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I am confused about the treatment paper for the orthodontist fee. I haven't sign it yet, so before I do can someone help me.

  • Total treatment fee is $1200
  • Less payment fee is $500
  • Balance to be paid by patient $700 Also there is a treatment time for 6 months which I forgot because the bottom says monthly 7- so sorry about that

Monthly payment $116.66 per month for 7 months

I don't have insurance and the doctor said the total is (1200) for everything and I need to pay (500) first to start the procedure but I am confused about (balance to be paid by patient) and what it means because if the doctor said 1200 for total, 500 to start it and 116.66 for monthly then what is the 700 is it the estimated cost for the 7 months.

Sorry if I don't know, I just want to make sure before I sign I don't have to pay 2000 or more.

Also is the price good for me, my parents told me that the price is too much but for me I think is a okay price. The doctor said the total is 1200. 500 to pay on the first day up front and 700 for the 6 months which is 116.66. Can you guys give me advice. Thank you :)

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    Is there anything on the paper that says "interest rate" or "APR" or "4%"?
    – shoover
    Oct 24 at 3:26
  • I don't see any interest rate or anything that says that. I'll go talk to them to see what's going on.
    – Cristofer Flores
    Oct 24 at 11:55
  • Call the orthodontist's office and ask.
    – DJClayworth
    Oct 24 at 13:07
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    As a data point, in Ohio, I was quoted $4600 yesterday for 18 months of orthodontia treatment for one of my kids. That was after a 1500+ discount because I have health/dental insurance even though it doesn't cover orthodontia (US health care--so confusing). You might clarify that it will cover all appointments, appliances (like the braces and retainers), and so on.
    – mkennedy
    Oct 24 at 14:49
  • "Also is the price good for me"? That of course depends on what they're doing.
    – RonJohn
    Oct 24 at 16:23

3 Answers 3

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and 116.66 for monthly then what is the 700 is it the estimated cost for the 7 months.

$700 is the balance due.

7 months x $116.66/month = $816.62.

6 months x $116.66/month = $699.96 (so close to $700).

Thus, either:

  • you misread the number of months that you get to pay off the $700 and they're charging you zero interest, or
  • they're charging you an outrageous interest rate (approximately 33%).

Check with doctor's office for clarification!

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  • Those are the numbers and cost I was told from the paper I was shown.
    – Cristofer Flores
    Oct 24 at 11:54
  • Wait there was one that said 6 months for 116.66 each month. I think I get it now.
    – Cristofer Flores
    Oct 24 at 11:58
  • It says treatment is 6 months but there is a other that says monthly cost is 116.66 for 7 months
    – Cristofer Flores
    Oct 24 at 12:00
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As pointed out here, it's either 6 months and makes sense or 7 months and doesn't, so Occam's razor would have it fall on it being 6 months (and $700, as agreed) instead of 7 months and an undiscussed outrageous interest rate. As a note, 116.66 is just the gracious way of rounding of 116.667 which 6 times would be $700 even, rounded to the nearest cent.

Conclusion: They are either charging you the agreed-upon $700 as 6 payments of $116.66 OR, and I want to emphasize that while I would not think this is what they're doing, they could potentially be calculating out the amount due and then, as a way of charging "interest", sending a final bill for the same amount as the others. This seems like something someone working at a dentist's/orthodontist's office who doesn't understand math would come up with as an "easy way to not have to figure out interest rates while also making sure it's an amount they can afford" - even though it actually comes out to be worse for the patient; they might not even know what they're doing is wrong.

My best guess is that it's due in 7 months, as in the first bill will come at the end of month 0 (the first day of month 1), and 6 months later the last bill will come on the first day of month 7, so any reference to 7 months may be referring to when the payments will end or how long the agreement is for (assuming you have, for instance, 15 days to pay the bill once you receive it, and it's sent on the first, they would effectively be expecting complete payment by the end of the 7th month, from now, which would be the 6th payment made.

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If fine everyone I've talk to the orthodontist and they helped me with my questions. Thanks for everyone for helping me answering my questions. :) 👍

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  • Please don't add "thank you" as an answer. Instead, accept the answer that you found most helpful. - From Review
    – keshlam
    Nov 12 at 5:32
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    – mhoran_psprep
    Nov 29 at 16:30

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