You probably assumed this wasn’t for you.

People put off straightening their teeth for years, and when they finally come in and we ask why they waited, the answer is almost never about the teeth.

It’s that they assumed it would be thousands of dollars up front. That they’d be quoted a number before anyone explained anything. That they’d be lectured about how long it’s been. Or simply that orthodontics is something other people get to have — teenagers, or people with better insurance, or people with more money.

If you’ve covered your mouth in a photo, or trained yourself to smile without showing your teeth, you already know how much this quietly costs you. It shows up at work, in photos, in the first thirty seconds of meeting someone. None of that is vanity. It’s just what teeth do.

Here’s the part worth knowing: the barrier is almost always smaller than the one people imagine.

Because it wouldn’t be a real number, and you’d find that out later.

Two people can walk in wanting the same thing — straighter front teeth — and need completely different treatment. One needs eight months of gentle movement. The other has a bite that has to be corrected before the teeth can go anywhere. Same complaint, very different amount of work.

So the monthly payment moves with three things:

• How far your teeth have to travel. Mild crowding is a shorter, less expensive case than a significant bite correction.
• How long treatment takes. More months of treatment means more materials, more visits, and more monitoring.
• Whether anything has to come first. Active decay or gum disease gets handled before teeth are moved, because moving teeth in an unhealthy mouth makes things worse.

At your consult we scan your teeth, plan the movement, and hand you an itemized number. Not a range. Not a starting-at. The actual figure for your mouth.

Clear aligners are nearly invisible and come out for meals, but they only work if you wear them 20 to 22 hours a day. Braces don’t depend on you remembering, and they handle the hardest movements better.

Neither is universally better, and we don’t push one. Dr. Shantall completed orthodontic training through Progressive Orthodontics and plans these cases with Dr. Dillon’s restorative eye on the finish, so you get a straight recommendation for your situation rather than whatever we’d rather sell.

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Payment plans at MSD Dental Studio are provided through $___ and are subject to approval. The $400 down payment begins treatment; the remaining balance is paid in monthly installments. Monthly amount, number of payments, and any applicable interest or fees depend on the treatment plan and financing terms, and are disclosed in writing before treatment begins. Amounts shown are examples and are not an offer of credit. Individual results vary. THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT.