Cost of Invisalign in South Dakota

Invisalign has long been the country’s go-to clear aligner treatment. From New York to California, they’ve crafted dazzling smiles and renewed confidence for over twenty years. And while Invisalign delivers consistent coast-to-coast results, their prices can vary based on where you live. Why? That’s a good question.

Numerous factors can sway Invisalign costs, depending on your home state. South Dakota might not have as many Invisalign providers as other states, but their location and low cost of living mean low average prices. You can expect to pay between $3,500 and $7,000 for your Invisalign treatment. However, where you fall in that range depends on several factors.

So, if you’re trying to plot out a budget, but don’t have a good Invisalign estimate, we’re here for you. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a better idea of what you can expect to pay for Invisalign in South Dakota.

These ranges are estimates based on what we know about Invisalign costs and some information from a few South Dakota-based orthodontists. But they should give you a general sense of what you might pay.

Why Is Invisalign So Expensive?

We won’t lie: Invisalign is pricey no matter where you live. But there are good reasons for this, and many people think it’s worth the expense.

Every part of your treatment will go through your dentist or orthodontist, which gives them the chance to make on-the-fly adjustments, implementing additional attachments and altering timelines where they see fit. This is the most drastic difference between Invisalign and at-home aligner services like Byte and SmileDirectClub. And it enables your orthodontist to treat a wide variety of severe conditions, even jaw misalignments like overbite and underbite.

The average Invisalign treatment time is 12–18 months and requires office visits around every six weeks. But your dentist or orthodontist’s time, facilities, and equipment aren’t free, which means Invisalign often costs substantially more than at-home alternatives.

What Factors Influence Invisalign Costs?

No matter where you are, Invisalign can be expensive. But just how expensive depends on numerous factors. Some apply to every state while others are based on where you live, but you can find all of them in detail below.

Condition Severity

This is the most significant price-determining factor. A minor case of crowding or spacing simply takes less time and aligners to correct than a severe case of crossbite. The fewer office visits and aligners your teeth require, the less you’ll pay. During your initial consultation, your dentist/orthodontist can evaluate your teeth and estimate how long your treatment might take.

Region

In general, orthodontic care costs more on the coasts and less in the middle of the country. The northeast is particularly expensive, while southern states like Arkansas and South Carolina boast some of the nation’s lowest costs. Taxes can also play a role. The state will add sales tax to your total Invisalign cost, and higher corporate taxes might cause your orthodontist to accommodate by raising prices.

Midwestern states (South Dakota included) generally have lower dental and orthodontic rates than states in other regions. On top of that, South Dakota has a cost of living that’s lower than the national average, and it’s fairly consistent throughout the state. As a result, you can expect reasonably priced Invisalign treatment no matter where you live in South Dakota.

All of South Dakota’s neighbors (North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana) are pretty inexpensive places to live. As a budget-minded consumer, you might be wondering if this means you can cross state lines for even cheaper orthodontic care. It’s a good idea, but most of those states have a pretty similar cost of living, although Iowa’s is slightly lower. If you live near the southeast border, it’s worth a shot, but the amount you save might not be worth the time and money you spend traveling.

Let’s not forget taxes either. South Dakota’s sales tax will add 4.5% to your final Invisalign price. Fortunately, that’s lower than the national average, so it won’t drastically increase what you pay. Even better is that the state doesn’t have a corporate income tax, which decreases the cost for your dentist to run his or her business, potentially lowering their rates as well.

Urban, Suburban, or Rural?

Not only are Invisalign prices different between states, but they also vary depending on your location within the state. Urban areas, for example, often have a higher cost of living, and it’s less expensive to live in a small town. Do you have high rent and utility payments? Then your dentist or orthodontist likely does too. Higher overhead costs usually result in more expensive orthodontic treatment.

Urban

South Dakota is one of the United States’ least-populated states, and a significant chunk of that population is located in Sioux Falls. With around 190,000 residents, Sioux Falls isn’t a huge city, but it’s definitely the largest one in South Dakota. It doesn’t have an exorbitant cost of living either.

In fact, the city’s cost of living is right in line with the state average (particularly in rent and housing costs), so you should be able to find good prices on Invisalign treatment. Unlike other similarly sized cities, though, Sioux Falls doesn’t have a ton of Invisalign providers. You shouldn’t have trouble finding one, but shopping around will be harder.

Suburban

Many of Sioux Falls’ suburbs are just slightly more expensive than the city itself (although still more affordable than most other states). If you live just outside the city, you can expect slightly more expensive orthodontic care, but not excessively so. Even though Sioux Falls doesn’t have that many Invisalign providers, you’ll have access to them, so you can take advantage of potentially cheaper prices.

South Dakota’s next largest city is Rapid City, although it’s less than half the size of Sioux Falls. Plus, it’s slightly more expensive and has much fewer Invisalign providers — just nine within a 100-mile radius, according to Invisalign’s Doctor Locator. Chances are, you’ll pay a tiny bit more for treatment in Rapid City than you would in Sioux Falls. Aberdeen, Brookings, and Watertown — each with a population of 20,000+ — are all (on average) slightly cheaper places to live. However, they each only have 1–2 local Invisalign providers.

Rural

South Dakota has no shortage of rural towns with low average costs of living. Dentists and orthodontists in these small towns usually have much lower rates than those you might find in Sioux Falls or Rapid City. The issue is that some South Dakota towns are so remote that they don’t have an Invisalign provider within 100 miles. So, you might be able to find a provider with affordable prices, but you might have to travel pretty far for your appointments.

Local Competition

When you have numerous dentists and orthodontists in an area, they each need to find ways to stay ahead of the competition and attract new customers. Many times, this means lower prices and special offers or sales. So, if there’s a high concentration of Invisalign providers in your area, it can mean lower prices, giving you the ability to “shop around.”

Dentists and orthodontists in South Dakota rarely face serious competition. The state’s biggest city only has ~25 Invisalign providers. With less competition, these providers have less incentive to offer promotional deals and discounts. And the providers in places like Aberdeen or Brookings (where they’re the only option) have even less of a need to stand out since they have no local competition. That said, it’s still possible to find decent sales. Keep an eye on dentist and orthodontist websites to take advantage of any sales they run.

Dentist or Orthodontist Experience

A seasoned dental professional with an impressive portfolio of Invisalign successes will often charge more than a novice who just started offering clear aligner treatment. So, in some cases, you may need to decide between experience and affordability (but not always!). Sometimes it can be helpful to “shop around” to weigh your options if you have multiple dentists and orthodontists nearby.

Invisalign has a tiered series of levels (ranging from bronze to platinum) that tell you how much experience a given provider has. When you search for providers through Invisalign’s website, they will show you the level of each dentist and orthodontist in your area.

Managing Treatment Costs

When you’re staring down thousands of dollars in orthodontic treatment, it can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are effective ways to lower and manage those costs, from promotional discounts to payment plans. Here’s what you can do:

Review Your Insurance Plan

Some insurance plans will include Invisalign treatment and others don’t. If your plan includes orthodontic benefits, there’s a good chance you might receive partial coverage. But you don’t want to begin treatment expecting help from your insurance provider, only to find out that it’s not coming. So don’t commit to an Invisalign plan without first reviewing your insurance plan and contacting your provider to see if you’ll receive coverage.

You can also pay for Invisalign directly from an FSA or HSA if you have one. Consult your dentist or orthodontist to see how they handle these payments.

Search for Sales and Discounts

Unfortunately, you won't see sales plastered across Invisalign’s homepage and you won’t receive floods of promotional emails advertising “$100 off!” or “20% discount!” Invisalign doesn’t do that. However, your specific dentist or orthodontist might. Give their office a call to see if they have any special Invisalign offers. Sometimes, dentist offices will post these discounts on Groupon. Just head over to Groupon.com and search for Invisalign deals in your area.

Universities with dental schools will also offer discounts if you don’t mind a student or resident administering your Invisalign treatment. These individuals are qualified and overseen by professors and experienced dental professionals, so you can be sure you’re receiving quality care.

But in South Dakota, you’re out of luck, since none of the state’s universities have a dental school. But you should still be able to find fairly affordable prices elsewhere.

Ask About Financing

Most people can’t pay thousands of dollars for treatment all at once, so in many cases, financing is a must. Invisalign doesn’t have any company-wide payment plan policies — they leave it up to each provider. So, speak with your dentist or orthodontist to see what types of financing they offer. Many offices partner with specific third-party companies like CareCredit or beWell to break Invisalign costs into more manageable payments.

Discuss Aftercare in Advance

Even after Invisalign treatment, teeth have a tendency to shift back to their old positions. Aftercare retainers keep that from happening. When you remove your last aligner, you’ll have a perfect new smile, and you’ll need to purchase a retainer to protect it. Retainer costs vary, but you can usually get one for $200–$600. Ask your Invisalign provider what they charge so you can plan it into your budget.

Because your dentist can make tweaks and course corrections throughout your treatment, they can ensure that you’ll get a perfectly straight smile. But sometimes, teeth simply don’t move as expected. In the rare case that things don’t turn out as you hoped, you might be eligible for a refinement, where your dentist will craft new aligners to deliver the results you’re after. Of course, this will take more time and resources, so refinements often cost an additional fee.

3 Affordable Invisalign Alternatives

If you’ve come this far, you’re probably pretty serious about Invisalign, but it’s not ideal for everyone and there are some other high-quality options out there. Take a look at three of our favorites:

1. Byte

$2,199

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Byte is an at-home aligner service, so you’ll receive your full aligner series in the mail, then administer treatment from the comfort of home, no office visits required. And it comes at less than half the price of Invisalign.

They can’t treat the same scope of conditions that Invisalign can, but for mild and moderate cases, Byte claims their treatment plans are an average of 4–5 months long. Byte’s aligners are nearly invisible and come with the HyperByte — a high-frequency vibration device that's intended to provide a comfortable aligner fit. Studies show that devices like this might also encourage more efficient dental shifts for some people. We also like their lifetime guarantee, which promises users free revision treatment if their teeth ever move out of alignment.

Want to review Byte and Invisalign side-by-side? Take a look at our Byte vs. Invisalign comparison guide.

2. Candid

$3,500+

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Candid is another aligner company that takes extensive measures to provide safe, effective treatment for mild-to-moderate cases of misalignment. They’ve combined the convenience of remote aligners with the effectiveness of hands-on care in a hybrid treatment.

Your Candid treatment begins in a dentist’s office, and that dentist remains involved throughout the process. Over 6–9 months (on average), you’ll upload photos of your teeth every two weeks. This allows your dentist and Candid’s team to keep you on track and request additional office visits, if necessary.

At $3,500+, Candid’s price-point is higher than Byte’s, but still usually lower than Invisalign. So if you’re looking for a healthy middle-ground between in-office and at-home treatment, Candid is a great option.

Check out our Candid vs. Invisalign review for a more in-depth comparison.

3. ClearCorrect

$3,000–$6,000

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ClearCorrect is one of Invisalign’s largest in-office competitors. Like Invisalign, a dentist or orthodontist will administer your ClearCorrect treatement in person, so you’ll need to make regular office visits. Much of ClearCorrect’s process is very similar. The advantage they have over Invisalign is that they charge dentists and orthodontists less for lab fees, which often makes treatment less expensive.

For a deeper analysis of these two companies, chck out our ClearCorrect vs. Invisalign review.

Conclusion

One of the first steps in preparing for Invisalign treatment is working it into your budget, but it’s difficult when you don’t have an accurate cost estimate. Now that you know all the intricate pricing details in South Dakota, you can better evaluate how viable this treatment might be.

Of course, the only way to get a truly spot-on estimate is by consulting a dentist or orthodontist. If you love Invisalign but aren’t sure about the cost, don’t let that hold you back. Speak with your dentist to see how you can make it more affordable. Or, check out one of the quality alternatives we’ve outlined here. Either way, you’ll be on track to the perfect option for your perfect smile.