Kids braces.........

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes welcome to my dental hell!

Older dd's are paid for. Those were some EXPENSIVE braces since we moved from Missouri to Texas we were gored twice for the same mouth.
I don't recommend moving.

Younger dd is going to get "pre-braces" next year to the tune of 1,500. Plus she needs a "fremectomy". We are gathering numbers for the flex pay account for next year.
So then in a few years she will need the 4,000+ braces.

DH and I are reworking our mouths. He needs a root canal!
Oh so that is what that pain is... Lousy prior dentists.
Plus he needs a crown and his fillings need to be redone. Some are 25 years old.

I am reworking my mouth and have a temporary crown on.
Oh the joys of dentistry...

 

[luvdzne]

Oh, honey, I feel your pain. We're on the 4th set of braces in our household, second set for this particular child. Dental insurance has issued us three separate checks for $1000 against the total of over $16,000...

I'm in the wrong career

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad.

Why is it after you sink all this money into the braces, they need a 2nd set. I hear more and more that people that had braces need them again. Is it because they put them on too early, or is it just a cosmetic type thing where it is only a temp fix

ETA: We also have flex pay, can someone tell me how that works? I have not had a chance to call them, but can you use it until the braces are paid off or is it only for the year they are put on?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Flex pay is an account you set up for the year. Basically you designate an amount and it is "use it" or "lose it" for the year.

It saved us this year. We already used the money in the flex pay account and DH hasn't even paid that amount into yet.

Doesn't matter as long as it is medical. Shoot we even sent in Walgreens receipts. When it has the little "F" by an item it means it is covered under flex pay.

It is your money taken directly out of your check for medical, and it is tax free. It goes into a Flex account and you send in the receipts and then they send you a check.

That is why we are calculating our costs for next year.

As far as my dd's first set of braces, yes it is cosmetic. Her teeth are very very gapped and she is going into 4th grade. He estimated "real" braces at probably 7th-8th grade for her.

 

[goofy4tink]

Dd, now almost 13, has had 'something' in her mouth since she was 6. Started with the expander, then upper braces. Then they came off and she wore a retainer, then retainer only at night. Then full braces. Hopefully they'll be off this coming fall. I think we've spent about $12,000. Thank heaven, and I didn't think I would ever say this, my dh changed jobs 3 times. We got a new ortho benefit with each job!! He stayed in the same industry (insurance) so it wasn't detrimental to his longterm employement but is sure was nice when it came to ortho!!
We also have a flex pay, and then pay $120 a month. But, I have only $240 left to pay!!!! Yay!!!!!

 

[PixieDust32]

My Son has braces and the total cost was around the same 4K, our insurance paid half around $2100, our monthly payments are $125.00 per month, and includes the retainers.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

All your prices sound cheap!! I am an adult who just had braces, and I paid in the $9000 range. And not one drop of insurance, either. I had a surgery where I had eight perfectly healthy teeth removed, which added greatly to the price.

A poster here made the joke of letting their child grow up and get a job and pay for their own braces - well, that was exactly my parent's attitude! They knew I had very crooked teeth as a kid, and they refused year after year to help me. My teeth were my problem, not theirs! Braces were common among my classmates then, so it's not like they didn't know! I was told that I had to learn to have a better "character" to overcome my poor appearance, and accept my poor smile as what life dealt me. And sadly later on, I truly believed I had a hard time selling myself in job interviews because of my terrible smile. Letting a child grow up with poor teeth is a cruel thing to do.

But I am so glad to read here that you parents here helping their children have a terrific smile, no matter what the cost! Parents nowadays seem to know how important a smile truly is.

 

[luvdzne]

A poster here made the joke of letting their child grow up and get a job and pay for their own braces -

You do know I was kidding right

I'm sorry your parents took such an attitude!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

You do know I was kidding right

I'm sorry your parents took such an attitude!

Oh YES - I know you were kidding!!! But my parents seriously were like that!! Even in the mid 1980's (when I was a teen), my parents saw all the other kids my age get braces and then have great smiles, and then told me to live with the smile I was born with (think Dracula fangs!). They had the money, they just didn't want to spend the $$$$, or bother with the whole process. Then my mom wondered why the boys teased me so much and I wasn't asked out on a single date (well, I looked awful, that's why!). Sorry to say, appearances matter!!

I am so glad when I read here on the DIS about parents getting their kids great smiles, no matter what the cost and finding a way to pay for it, and with no hesitation.

 

[miss missy]

DD just got hers off 3 1/2 years! 4000.00. Insurance paid half. I did monthly. The good thing is once it is paid, its paid. So she still went to appt checks, but no additional money. They were on longer than he thought, still no additional money. Retainers and those checks all set too.

DD can still tell me the date they went on and off LOL. She never complained about them. Just remember to give her advil after she gets them on, it hurts later that day. And when the tighten them, have advil on hand, sometimes it bothers them.

Take before and after pics! Its so amazing!!

 

[PixieDust32]

All your prices sound cheap!! I am an adult who just had braces, and I paid in the $9000 range. And not one drop of insurance, either. I had a surgery where I had eight perfectly healthy teeth removed, which added greatly to the price.

A poster here made the joke of letting their child grow up and get a job and pay for their own braces - well, that was exactly my parent's attitude! They knew I had very crooked teeth as a kid, and they refused year after year to help me. My teeth were my problem, not theirs! Braces were common among my classmates then, so it's not like they didn't know! I was told that I had to learn to have a better "character" to overcome my poor appearance, and accept my poor smile as what life dealt me. And sadly later on, I truly believed I had a hard time selling myself in job interviews because of my terrible smile. Letting a child grow up with poor teeth is a cruel thing to do.

But I am so glad to read here that you parents here helping their children have a terrific smile, no matter what the cost! Parents nowadays seem to know how important a smile truly is.

Oh so sorry!

Our Insurance doesn't cover braces for adults, and yes the prices are more than double.

I would never do that to my kids, I might do go to get my nails done or things like that, but I do pay for my kids needs, and you're right it can be terrible growing up with ugly teeth and the the rest of the classmates or friends can be mean too.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We have a dental HMO, but our orthodontic coverage is only $1600 total. It sounds like I am going to be very sad when we find out how much it will be! The dentist told us back when DS was 8 to have a consult with an orthodontist. We went to the guy our dentist recommended and it was going to be several hundred dollars up front just to get started on Phase 1. I wasn't thrilled with the orthodontist so we decided to wait. Now we have different insurance and there are select orthodontists we can go to (like any other HMO). I need to schedule a consult and see just how scary this is going to be. DS is almost 10 so he has lost more teeth and more have grown in since we saw the first orthodontist.

 

[HOGFAN]

our last payment of $100 will be in September. Yippeee!!

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

I found out Friday that I am having braces put back on as an adult. I keep reminding myself that it is NOT 6 years like when I was a kid, but I'm having ahard time swallowing it all the same. It's one of those ~*gulp*~ moments. I had a tooth extracted in 1997/1998 (can't remember which) from my bottom row as it was attached to my jaw. For reasons, I never had the post and implant put in. Well, here 2006 and my bottom teeth have all started to shift and migrate to fill in that spot. With that, the 6 mm overbite that took palate expanders (those things hurt) and 6 years in braces is now 5 mm. It's not as though my teeth are crocked or awful, but I want them to be where they need to be.

DH is getting Invisalign as well to correct his crowding. So, you can imagine what our bill was supposed to be. The doctor ended up knocking about half the cost off each of ours and our dental coverage pays $1500 for each of us. That brings us down to owning about $5000 for two of us. I was told that the Orthodontists down the street chares $9000 for traditional braces and $12,000 for Invialign. This one charges just about the same for traditional and Invisalign at $6000 a piece. Get a second opinion or a second round of pricing. I couldn't believe the difference! And it's simply because this doctor comes to Annapolis (rather expensive place to live) once every other Friday and the other two are permanant offices here.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

many, many years ago, the standard price of ortho was 2000 dollars, and all insurance paid half up to one thousand. now 25 years later with the average price hovering around 5000 dollars, most insurances pay half up to a thousand dollars.

Actually, most pay 1/2 up to $3000, from what our Orthodontist said. "Seems to be the going rate these days, although you'r elucky to have it as adults," were his exact words.

 

[luv2nascar]

I am taking dd this summer to orthodonist. Can't wait she has a huge overbite and many problems in there. It will probably be 3-4 yrs at least. Our dental insurance only covers $1500.

 

[clh2]

Just a word of caution for those of you considering using Flex dollars.

You really need to find out from your benefits department how they pay for orthodontia.

The company I work for will consider as an allowable expense the "initial fee," which was about 25% of the total, the rest gets divided by the estimated number of months for the braces will be on. So, if the braces are supposed to be on about 36 months, and the cost of the braces will be $4800, the initial deposit will be $1200, leavin the remaining $3600 to be paid in 36 monthly installments.

In the above example, if the initial work started in June, the $1200 would be due. The monthly payments would start in July. So - in 2006, $1,800 would be paid, and that is all our flex spending would pay in 2006, in 2007, they would pay 1200, in 2008 they would pay 1200, and in 2008, they would pay $600. Of course, this assumes you have made the appropriate elections for those years.

 

[luvdzne]

Just a word of caution for those of you considering using Flex dollars.

You really need to find out from your benefits department how they pay for orthodontia.

The company I work for will consider as an allowable expense the "initial fee," which was about 25% of the total, the rest gets divided by the estimated number of months for the braces will be on. So, if the braces are supposed to be on about 36 months, and the cost of the braces will be $4800, the initial deposit will be $1200, leavin the remaining $3600 to be paid in 36 monthly installments.

In the above example, if the initial work started in June, the $1200 would be due. The monthly payments would start in July. So - in 2006, $1,800 would be paid, and that is all our flex spending would pay in 2006, in 2007, they would pay 1200, in 2008 they would pay 1200, and in 2008, they would pay $600. Of course, this assumes you have made the appropriate elections for those years.

So if you have money left over in your flex account at the end of the year, they will not let you use it on the ortho? I had better check on that. Dh work is switching it's calender, so instead of going from May 1 to April 30 it will end Dec. 31 they did not tell us that at sign up and so we will have way too much in our flex account, I was planning on putting all the left overs toward her braces.

 

[arkansas mom]

We just started the ortho thing. DS9 just got his retainers/expanders about a month ago and WILL NOT keep the things in! I ask him at least 50 times a day...do you have your retainers in? Never does. What can I do to make him wear those things? Any ideas? Threats? Bribes?

 

[clh2]

So if you have money left over in your flex account at the end of the year, they will not let you use it on the ortho? I had better check on that. Dh work is switching it's calender, so instead of going from May 1 to April 30 it will end Dec. 31 they did not tell us that at sign up and so we will have way too much in our flex account, I was planning on putting all the left overs toward her braces.

Geez luvdzne - I just don't know how it works for all companies, just mine. And - it just dawned on me, I think some of the flex-benefit rules have changed in the past year, and I'm not current in my knowledge. I've used the flex programs in the past very extensively, but now am on a different type of plan since we couldn't do a flex plan while having the particular health plan that we chose. I would check with the benefits dept. where you get your flex. program through. My post was to let people know that there may be certain ways the health flex $$ may be reimbursed back to you, and to not assume anything.

I've had 2 different employers stretch out the reimbursements throughout the term of the treatment.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Hopefully, your dental insurance will cover half of that!!!

my ins paid $1,ooo and we paid $4,500