A few weeks ago, Joffe Medicenter offered a daily deal on Lasik. Today's deal through Blind Squirrel is on orthodontic braces.

For $42, buyers get a dental exam, X-rays and impressions for Invisalign braces and $1,000 off a full case of Invisalign treatment from Cedar Cliff Dental Center. While that might sound like a good savings, it's impossible to know without digging a little deeper. Saying that you will save about $1,000 without knowing the total price is like saying $1,000 off a Ford Focus is a good deal. You want to know the final price after the discount.

So I called Cedar Cliff and was transferred e to Mike Moberg, the marketing director. (Some dentists and doctors have their own PR people now.) Moberg was forthcoming about the costs. Invisalign, he said, offers three price levels--express. regular and teen. Today's offer cannot be used with the express program. The regular program costs about $5,500 before the discount and about $4,500 after the discount. The teen program, which includes indicators that let parents know if the teen is wearing the trays, is $5,800 before the discount. (Invisalign braces are clear trays worn on the top and bottom teeth similar to customized molds for teeth whitening. They are removed while eating.)

Is $4,500 a good deal? Hard to say. There are other Twin Cities dentists who offer Invisalign. Online, patients who have Invisalign rate the experience and provide prices. Most of them paid between $4,500 and $5,500, which indicates that shopping around is worthwhile. If you're sold on Invisalign, you can at least comparison shop the same treatment program instead of comparing an alignment tray program with metal braces.

Even if you spend $42 and decide not to go through with braces through Cedar Cliff, you might still save. The $42 might force some to shop around.

According to Wikipedia, the maker of Invisalign, Align Technology, is in a class action lawsuit by some prescribing dentists and orthodontists who were dropped as providers for not meeting sales quotas.

Note: Dr. Hatcher at Cedar Cliff is not an orthodontist. He received special training on Invisalign, said Moberg, as all of its providers have to. The Cedar Cliff Dental Center does receive high marks from an online reviews. Of the 99 people who reviewed the dental center, 96 of them rated their experienece as 4 or 5 stars out of 5 stars. Keep in mind that many of those reviewers based their review on services other than Invisalign.

For more information about selecting an orthodontist or a dentist for braces, tryConsumer's Checkbook, which has ratings of Twin Cities dentists and orthodontists. You must have a subscription ($34) to get online access, but some public libraries offer online access free. In June 2009 Mpls. St. Paul magazine rated top dentists in the Twin Cities and it includes a section on orthodontics. While not available online, it is available in libraries or can be ordered as a back issue at 612-339-7571.