orthodontia: sticker shock

[ElizK]

We had our first of 3 consultations with orthodontists today. I about passed out when they showed me the cost! More than $4500.00 for 18 mons of braces. And DD12's teeth don't have nearly the problems that DD9's have! I'm probably going to have to sell an organ to pay for this!!!

 

[cynsaun]

Oh, I am not looking forward to braces for our oldest daughter!! YIKES!!!

 

[aprilgail2]

My dauhgter will be 13 when I retire and I will have to be sure to get her braces done if she needs them before that...we loose our dental once we retire so she will have to get any work done she really needs before that! I know that the dentists around here use the book of the month club for braces..you get a book just like a car payment book with payment coupons to pay over 3 years!

 

[ElizK]

This ortho estimated how long DD would need to be in braces, showed my what insurance would cover, the amount of down payment required, and then divided the remainder by the number of months she was expected to be in braces. If we go with him we have to pay 3080.00 in 18 mons. $165.00 a month.

 

[MAC3]

Our were 5,000.00 and dental covered Nothing. That was 2 yrs ago.

 

[PattnFmly]

DH's DD has braces. Insurance paid flat $1000 towards them, and the balance for 2 years is $130/month. Our split with her Mom makes our share $65/mo. And I've seen her once since last Christmas. Hope my DS's don't need braces!

 

[janette]

Don't forget about medical spending accounts if your company has them. You can get the money out before taxes, every little bit helps. I'm trying to work out which insurance we use next year since my 13yo is almost ready for them.

 

[Reflection]

Thankfully, my employer has these. My insurance will pay $1500 pf the 4K+ for my daugher's braces. The initial payment will be $875 when she get the braces in Jan 05, and then $128 for the next 18 or 22 months. Again, thank goodness for the MSA!

 

[Tuffcookie]

DS's braces are coming off Monday morning! My insurance covered 1/2 of the $2000. He has had them on for 2 years. I can't believe what a difference they have made. Regardless of what it cost, they were worth it!

TC

 

[Pin Wizard]

Wow! I don't know if they're worth the money. I hear of kids having to get them on again a few years later. And one of my friends had them in high school, and now his teeth aren't all nice like when they came off. He said he can't be bothered getting them again. I never did bother. My dentist tells me that I would be paying off an orthodontist's yacht to mine done! He's trying to get both me and my son in them. Ack! I don't think so!!

 

[DVC Jen]

Our oldest DD is into her second year. The total cost for her braces is something like 3600.00. Our insurance paid something like 1200.00. We make those wonderful monthly payments too. 112.00 a month. As soon as she is out of them.. DD2 will be getting them.

 

[floridachichere]

We had 2 kids that had to have braces. It was recommended that our daughter get them at 13 but I knew from the experience of myself that they can go back crooked when the wisdom teeth start to form and push,, so I said no way,, and waited until she was 16 just in case. I had also heard from other parent about their kids teeth going back crooked in their 20's . Best decision I could have made. She is now 25 and has such beautiful straight teeth. We did the same thing with our son. He is now 22 and his teeth are still straight. We also invested in an extra retainer (just in case they were to loose one at a later time) because they still wear those at nite to make sure they stay that way !!!!!!!! we had those payment too . OUr ins. payed 1200 and we paid the rest of the 3800 per child . Thr orthodontist tried really hard to push them at 13 but I just said no ,, because I knew that adults get them at any age so I figured no harm done and I prooved myself right on that. They are so expensive that I just wanted alittle more ins. on my end that the teeth were going to remain all beautiful and straight. hooofda ,, the expense was alot ,, but sure worth it ........

 

[ncbyrne]

My DGD now has braces on at age 11. However, she had a palatte expander in her mouth since she was 8. Total cost will be just over $5000 and their dental insurance does not cover ortho work. It's stuff like this that just comes with the cost of being a parent.

 

[bettyann29]

I know the feeling about the payments... My 13 yo has had them for about 4 months now.. It was 0 down and I pay $92.99 per month for 2 years.. Im afraid my 11 yo son will need them too..

 

[Twinkles6892]

I don't know how much mine cost my parents but I know they've been on for a year longer than mom's been paying for them! December 15! These things come off!!!

 

[Lorix2]

In this area, it's $1500.00 down on $4500.00 and payments of $150.00/month for 2 years. My insurance has no ortho benefits at all.

Doesn't it seem like every child NEEDS braces? I don't think I know any kids my DD's age who don't have them. My DD's ortho has recommended them, but I'm not sure I will have them done.

Seems like it's the norm now

 

[goofy4tink]

You know, I never even thought about not doing them!!! My dd ahd the palate expander when she was 7. I wasn't surprised since her regular dentist had told us when she was 3 that her mouth was really small. Then when the expander came out, the braces went on. She had the braces on for 1 1/2 years. They have been off for a year or so. Now, after having a retainer at night and most of her baby teeth are out, the braces are 'supposed' to be going back on. Cost? $3900. Thanks God we have a flexible spending acct that will cover the first $1000 then the ortho benefit covers $1500. My dh works in the insurance field and has changed jobs several times over the years. I never realized what a good thing that changing jobs was since we've used the ortho benefit (which tends to be a once in a lifetime benefit) at the last 2-3 jobs!!!

I wonder how I would figure out if I can wait for dd to have the braces on? Any ideas out there? I know of at least 3 adults and several young adults (in their early 20's) that have braces. I really don't want to have to keep putting my dd thru this if I don't have to. If she has them again next month, finishes this stint in two years and then has to do it again at 15 or so, what's the point of having it done now!!!!???

 

[luvflorida]

Both of my daughters had or have braces on their teeth. The oldest had braces put on when she was 12. The dentist said she'd have them on for approximately 18 months, but they were on for 4 years! The price was around $4,000.00, but worth every penny. Her teeth are now beautiful.

My youngest daughter got her braces on at 10 and they have been on for almost 4 years. Again, the dentist figured she'd need them for about 18 months! Of course, she has been very hard on her braces. She has had numerous broken wires, loose brackets, etc., from chewing on pens, eating things she KNOWS she shouldn't. At her last ortho appointment the dentist said she might have the braces off before the end of the year. The cost for her braces was also around $4,000.00.

In both cases our dental insurance covered the first $1,000.00, and then we made installment payments until they were paid off. Our daughter can't wait to get her braces off, but then I know we'll have to struggle with retainer thing. I don't think she is going to like using one and she'll probably go through more than one, if she's anything like she is with her braces!

 

[Christine]

Make sure you go to every orthodontist in your town. I went to three different orthodontists for my DD (13). The first one wanted $5,000, the second wanted $5,300, and the third wanted $3,500. They all had the EXACT same treatment plan, all three graduated from the same school of dentistry, and all three had very high recommendations. I went with the cheap guy. His office is what I would call "low budget." He did not have game boys for each child in the waiting room, he did not have a "treatment coordinator" and his office complex is older and in a cheaper rent district. Try to stay away from the slick practices. They might make you *feel* better or more confident but they aren't necessary and they drive up the costs.

As far as kids really needing braces: actually in most cases kids do, even if the teeth don't look that crooked. Rather than look at your child's appearance, it is more important to look at their bite. If they do not have a perfect bite (where all the teeth line up and interlock properly), they are going to have many problems in their mid to late-adult life. Improper bite causes gradual wearing down of the teeth so that the back teeth are dull, making chewing things like meat very difficult. Misalignment of bite also causes gum pockets to form which will lead to gum disease. None of these problems will be come evident until much later.

As for teeth shifting. I had braces at 13. My orthodontist (and any good orthodontist should tell you these things) told me that if I did not have my wisdom teeth removed that my teeth would shift. So after the braces came off and before my wisdom teeth started to come in, I had them removed. My friend had braces also. She had lots of room in her mouth, so the removal of the wisdom teeth was never required and her teeth are still nice and she is almost 40. My teeth still are very straight too. I have some mild shifting that only I can see. My orthodontist DID want me to wear my retainer for life. That will prevent shifting, but most people will not comply. Also, even if you don't get braces, your till will shift as you age.

 

[janette]

Sometimes there really isn't a choice. My 13yo DD has a bad overbite & grinds her teeth. I probably should have already done some work since her bottom front teeth have almost all the enamel worn off them. Without correction she'll continue to have bite problems. They are waiting until all her permanent teeth are in and have a spacer in there now.

Hopefully this will last and she won't need to adjust them again later but really have to get it done soon.