The price of metal braces doesn’t come from a table but from your mouth: we set it in writing at the first visit, which is free, once we know which teeth need to move and how long it will take. The price list already tells you what retention costs at the end: a fixed retainer is €70; a removable one for both arches, €60.
This page is about what you pay and what makes the figure vary. How they’re fitted, which cases they treat and how to look after them are on the page about metal braces in Barcelona.
Contents
Why metal braces cost less than other braces
As a rule, steel braces cost less than ceramic ones and less than lingual braces, which are bonded to the inner side of the teeth. Steel also stands up well to chewing, while ceramic is more fragile. What picks up color over time are the elastic ties that hold the wire, and those are changed at every checkup.
Even so, the material weighs less on the bill than it seems. The NHS, the UK’s public health service, puts it this way: the cost of orthodontic treatment varies with how complicated the problem is and the type of appliance. In practice, how complex your case is and how many months treatment lasts move your quote more than the bracket itself.
What your quote depends on
- How complex the case is. Mild crowding doesn’t take the same work as badly rotated teeth, a crossbite or a canine that hasn’t come in. Metal braces can handle all of those cases, but each one has its own plan.
- How many months you’ll wear them. Longer treatment means more checkups and more wires. The estimated time comes from the initial study and is written down next to the price.
- Whether space has to be made. Some plans need a tooth removed so the rest can line up. We tell you at the study, before you decide anything.
What you take away from the first visit
The initial study includes X-rays, photos and a scan of your mouth. With that we prepare the movement plan, the estimated time and the fixed quote, which we give you in writing so you can look it over calmly at home.
If you’re torn between steel and something less visible, at that same visit we compare metal braces with ceramic braces and with invisible orthodontics, with the time and price of each option. That way you decide knowing what you gain and what you give up with each one.
What you pay before they go on
Braces are fitted on a healthy mouth. If the study finds cavities, tartar or inflamed gums, those are treated first, because cleaning is harder with the appliance on. Those visits have their own price on the list:
- Oral cleaning: €30. Ultrasonic tartar removal, polishing and fluoride, in a single appointment.
- Filling: €40. For each cavity that has to be treated before the braces are bonded.
- Simple extraction: €40. Only if the plan needs to make space and the tooth comes out without surgery.
Retention at the end
When the braces come off, the enamel is polished and retention goes in, because without it teeth tend to drift back to where they were. There are two types, and both have a price on the list:
- Fixed retainer: €70. A thin wire bonded behind the teeth, which can’t be seen and which you don’t have to remember to put in.
- Removable retainer: €60 for both arches. Clear trays you put in yourself, usually to sleep.
Sometimes the two are combined. Your written quote shows which retention applies to you and how it’s counted.
How many appointments it takes and how long it lasts
Fitting takes a single appointment, longer than any of the checkups, and doesn’t need anesthesia because the bracket is bonded to the enamel. After that come the checkups to swap the wire for a firmer one; according to the NHS, the usual interval is every six to eight weeks.
How many months you’ll wear braces depends on your case, not on the type of bracket. The main things that lengthen it are significant crowding, a plan with extractions, canines that haven’t come in, not wearing the elastics as prescribed and brackets that come loose. If one comes loose, it’s bonded back on in a short visit.
How to get your quote
The first step is the study at the first visit, at no cost. You leave with the plan, the timeline and the fixed price, and with no commitment to start.
Book it on the online appointment page, where we only ask for your name, email and mobile number, or call +34 639 65 33 51. If you’d like to tell us about your case first, use the online dental consultation. All published prices are on the clinic’s price list.
Frequently asked questions
How much do metal braces cost in Barcelona?
They don’t have a fixed figure on our price list: we give you a fixed price in writing after the study at the first visit, which is free. Retention at the end does have a listed price: €70 for the fixed retainer and €60 for the removable one for both arches.
Are metal braces cheaper than ceramic ones?
As a rule, yes: steel costs less than ceramic and less than lingual braces. Even so, how complex your case is and how many months treatment lasts weigh more in your price than the material of the bracket.
How long does treatment with metal braces take?
It depends on your case, not on the type of bracket. The estimated time is written in the plan, next to the price. Retention comes after that and isn’t counted within that time.
How long does it take to put them on?
They’re fitted in a single appointment, longer than any of the checkups that follow. No anesthesia is needed: each tooth is cleaned and dried, the bracket is bonded on and the first wire, a flexible one, is threaded through.
What do you have to pay for before getting braces?
The study isn’t charged. If there are cavities or tartar, they’re treated first: an oral cleaning costs €30 and each filling €40. Once the mouth is healthy, the braces can go on.
