$6000 for braces UPDATE: See Post 72

[krcit]

I just have to say like everyone else....get a second opinion!!!! A consult should be free and it cannot hurt to hear from another Dr. I was bamboozled by the first ortho I took my dd to-he had her wear a reatainer for a year(and $1800) before he would put her braces on. My dd hated him so I went somewhere else and although she is not a network provider for me, we loved her and she told us something totally differant. DD had a palette expander and now has braces and it's costing us about $5200. My sil took her triplets to 2 differant orhtos and got entirely differant opinions.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

It is apparent from reading this that most of the people posting aren't qualified to judge dental treatment.

 

[momof296&02]

It is apparent from reading this that most of the people posting aren't qualified to judge dental treatment.

I just read this thread & your post. Are you an orthodontist? Can you offer any advice?

Here's my story-
DS11 has his braces on a little over a year(everyone sees a huge difference)- none of his teeth had to be pulled (although he has been told to work on a few loose ones!). We have dental, however ortho is not covered . We pay monthly w/out interest & the total cost will be $6,400. I had 3 opinions & they all gave the same "treatment" plan. The most expensive ortho had a dirty office & I was like NO WAY. The ortho we chose is 2 minutes from our home & I have seen his results on numerous kids & adults !!! On another note my general dentist has a fabulous state of the art office & he was recently arrested for inhaling nitrous! Go figure........

 

[gottaluvdis]

DD11 has had braces since last August. She has the exact problem your son has. Her teeth appeared fairly straight - even her pedi. dentist said she could go for a consult, but she would probably only need braces for "cosmetic" reasons. We took her for the consult and her deep bite and overbite were already wearing down the enamel on the lower teeth. Her bite was so deep that she had to get the molars "built up" with mounds of dental cement for 6 months while her teeth are being moved (she just got the cement removed). Total cost for 24 months of treatment = $5700, including a frenectomy that she will need when the braces are removed. We paid about $1200 up front, make monthly payments now (interest free), and the insurance picked up $1500 of the total. We were told most insurance plans pick up about that much. It used to be that insurance paid about 50% - not any longer in general. Her ortho. was ranked best in our state a couple of years ago, plus she's very convenient (10 minutes away), and offers free transport to/from school for kids who have appointments during the school day (I've managed to make all of them after school with the exception of the day she got them on and one other time). I don't blame the pedi. dentist for not pushing us to the ortho. consult because that's not their area of expertise, and she had to wait for all her baby teeth to fall out first, which is when we went for the consult. The ortho. says she is at the ideal age for braces right now.

 

[imsayin]

It is apparent from reading this that most of the people posting aren't qualified to judge dental treatment.

I didn't think people were judging dental treatment, but simply sharing similar situations. Isn't that the point of these boards?

 

[sjms71]

Wow, I really didn't realize how much braces really cost. My daughter will be needing braces in about a year. DH and I have perfectly straight teeth with never wearing braces. Our DD is not so lucky. My DH works for a huge company and we are very lucky we only pay a $1000. copay for her braces and entire care while she has them. I too would get another opinion, good luck. Have you talked to your dentist about what the ortho said?

 

[mickeyluvr004]

I just got a 3000 bill for my daughter just for the top she needs braces now and she is only 9 she has a very narrow jaw and one side tooth is stuck half way down as he said it doesn't think it has enough room to come down, and she lost her 13 year old molar at age 7 so now we have a open space and we did use a spacer for a while and then that fell out and then the tooth in front of that came out so now we have a 2 space opening, he said that she is going to need the braces with a key that I will have to turn everyday for 30 days thats gotta hurt not looking forward to that, thats for sure what is the ffa or what every one is talking about my husband has great dental insurance but we are unsure about ortho as the insurance company said we need the code numbers to tell you whether its covered or not, proabley not thanks and good luck

 

[roxy83]

I would HIGHLY recommend that you receive a second opinion prior to starting treatment. You must be 100% comfortable with your orthodontist selection or you will always doubt their recommendations.

I am a current Ortho patient. I have been wearing Invisaligh since last October and still have another 4-6 months of treatment left. My contract was for $6k and I had $1500 covered by my insurance. I utilized my FSA account to support the balance of my contract. You do not need to have the FSA in place at the beginning of the treatment but you can't start it until your open enrollment period. Therefore, you will have to pay OOP initially. It works best when you coordinate the dates.

Good Luck with whatever you choose to do. Please provide us with an update when you decide on what you are doing.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I didn't think people were judging dental treatment, but simply sharing similar situations. Isn't that the point of these boards?

Actually, someone suggested reporting a dentist to their state board. Sounds like passing judgement to me. It seems that people are calling for second opinions in the interest of validation - if the first person doesn't tell you what you want to hear, just hunt around for someone who will. Who's to say that just because one type of treatment is different from another, that one is wrong and one is right? Training and experience will vary from program to program. Also, just because someone in Michigan doesn't pay $6000 for orthodontic treatment doesn't mean that isn't a customary fee for another area. After all, wouldn't you expect salaries to vary by location? Doesn't the price of gas vary even within a given area? Why should dental fees be different? And shouldn't a fee vary by difficulty of the case? Is there really any guarantee that treatment time shouldn't vary by difficulty of case and cooperation of the patient? I just think if you're going to comment on abilities of a healthcare provider, then you better have the credentials to back your position up.

 

[crisi]

Actually, someone suggested reporting a dentist to their state board. Sounds like passing judgement to me. It seems that people are calling for second opinions in the interest of validation - if the first person doesn't tell you what you want to hear, just hunt around for someone who will. Who's to say that just because one type of treatment is different from another, that one is wrong and one is right? Training and experience will vary from program to program. Also, just because someone in Michigan doesn't pay $6000 for orthodontic treatment doesn't mean that isn't a customary fee for another area. After all, wouldn't you expect salaries to vary by location? Doesn't the price of gas vary even within a given area? Why should dental fees be different? And shouldn't a fee vary by difficulty of the case? Is there really any guarantee that treatment time shouldn't vary by difficulty of case and cooperation of the patient? I just think if you're going to comment on abilities of a healthcare provider, then you better have the credentials to back your position up.

Or maybe people are saying that two dental professionals here have stories that aren't matching. A third opinion for another person may start to bring light onto the topic.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Or maybe people are saying that two dental professionals here have stories that aren't matching. A third opinion for another person may start to bring light onto the topic.

And if the third doesn't clear things up, then there's always the fourth and fifth. The search for validation.

 

[SiClone]

It is apparent from reading this that most of the people posting aren't qualified to judge dental treatment.

I was the one who suggested the letter and it was the 4th suggestion/option:

- Find another ortho and get a 2nd opinion/estimate.

- Does either you or your ex have ortho coverage? Most private insurances cover ortho at 50% and up to your yearly max.

- Tell your dentist what your ortho told you and that you are not happy he did not say something or even recommend those baby teeth be extracted.

- Write a long letter to your state's Board of Dentistry to tell them about your dentist's negligence in detecting your son's condition sooner, and that this will be a huge financial burden on you. They WILL listen and investigate.

Obviously, the op needs to get another opinion and if it along the same lines as what ortho #1 says, who wouldn't be upset. All anyone can do is complain to the dentist that he missed the boat on the non-treatment of obvious conditions and complain to the Board about it.

It's no different than the millions of people who are NOT mechanics, contractors, and plumbers complaining to the BBB about their mechanic, contractor, or plumber. They are not experts in those fields but that will not stop them from going away quietly if they feel cheated or wronged....

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I was the one who suggested the letter and it was the 4th suggestion/option:

- Find another ortho and get a 2nd opinion/estimate.

- Does either you or your ex have ortho coverage? Most private insurances cover ortho at 50% and up to your yearly max.

- Tell your dentist what your ortho told you and that you are not happy he did not say something or even recommend those baby teeth be extracted.

- Write a long letter to your state's Board of Dentistry to tell them about your dentist's negligence in detecting your son's condition sooner, and that this will be a huge financial burden on you. They WILL listen and investigate.

Obviously, the op needs to get another opinion and if it along the same lines as what ortho #1 says, who wouldn't be upset. All anyone can do is complain to the dentist that he missed the boat on the non-treatment of obvious conditions and complain to the Board about it.

It's no different than the millions of people who are NOT mechanics, contractors, and plumbers complaining to the BBB about their mechanic, contractor, or plumber. They are not experts in those fields but that will not stop them from going away quietly if they feel cheated or wronged....

Your assumption is that he missdiagnosed or that the condition was obvious. Perhaps the condition was discussed with the parent prior, but fell on deaf ears. Perhaps removal of the "baby" teeth wouldn't have mattered in the case of impacted teeth. Has it occurred to anyone that I may know something about what I am talking about?????

 

[SiClone]

All we can do is make assumptions because you and I are neither the OP nor the dentist and we weren't there for all those appointments. We can only go by what the OP has told us, so that's what my recommendations are based on. If the dentist did make the recommendations that you assumed he did, then it will be in the permanent record (aka treatment plan and progress notes). I, too, know what I am talking about as well (but I am not a dentist)....

 

[ftwildernessguy]

All we can do is make assumptions because you and I are neither the OP nor the dentist and we weren't there for all those appointments. We can only go by what the OP has told us, so that's what my recommendations are based on. If the dentist did make the recommendations that you assumed he did, then it will be in the permanent record (aka treatment plan and progress notes). I, too, know what I am talking about as well (but I am not a dentist)....

My point is that you were very quick to assume the dentist was "negligent"(your word, not mine). I prefer to give the benefit of a doubt. I AM a dentist, and from what I have read, there are a LOT of misinformed individuals passing judgement here.

 

[SiClone]

My point is that you were very quick to assume the dentist was "negligent"(your word, not mine). I prefer to give the benefit of a doubt. I AM a dentist, and from what I have read, there are a LOT of misinformed individuals passing judgement here.

Must be the democrat in me feeling sorry for the working class, divorced mother and not for the very well off dentist....

No more OT...

Good luck OP in getting a 2nd opinion.

 

[Belle5]

I took son #4 in for evaluation today. The cost is $4300 before our $700 family discount (15% for being a loyal customer). Insurance will kick in $1500. After our $300 initial payment we will pay about $100 per month for 18 months. Most people around here do pay more than that but we go to a managed care clinic that is much less expensive. (Kind of like a "chain" dental office) We knew that with having several kids, all needing braces (some needing two phases) we needed all the help we could get! This will be the sixth "phase" of braces for our kids--and we have two kids left that haven't been to ortho yet...

 

[HugsForEeyore]

$6000 sounds just right for braces, maybe a bit cheaper than most around here. I had braces as an adult, and what a crash course in learning it was. Like another poster said, perfection (or as close to it) is the ortho's goal - not just "good" teeth. It's fix everything - bite, gaps, crowded, profile, etc. Everything. There is no half-way about it. All or nothing. And it is very common to go 3 years in braces, even when told 2.

The sad reality is that just about every child needs braces to achieve the perfect smile, just so they can compete in this world. The bar is set so high in society about teeth. A set of crooked unattractive teeth can limit someone is so many ways - in dating, and especially in landing professional jobs. Sadly teeth have become a class issue - a nice easy way to tell the "haves" from the "have-nots" (not saying that's right, just how it is perceived). Which is why orthos can charge sky high rates - your kid may be flipping burgers for a living if you don't pay for treatment, while their straight-toothed classmates go on to become doctors, lawyers, and high-ranking businessmen. Ok, I exaggerate a tad but that is the basic unsaid sentiment of braces nowadays!

I had parents who refused me braces (and they had the money), so I grew up with very bad crooked teeth. Finally had to pay for it all myself (no insurance) as an adult, and it was the best thing I ever did. Wish I had realized the class/status issue and fixed my teeth years sooner!

 

[buzz5985]

I also agree that you should get a second opinion. If you need to drive another hour to get to another Orthodontist - far be it from me to say that he/she is taking advantage of the situation.

But - since you do have a dental school in your area - it may be well worth your while to go and see them. They aren't salesman - they are there to learn. It may be your most honest opinion.

I had a couple of teeth removed at Tufts in Boston. $60 each. I had 2 transplants put in - I'm not kiddin - Buy One Get One Free - Total for that $1100. Plus I used my FSA. My "Student" was a great girl from TX, I have been dealing with her for the past year, and she just passed her boards this past March.

My sister had her braces done by a dental school many many moons ago.

 

[snowbunny]

And if the third doesn't clear things up, then there's always the fourth and fifth. The search for validation.

There's nothing wrong with that. Not only did I not fully agree with the advice I was given in my first consult for DD12 (2 years in braces for minor crowding), there were other things about the consult that bothered me, like the feeling I got when the ortho separated me and my DD in different rooms to ask us the same questions, had her office manager corner me with a patter of small talk in her office while she spoke to and examined my DD across the hall, and so forth. It just didn't feel right.

So at my second consult, with an ortho of whom everyone in my area thinks highly, I was delighted that he wanted me to be right there while he examined and talked with my DD. And yes I felt validated when he told me (I had not informed him of a previous consult) that her issues are so minor that correction would be a waste of money.

That's why the second ortho is the one that will be straightening my son's teeth.