy molds you might remember from childhood, creating a 3D model of your bite in minutes.
From there, the orthodontist proposes a customized treatment plan: what needs to move, which appliance will do it best, how long it should take, and what it will cost. You’ll discuss payment options at this stage too. If you agree, the next visit is typically the one where your braces go on or your first set of aligners is handed over. Some cases need an additional assessment or preparatory dental work before treatment begins.
You don’t need a referral from your general dentist, though your dentist can recommend orthodontists they trust. Any licensed orthodontist can treat adults, but it’s worth confirming the practice regularly sees adult patients, since the considerations differ from treating teenagers.
Why Adult Treatment Differs From Teen Treatment
Children’s bones are more flexible and remodel faster. In adults, the jawbone is denser and fully mature, so teeth move more slowly under orthodontic pressure. This doesn’t mean treatment won’t work. It means your timeline may run a bit longer than it would for a 14-year-old with a similar issue, and your orthodontist will plan around that biological reality.
Adults are also more likely to have existing dental work that affects treatment. Crowns can still have brackets bonded to them, but the adhesive and bracket type may need to be different. Bridges link adjacent teeth together as a single unit, restricting how much those teeth can move. In some cases a bridge needs modification or replacement after alignment is complete. Dental implants are fused to the jawbone and cannot be shifted at all, so they act as fixed anchors during treatment. If an implant sits right where the most movement is needed, your orthodontist may recommend completing alignment first and placing the implant afterward.
Your Options: Types of Braces
Four main types of braces are used for adults, each with trade-offs in visibility, comfort, and cost.
- Metal braces are the traditional option: brackets bonded to the front of your teeth connected by a thin archwire. Modern versions are smaller and less bulky than what you may picture. They handle complex cases well and cost roughly $2,750 to $7,500.
- Ceramic braces work the same way but use tooth-colored or clear brackets, making them less noticeable. The downside is that some ceramic brackets stain if you’re not careful with oral hygiene. Cost runs $3,000 to $8,500.
- Clear aligners (like Invisalign) are removable plastic trays swapped out every one to three weeks. You wear them about 22 hours a day, removing them only to eat and brush. They’re nearly invisible and make hygiene easier, but they work best for mild to moderate alignment issues. Expect to pay $3,250 to $8,250.
- Lingual braces attach to the back surfaces of your teeth, making them invisible from the outside. They’re harder to place and clean, adjustments take longer, and they’re the most expensive option at $5,000 to $13,000.
If only one arch needs correction (top or bottom teeth only), single-arch treatment typically costs 60 to 70 percent of a full case, ranging from about $2,000 to $5,000.
How Long Treatment Takes
Most adult orthodontic treatment falls between one and three years. Simple crowding cases on the shorter end, bite corrections on the longer end. A 2019 study found that clear aligner patients wore their appliances for a shorter total duration than metal braces patients, though the aligner group tended to have less severe problems to begin with.
Several things can extend your timeline. Skipping adjustment appointments, not wearing aligners the required number of hours, or breaking brackets by eating hard and sticky foods all add time. Each broken bracket typically means an emergency repair visit and a setback. The bone around your teeth needs time to stabilize at each stage, and rushing the process risks undoing your progress. Staying on schedule with appointments, following food guidelines, and wearing elastics or aligners as directed are the most reliable ways to keep treatment on track.
Paying for Braces as an Adult
Some dental insurance plans cover adult orthodontics, but many don’t, and the ones that do come with significant limitations. Policies often cap orthodontic coverage with a lifetime maximum benefit rather than an annual one, meaning you get one pool of money for braces across your entire life. Some plans place an age limit on orthodontic benefits, cutting off coverage around age 19. Nearly all plans that do cover braces require a waiting period of at least 12 months after enrollment before orthodontic benefits kick in, so you can’t sign up and start treatment right away.
If your plan covers braces, check whether it pays a percentage of the total fee or a flat dollar amount. Even with coverage, you’ll likely owe a significant portion out of pocket. Most orthodontic offices offer in-house payment plans that spread the cost over the length of treatment with little or no interest. Some accept health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) funds, which let you pay with pre-tax dollars.
Keeping Your Teeth Healthy During Treatment
Adults face a higher risk of gum disease and decay than teenagers, so oral hygiene during treatment matters more, not less. Brackets and wires create dozens of small spaces where food and plaque collect, and aligners trap bacteria against your teeth if you put them back in over a dirty mouth.
Three tools make a real difference. Interdental brushes are small bristled picks that fit between each tooth and along the brace line, reaching spots a regular toothbrush misses. A water flosser blasts debris from between teeth and around brackets with a pressurized stream, and some research suggests it removes buildup more effectively than traditional string floss. Use gentle to moderate pressure when brushing to clean the gum line, tooth surface, and bracket without damaging the hardware. Keep seeing your general dentist every six months for professional cleanings throughout treatment.
Retainers: Protecting Your Results
The day your braces come off is not the finish line. Without a retainer, your teeth will gradually drift back toward their original positions. Adults are especially prone to this because the bone and soft tissue take longer to fully stabilize.
There are two main retainer styles. Fixed retainers are thin wires bonded to the back of your front teeth, providing continuous support without you having to think about it. They stay in place for several years and require careful flossing around the wire. Removable retainers (either clear plastic or the classic wire-and-plastic Hawley type) give you more flexibility. Expect to wear a removable retainer 20 to 22 hours a day for the first four to six months after treatment, then transition to nighttime-only wear. That nighttime phase can last indefinitely.
Retainer costs are separate from braces and vary by type: clear removable retainers run $100 to $300 per arch, Hawley retainers $150 to $300 per arch, and permanent bonded retainers $250 to $500 per arch. Many orthodontists include the first set of retainers in your overall treatment fee, so ask about this upfront.