What makes an orthodontic treatment a great option? For most patients in the UK, the #1 concern is effectiveness, but price is a major factor as well. Invisalign is an incredibly effective treatment option, but when it comes to affordability, it falls short. A full course of Invisalign treatment represents a significant financial investment.
But how much cheaper is the Express system when compared to traditional Invisalign? And what factors determine your final cost? In this guide, we’ll cover the five main factors that impact your bill and the options that might make Invisalign Express work better for your budget.
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Average Price
Invisalign Express does not have a flat rate for treatment. The aligners themselves do have a set cost (which increases a bit most years to reflect changing prices of materials). However, there are a lot of factors that can raise or lower the cost of treatment.
In most cases, you can expect to pay somewhere between £1,300 and £3,000 for Invisalign Express treatment. While you could fall outside this range, Invisalign Express isn’t as flexible as the full system, so you aren’t likely to end up very far outside the averages.
Worried About the Price of Clear Aligners?
If you’re looking for the most affordable clear aligners available, there are other brands that offer similar treatment at a much lower price. Many mail-order clear aligner services allow you to correct mild-to-moderate dental misalignments for even less than the price of Invisalign Express.
5 Factors That Impact Your Treatment Cost
Pricing for Invisalign Express is dynamic, changing between practices and between patients within a practice. The question you are likely asking yourself is why does the cost fluctuate so much? It’s mostly due to the following five factors.
1. Condition Complexity
Invisalign is known for its ability to treat a wide range of orthodontic conditions. The full system is capable of addressing nearly every concern that metal braces can, and in some cases, doctors actually prefer the results Invisalign delivers. But this isn’t the case with Invisalign Express.
Invisalign Express was designed as a direct competitor with at-home clear aligner systems. This means that it is lower in cost, but also limited in treatment scope.
Like mail-order aligners, Invisalign Express can only correct mild-to-moderate problems with crowding and spacing in the front six teeth. So, the condition complexity is very limited, but there is still some wiggle room.
Invisalign prices its Express system based on how many aligner sets you need to achieve your final results: 5, 7, or 10. As you would expect, each aligner costs money, so if you need the 10-set version of Invisalign Express, it will cost more than if you needed 5 or 7.
2. Office Location
We all know that certain areas have a lower cost of living than others. But this isn’t just due to the cost of housing and groceries; all services increase or decrease in price based on location. This means that if you seek out a doctor in an area with a high cost of living — say, in London — you’ll almost always pay more for Invisalign Express than you would in a low-cost-of-living area.
3. Doctor Expertise
In most cases, the more experienced a provider is, the more they charge for their services. With Invisalign Express, and all Invisalign treatments, there is a chance that the opposite is true: your doctor could charge less as their experience with Invisalign increases.
Invisalign offers bonuses to doctors, and these bonuses increase with their experience. This is part of the Invisalign Advantage program.
All Invisalign providers are ranked into tiers starting with bronze and running up to Diamond II, and their ranking depends on the points they have earned. Every Invisalign treatment they offer earns points. For example, comprehensive treatment with the full system is worth 100 points, while Invisalign Express gets them 20.
To reach the top tier, Diamond II, a doctor must accumulate 20,000 points in a given period. At this level, the doctor earns a 46% discount on lab fees. Compare this to the silver tier, which only gets 10% off. This means that receiving treatment from a highly experienced provider could cost you less than with someone new to the game — assuming they choose to pass those savings on to you.
4. Aftercare Retainers
Active treatment is the stage where you wear your aligners to move your teeth. The retention phase is when you switch to retainers that hold the teeth in place. Most doctors who work with Invisalign use their Vivera retainers. These usually cost around £130 per set. However, some doctors charge more, others less, and others still will prescribe different retainers that have their own price points.
5. Refinements
Most patients reach the end of Invisalign treatment and find their final result perfectly matches their vision. However, there are times when patients are unhappy with how their alignment has turned out or they fail to wear their retainers correctly and allow their teeth to shift back.
When this happens, refinements are needed. How much this will cost depends on your doctor’s policy, but it could increase the total cost of treatment.
Financing Options
When you want a treatment that costs thousands of pounds, thinking about the future bill is intimidating. If you are like many patients, you simply cannot pay the full cost of Invisalign out of pocket. Financing won’t lower the cost of treatment — in most cases, it will actually raise it — but it can make it easier to work the price into your budget.
With financing, your cost is broken up into multiple payments that recur every month or fortnight. Since you do not need to have the full cost ready in one go, it can be easier to afford treatment this way, even if it costs a bit more in the end.
Invisalign as a company does not have financing. However, most doctor’s offices offer either financing or interest-free payment plans, both of which can be incredibly helpful. If you are set on a provider who doesn’t have these options, you can work with a third-party lender or financier. Just keep in mind that these companies often have the highest interest rates.
Insurance Coverage
With traditional Invisalign, you can utilize your National Insurance dental benefits to cover the cost of treatment, except in cases where it is strictly used to make cosmetic changes. So, what does this mean for Invisalign Express?
By design, Invisalign Express only corrects cosmetic cases with mild to moderate crowding and spacing. This means that it doesn’t offer oral or overall health benefits and therefore doesn’t qualify for National Insurance coverage.
If you have an additional private dental policy, it might extend partial coverage to Invisalign Express. Check with your provider to learn more.
How Does the Cost Compare to Other Clear Aligners?
Invisalign Express is the most affordable version of Invisalign treatment, and in many cases, it beats out the price tags of its in-office competition. Still, it isn’t the cheapest option. With the average treatment coming in at around £2,300, the majority of at-home aligner companies offer better price points. Companies like Straight Teeth Direct, SmileDirectClub, and NewSmile offer the convenience of at-home treatment at an affordable flat rate.
Here’s what you can expect to pay if approved for treatment with one of the top five at-home aligner companies in the UK:
- Straight Teeth Direct: £1,650
- Virtuoso: £1,999
- NewSmile: £1,495
- Diamond Whites: £1,990
They’re all relatively affordable options, and they all beat out the average price for Invisalign Express. And since Invisalign Express is as limited as these companies’ systems, you aren’t sacrificing treatment scope or results to save money.
Final Thoughts
Invisalign is a big name in orthodontics, and that alone inspires a lot of confidence and trust. But are their name and experience enough to justify paying more for what is ultimately cosmetic treatment with Invisalign Express? That all depends on you.
When it comes to making permanent changes to your teeth, your decision should not be driven solely by cost. However, Invisalign Express alternatives offer significant benefits that move beyond their price tags. Take time to fully investigate your options before selecting the one that is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use National Insurance to pay for Invisalign Express?
National Insurance extends coverage to Invisalign systems when they are used to make corrections to tooth alignment that have an impact on oral or overall health. Invisalign Express is meant to correct mild to moderate problems with crowding or spacing in the front six teeth, so it does not qualify for coverage.
Is it possible to use coupons or discounts to reduce my bill for Invisalign Express?
Invisalign itself does not issue coupons or offer discounts to patients since you do not contract directly with them. The company does give certain discounts to providers as part of the Invisalign Advantage program. As for coupons and discounts directly accessible to patients, the practice you select might offer their own. Be sure to ask when you have your initial consultation.
What are the reasons Invisalign Express and regular Invisalign cost more than their competitors?
When comparing them with at-home aligners, it is mostly due to the fact that you are working directly with a doctor. This means paying for each of your visits as well as having their overhead costs built in. While mail-order companies also have overhead costs to pass on, these are spread out over more patients than the typical practice can handle, which means they have less of an impact per person.
Are at-home aligners considered to be as effective as Invisalign Express?
Technically, Invisalign Express can incorporate attachments, giving it a very slight edge on at-home aligners. However, this is small. Overall, Invisalign Express and mail-order aligners are equally effective within their scope of treatment: addressing mild-to-moderate crowding and spacing.
Are there hidden costs with Invisalign Express?
Hidden implies deception, and we don’t feel the company or its providers try to deceive patients. However, there might be costs you don’t expect, such as getting toothbrushes for cleaning your aligners, purchasing protective cases, and buying retainers once active treatment is complete.
How many people have used Invisalign Express to correct their smiles?
Invisalign Express has been in use since 2005. However, there are no firm numbers on how many people have used it. What we do know is that more than 15 million people have used one Invisalign system or another worldwide since it launched in the U.S. in 1998.
What benefits might make Invisalign Express a better choice than at-home clear aligners?
Since they treat the same conditions, the only real benefits are related to your comfort level. If you feel confident in mostly going solo, at-home aligners usually have the benefits over Invisalign Express. They are cheaper and don’t make demands on your schedule with office visits.
How can I get started with Invisalign Express?
You just need to find an Invisalign provider near you and ask if they also work with Invisalign Express. Then you set up your initial appointment.
How long is treatment with Invisalign Express?
Invisalign Express consists of either 5, 7, or 10 sets of aligners, and most people will wear each set for either 1 or 2 weeks. This means that the treatment length with Invisalign Express is as follows:
- 5 aligners: 5-10 weeks
- 7 aligners: 7-14 weeks
- 10 aligners: 10-20 weeks
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