How can I afford braces?

This is a question on the lips of many eager patients. Orthodontic treatment is a highly specialised treatment and requires a well-trained individual to carry it out. An orthodontist has many additional years training to a general dentist. The investment in your orthodontic treatment reflects the level of care and standards you are receiving. There is variety of orthodontic treatments available in Dublin all at different price ranges and different levels of expertise. Sometimes the cheapest options in braces are not always the best. It’s a little known fact that teeth move at a set pace, and treatments that promise speedy smiles are not always true to their word. We believe specialist orthodontic treatment is now more affordable than ever in Dublin and that everyone should love to smile.

At Clontarf Orthodontics we offer a variety of payment plans and methods of payment. We try to encourage our patients to achieve their aspirations by making a plan that suits their pocket. We offer upfront payment discounts of 5% and family discounts up to 10% also. We want to help you achieve the smile of your dreams and not get bogged down in the finances. A great way to look at treatment is like tackling a new goal and simultaneously giving up old habits. For example, in Dublin it is easy to be a café junkie you might eat your lunch out 5 days a week, this can add up to over €50 a week. Why not make your own lunch and cut the cost. This saving could be put towards your smile. Or maybe you are a night owl and live for the weekend. Why not cut out one or two nights out in the month? This could save you upwards of €200- one instalment of your braces.

Something that many patients don’t realise is that you can claim back 20% of the cost of your braces on your tax. The process is very simple and if you are paying for your treatment over the course of 14-18 months it could be crucial. When claiming treatment expenses back on tax you do it by year. You have four years to claim, so if you had work carried out in 2011 you will have until the end of this year to claim. There are two different methods of putting in your claim. You can do it the traditional postal way- ask your practice for a MED 2 form for the year/s you intend to claim for. They will know what this is and fill in the necessary information. You will need to have receipts for treatment so has to verify your claim, then you post your forms away to the revenue. They will assess your claim and issue you a cheque for the amount due. The second method is online. When claiming tax back on online you must first register with PAYE anytime. When you apply they will send you out a code in the post which you use to login. On the site there is a great video that takes you through the steps to process your claim. Here is the link to the video to help you get started. https://www.ros.ie/payeAnytime/payeAnytimeTour.html#

If you want braces and the perfect smile, it’s easy to find the revenue in places you just hadn’t thought of. Dublin can be expensive but your orthodontic treatment doesn’t have to be. For many of our patients it’s the decision to get braces that they never regret, not the decision to skip a coffee and cake!

What’s one year without a holiday against a great smile for life?