How much does braces for a teenager cost?
The typical braces for teens cost is $4,200 (the median negotiated price), with the middle half of practices charging $3,722 to $4,736.
Full braces, teenager. A full course of braces for a teenager, covering the whole treatment rather than a single visit.
Braces for teens cost nationally
Prices cluster fairly tightly, from $3,722 to $4,736 across the middle half of the market, so shopping around saves less here than on larger treatments.
What it covers
A full course of braces for a teenager, covering the whole treatment rather than a single visit.
What moves the price
Case length and complexity, appliance type, and the practice's adjustment schedule.
Normally included
The appliance and the scheduled adjustment visits through treatment.
Usually billed separately
Retainers at the end, replacements for lost appliances, and extractions if needed first.
How plans treat it
Orthodontic benefits are usually a separate lifetime maximum, often paid in instalments.
Braces for teens cost by state
Each bar is one state's observed distribution: the block is the middle half of the market, the vertical rule is the median, and the line reaching right runs out to the 90th percentile. The dashed line is the national median, so you can see at a glance which states sit above or below it.
Full braces, teenager: observed negotiated price by state
The same figures as a table, lowest median first. Only states with at least 15 practices are listed.
| State | Negotiated range Observed | Median | Spread | Practices (n) | Est. self-pay Estimated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | $3,494 – $4,560 | $3,742 | 117 | $3,742 – $6,133 | |
| Arkansas | $3,540 – $4,444 | $3,777 | 167 | $3,777 – $5,800 | |
| Delaware | $3,534 – $4,650 | $3,798 | 45 | $3,798 – $5,219 | |
| Louisiana | $3,470 – $4,507 | $3,805 | 211 | $3,805 – $5,150 | |
| Pennsylvania | $3,288 – $4,283 | $3,809 | 1,079 | $3,809 – $4,889 | |
| Alabama | $3,645 – $4,716 | $3,809 | 228 | $3,809 – $6,285 | |
| West Virginia | $3,408 – $4,200 | $3,846 | 152 | $3,846 – $4,700 | |
| District of Columbia | $3,288 – $4,573 | $3,857 | 104 | $3,857 – $5,041 | |
| Iowa | $3,544 – $4,290 | $3,868 | 142 | $3,868 – $5,145 | |
| Kentucky | $3,645 – $5,000 | $3,961 | 357 | $3,961 – $6,274 | |
| Ohio | $3,544 – $4,622 | $4,000 | 636 | $4,000 – $5,237 | |
| Tennessee | $3,598 – $4,693 | $4,000 | 379 | $4,000 – $5,800 | |
| Idaho | $3,553 – $4,456 | $4,051 | 117 | $4,051 – $5,262 | |
| Nevada | $3,544 – $4,685 | $4,055 | 238 | $4,055 – $5,126 | |
| Illinois | $3,697 – $4,444 | $4,062 | 674 | $4,062 – $5,248 | |
| Colorado | $3,578 – $4,240 | $4,072 | 463 | $4,072 – $4,696 | |
| Georgia | $3,639 – $4,430 | $4,076 | 483 | $4,076 – $5,070 | |
| Indiana | $3,492 – $4,401 | $4,093 | 336 | $4,093 – $5,800 | |
| Oklahoma | $3,758 – $4,880 | $4,095 | 237 | $4,095 – $5,800 | |
| New Jersey | $3,532 – $4,674 | $4,104 | 746 | $4,104 – $5,184 | |
| Missouri | $3,703 – $4,502 | $4,114 | 349 | $4,114 – $5,160 | |
| Kansas | $3,800 – $4,622 | $4,126 | 169 | $4,126 – $6,007 | |
| New York | $3,694 – $4,740 | $4,134 | 1,220 | $4,134 – $5,485 | |
| New Mexico | $3,800 – $4,974 | $4,157 | 116 | $4,157 – $5,800 | |
| Florida | $3,800 – $4,693 | $4,182 | 1,097 | $4,182 – $5,450 | |
| Maryland | $3,719 – $4,735 | $4,200 | 426 | $4,200 – $6,024 | |
| Texas | $3,848 – $4,646 | $4,200 | 1,569 | $4,200 – $5,461 | |
| Massachusetts | $3,705 – $4,685 | $4,200 | 598 | $4,200 – $5,282 | |
| Arizona | $3,784 – $4,560 | $4,200 | 402 | $4,200 – $5,070 | |
| Michigan | $3,305 – $4,444 | $4,200 | 471 | $4,200 – $4,800 | |
| South Carolina | $3,645 – $4,628 | $4,200 | 237 | $4,200 – $5,800 | |
| Nebraska | $3,848 – $4,503 | $4,202 | 126 | $4,202 – $5,194 | |
| Puerto Rico | $3,924 – $6,023 | $4,251 | 24 | $4,251 – $6,340 | |
| Virginia | $3,819 – $5,062 | $4,298 | 514 | $4,298 – $5,974 | |
| Wisconsin | $3,730 – $4,800 | $4,320 | 279 | $4,320 – $5,161 | |
| North Dakota | $3,703 – $4,415 | $4,415 | 25 | $4,415 – $5,660 | |
| North Carolina | $4,023 – $4,858 | $4,444 | 539 | $4,444 – $5,598 | |
| New Hampshire | $4,038 – $5,028 | $4,500 | 53 | $4,500 – $5,278 | |
| South Dakota | $3,800 – $5,321 | $4,507 | 30 | $4,507 – $6,023 | |
| Utah | $3,800 – $4,893 | $4,515 | 242 | $4,515 – $5,623 | |
| Oregon | $4,050 – $4,841 | $4,560 | 201 | $4,560 – $5,485 | |
| Rhode Island | $4,195 – $5,130 | $4,591 | 48 | $4,591 – $5,485 | |
| Connecticut | $3,892 – $5,184 | $4,596 | 307 | $4,596 – $5,900 | |
| Maine | $3,842 – $5,130 | $4,622 | 51 | $4,622 – $6,100 | |
| California | $4,331 – $5,055 | $4,625 | 2,083 | $4,625 – $5,485 | |
| Washington | $4,061 – $4,973 | $4,627 | 449 | $4,627 – $5,310 | |
| Hawaii | $4,195 – $5,282 | $4,642 | 48 | $4,642 – $5,722 | |
| Minnesota | $3,802 – $5,310 | $4,671 | 178 | $4,671 – $5,844 | |
| Wyoming | $4,560 – $5,072 | $4,760 | 23 | $4,760 – $5,331 | |
| Montana | $4,188 – $5,079 | $4,861 | 44 | $4,861 – $5,282 | |
| Vermont | $4,540 – $5,485 | $5,000 | 17 | $5,000 – $5,800 | |
| Alaska | $4,663 – $5,800 | $5,282 | 35 | $5,282 – $5,917 |
Related treatments
Braces & orthodontics guide · All treatments · How this was measured
Common questions
What should I ask the practice before agreeing?
Are retainers included, and what happens to the fee if treatment runs long?
Is this the price I will pay without insurance?
No. The $3,722 to $4,736 range above is what dental plans have negotiated with contracted practices. If you are uninsured you will generally be quoted at or above the top of that range. We show an estimated self-pay range, clearly marked as an estimate, because we do not observe cash prices — see the methodology.
What is not included in this price?
Retainers at the end, replacements for lost appliances, and extractions if needed first.
How do dental plans usually treat this?
Orthodontic benefits are usually a separate lifetime maximum, often paid in instalments.
How many practices is this based on?
This national figure comes from 18,905 separate dental practices. Each practice contributes one observation, which is the median of every rate it holds for this treatment.