How Much Do Braces Cost in Texas?

This is a survey average from the practices sampled in Texas, not a cost of living ranking. Prices last checked: October 2026.

Texas Braces Calculator

Want a number for your own case? The calculator is set to Texas. Pick your brace type and how complex your case is, and it will estimate braces cost in Texas for you.

How Much Do Braces Cost in Texas by Type?

Type is the biggest driver of price in Texas. Metal braces average $6,504 and clear aligners average $3,967, both measured published figures for the state. Ceramic and lingual braces are shown as adjusted estimates, explained below the table. Each Texas number sits beside the national average so you can see the gap.

Two of these numbers are estimates, and we will not pretend otherwise. The ceramic figure of $5,980 and the lingual figure of $9,460 are the national averages adjusted by Texas’s published metal braces cost level in the Synchrony CareCredit study, not surveyed local prices. A local quote can sit above or below them.

The metal and clear aligner figures are different, because they are measured published state averages. Metal braces come from the Synchrony CareCredit study, and the clear aligner figure comes from CareCredit’s published state table for aligner treatment.

Sources: Synchrony CareCredit Average Procedural Cost Study for the metal braces state average and the national averages; CareCredit’s published state table for the clear aligner figure. Prices last checked: October 2026.

Why Braces Prices Vary Inside Texas

The state average is a starting point, not your quote. Inside Texas, four things move the price: how complex your case is, how long treatment runs, the type of provider you choose, and where in the state you are. Of these, your case usually matters most.

Case complexity. A small gap is a quick fix, while a severe bite takes more visits and more materials. Complexity moves a quote more than anything else on this list. Two people in the same city can get very different numbers for this reason.

Treatment length. A 12 month plan costs less than a 24 month one, because much of the fee pays for the regular visits. The longer the case, the higher the total.

Provider type. A board certified orthodontist may charge more than a general dentist offering braces. The fee often reflects training and experience, so ask what is included before you compare.

Where you are. A practice in an expensive metro carries higher overhead than one in a smaller town, and that shows up in the fee. No source publishes city level averages for Texas, so this page prints no city price. Prices do vary inside the state, but case complexity moves a quote more than the part of Texas you live in.

Paying for Braces in Texas

You have three main ways to lower the cost in Texas: private insurance, Medicaid for eligible children, and dental schools. Private plans pay a share up to a cap, Texas Medicaid covers only narrow medically necessary cases for children, and dental schools treat the public at lower prices. Here is each one.

Private insurance

Plans that include orthodontics commonly pay 50 percent of the cost, capped by a lifetime maximum of $1,000 to $3,000 that does not reset each year. Source: FAIR Health. The cap, not the percentage, usually decides what you save. For the full treatment, see Texas payment plans and coverage options and paying for braces in Texas with insurance or Medicaid.

Texas Medicaid (Texas Health Steps)

In Texas, children’s Medicaid dental is delivered through Texas Health Steps, as Children’s Medicaid Dental Services. Orthodontics is covered only in narrow cases, not for looks. Covered cases are children age 12 and over with severe handicapping malocclusion, children from birth to age 20 with cleft palate, or other special medically necessary circumstances. Orthodontics for cosmetic purposes only is not a benefit.

Medical necessity is scored with the HLD Index, and a minimum of 26 points is required for full banding, in permanent dentition only. Some cases do not need 26 points: cleft palate cases and retained deciduous teeth, each with a required narrative, plus crossbite therapy and head injury with severe traumatic deviation. Prior authorization is required for all orthodontic procedures except the pre treatment visit, code D8660.

Braces for adults are not covered. Adult Medicaid covers only limited emergency dental under the medical benefit, such as a dislocated jaw, traumatic damage to teeth, removal of cysts, and treatment of an oral abscess in a hospital or surgical setting. Children’s Medicaid dental is run statewide by three dental plans: DentaQuest, MCNA Dental, and UnitedHealthcare Dental. For the full rules and how to apply, see does Medicaid cover braces and the Medicaid orthodontic coverage rules.

Texas dental schools

Dental schools treat the public at lower prices, with care from residents under faculty supervision. These three are worth knowing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready for your own number? The tool is set to Texas. Add your brace type and how complex your case is to see your range.

Keep Exploring

Want the bigger picture or another state? Start with how much braces cost in the US to compare Texas to the national average, or see braces costs in all 50 states to see another state.