Handling discomfort at home

If you are experiencing discomfort at home with your braces, read our help guides below, contact your provider, or email us at orthod@ohsu.edu.

Food caught between teeth - English

Loose brackets - English

Protruding wires - English

Mouth sores - English

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Free initial screening

At the screening appointment, Orthodontic faculty evaluate the position of the patient's teeth, their bite, and consider functional or esthetic concerns and will discuss preliminary treatment options. If the patient is ready to start with the treatment, we will schedule the patient for a records appointment.

For the records appointment and all future appointments, you or your child meet with an assigned orthodontic resident (a dentist specializing in orthodontics) and a supervising faculty instructor. Once we have your orthodontic records, orthodontic resident and instructor will develop definitive treatment options and discuss a recommended treatment plan with you or your caregiver.  

Read OHSU Dental Clinic’s Patient Appointment Protocol before arriving for your scheduled appointment.

Usual treatment steps 

• Screening: brief examination, discussion of treatment possibilities. Fee: no charge 
• Orthodontic records appointment: detailed exam, photographs, x-rays, etc.
  • Fee for records: to be paid when the records' appointment is scheduled ($482.00). ″Treatment consultation: presentation and discussion of diagnosis and treatment plan.
• Treatment: Usually requires 2 to 3 years to complete treatment. 
  • Appointments are often scheduled for one hour and always on the same day of the week when the supervising faculty instructor is here.
  • Appointments are usually scheduled on 1 to 6-week intervals.
  • Fee for treatment: payment is due at the start of treatment in full or paid by a payment plan for those who qualify.
• Retention: one set of retainers and retention appointments for two years are included.

Comprehensive treatment time in our clinic is typically 24-36 months. Cooperation is a necessity for the treatment to be a success. If poor cooperation occurs success may not be achieved, treatment will take longer, teeth may be damaged and there may be a need for dismissal from the Orthodontic clinic. Here are some examples of poor cooperation: inadequate tooth brushing, frequently broken braces or missed appointments.

What is limited orthodontic treatment?

In some situations, movements involving all teeth may not be necessary and limited treatment will provide a satisfactory result. When you have a screening appointment, the orthodontist will recommend if full or limited treatment is best for you or your child and whether braces or clear aligners are options.

Limited treatment may be appropriate for patients who may not have all of their permanent teeth present or may need only a few teeth moves with orthodontic appliances. Work done for these patients may also be called limited, partial, interceptive, or Phase I treatment. 

Limited treatment is intended to address a problem involving only one or a few teeth, or to minimize a developing problem. The treatment indicated at the time of the screening is of a limited nature and is not intended to address all problems that exist or that may later develop. Additional, partial or full orthodontic treatment may also be necessary for children after all of the permanent teeth have erupted. If further treatment is needed, there will be separate (additional) fees for this treatment. 

How is treatment decided?

Before treatment can begin, orthodontic records will be necessary. For limited orthodontic treatment, the fee for x-rays, photographs, and study models is $482.00. Payment is due at the time records are made and is non-refundable. The records become the property of OHSU. 

Because each patient's orthodontic needs are different, the plan for limited treatment will be matched to what is needed for the patient. It may be a single appliance like a space maintainer, a headgear, a few braces, or a combination of some of these appliances. The treatment fee will be based on the amount of treatment needed. Your doctor will discuss this with you before any work is scheduled or started.

Fees for comprehensive orthodontic treatment

Screening: No Charge   This is a brief exam and possible treatment options discussion. 

Records fee: $482.00. This fee is non-refundable once the records have been made.

Treatment fee (comprehensive):  

• Adult (18 years of age and older): $4988.00*
• Child/Adolescent: $3948.00*

• Clear Aligner Comprehensive Treatment: $5670.00*

*Self-pay patients that are not using dental insurance receive a 12.5% discount off of our regular fees.
 

Fees for limited treatment

• Fees for Limited Treatment for All Ages:                          $1,474.00*
• Clear Aligner Limited Treatment (one arch):                   $2,126.00*
• Clear Aligner Limited Treatment (two arches):                $2,693.00*

If additional treatment is needed, there will be additional costs for this treatment. If comprehensive orthodontic treatment (Phase II or braces/clear aligners for upper and lower teeth) is needed at a later date, the cost of the limited treatment will be deducted from the fee for comprehensive treatment. The fee for comprehensive treatment will be that which the clinic is using at the time the comprehensive treatment is begun.

For full details click here. 

Payment in full is required before treatment can be started (placing braces) or payment plans are available through CareCredit and Lending Tree. 

Our patient financial services team will work with your insurance company and submit the necessary claims. 

The fee for the limited and comprehensive orthodontic treatment does not cover other procedures that may be necessary. Possible costs not covered by the fee include costs for replacement of broken or lost appliances or retainers, or extraction of teeth or other dental procedures, cleanings, extraction of teeth, replacement of missing teeth, or restoration of small or broken down teeth. Additional costs may be charged for poor patient cooperation (see above: "Patient Responsibilities");these will be discussed in advance if problems occur.

Prior to payment, the treatment fee may be changed without advance notice.