Wah!! $4,785.00

[Lorix2]

I'm sure I'm not alone here..

My DD needs braces. My dental covers nothing, only a panaromic. The amount I'll have to pay per month for 24 mos is as much as a car payment. We really can't afford to do that at this time.

Her smile is beautiful, alot of gum shows on top, but beautiful anyway. She also has a deep bite. The ortho wants to "lift" her top teeth so more teeth and less gum will show. She does not need a pallet expander or any head gear.

After tossing this around in my mind, I realize this isn't something that she absolutely has to have. If this was a medical necessity, I wouldn't hesitate to make the bill and do without other things....but it's not.

Has anyone decided against braces for their children due to cost and because you really didn't feel they needed them?

I'm so torn about it.

 

[trishy]

OMG! Our ortho told us our dd (8 at the time) needed braces to correct her bite by 2 mm. yeah, right... Mean parents that we are we decided to make her live through that agony You know best what is right for your dd. It's cosmetic and certainly not worth forgoing family needs IMHO. Just FYI, my dd(10) has a friend at school - her and her sister both have what you describe - a lot of gum on top. I'm telling you, those girls are the most beautiful girls! Gums and all, they're beautiful and keep getting more beautiful each year.

 

[Serena]

It wasn't a question for me. She really needed them. The cost was about the $4,000, but I was able to pay for it for 36 months, and it was for everything, palate expander, adjustments, everything.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

My DD needed braces and was willing to have them. She really had an overbite and they were worthwhile for her.

My DS is 2 years younger than her. As time went on, the dentist kept saying how he was getting closer to being ready for braces. He did not want braces. He started to not want to go to the dentist if he was going to recommend braces. There was nothing obviously wrong with his teeth, unlike DD. So, we did not get braces for him.

So to answer your question, we did decide for DS not to have braces. And as you said, if it had been a medical necessity, we would have found the money to do it. I am starting to think that dentists think EVERYONE should have braces if they were not born with perfect teeth.

 

[meeshi]

My dd (16) really needed them badly. Her mouth was a mess, her baby teeth didn't want to come out, then her permanent teeth didn't want to come in. I think she had 13 teeth pulled, then she had her gums cut so the 2nd teeth would come in....It was an ordeal. She still has her braces and actually one 2nd tooth is FINALLY now up far enough so I think her next ortho appt. he can put a band on it.

ANYWAY..... the dentist thought ds(13) should get evaluated by the ortho, so I took him last month, of course the ortho recommended he get braces. His teeth look fine to me, maybe a slight overbite, but he doesn't want braces, he's fine with the way they look, we're fine with the way they look, so we decided that we weren't going to have him get them at this time. We're still open to it if it looks like he'd need them, but it doesn't look like it to us.

DD's were around $3,500-4,000 PLUS all the oral surgeries we had to pay a percentage of. We felt if we didn't HAVE to shell out another $3,500 we wouldn't. Especially since ds doesn't want them.

 

[FreshTressa]

The crappy thing is that they don't even STAY once you are done. DH and I both had braces when we were young and now both of us have teeth that have gone back to pretty much what they were before. We both had retainers till 18 too.

 

[Micca]

Three words: We had twins Sorry for your sitch

 

[BrerMom]

It's easier when it's an obvious necessity.

Depending on her age, you might be able to do what my parents did. I had a choice since I was a border-line case, also: one year of college or braces. I took the college and haven't regretted it.

 

[Octoberbride03]

I haven't had any kids yet, but i've already decided that unless there is something realy wrong like a huge overbite or the jaw is misaligned(my sister and cousin both had that, their top teeth wouldn't touch their bottom teeth) then my kids can live without braces until they wanna pay for them themselves. A small or even avg. overbite is nothing to spend $4,000 on. Your kids will live and be happier for it. And that way you'll never have to worry about them getting getting a spoon stuck in the brackets on a saturday when the ortho is closed. That happened to me in a restaurant. Took me 20 minutes to get it out and i had to break 2 brackets to do it. Sooooo not fun.

 

[Kasmir]

Do you have a major university with a dental program near you?

We went through the exact same thing with our two children -- at the same time. I knew we had to do this, so it was a matter of finding a way. I contacted a dental school near my home, and after a FREE screening that included x-rays, they gave me my pricing for both children.

$6,255.00: Total for both children, including ALL preventative care (such as cleanings, x-rays, etc... for the next three years) and retainers.

Here's the best part though: They are allowing me to pay it off, INTEREST FREE, over the next 60 months.

And so no one need suggest that I'm paying for sub-par orthodontic care... I was told that only dentists-to-be in their last semester are able to work in the orthodontics program, and that they are heavily supervised.

I feel very comfortable in the knowledge that not only are my children receiving the ortho care they need, but I now have one less budget-buster expense to fret about.

Even if you aren't able to take advantage of a dental school, you may want to shop around for orthodontists. In my early research, I found that comparably good orthodontist's fees may vary as much as a $1,000 for the same work.

I hope that you're able to find a solution to your problem... It's a tough one, that's for sure!

PS -- For those complaining that their teeth "went back" after braces: If you started out with really bad teeth, you really need to wear your retainer at night for as long as you want to keep that pretty smile...

 

[Tiggeroo]

This is something it pays to shop around for. Big differences in costs. I had my braces done at a dental school. Cutting edge stuff, only advanced students and instructors. Before you make a decision get at least 3 prices/consults.

 

[KimRaye]

DS's dentist has suggested braces, full mouth, for a one tooth misalignment on the side....where no one but HIM sees it! I don't think so.

Now, I've all ready been told that DD will need some major work done, about 11 or 12 yo due to one of her front teeth missing. They have to wait until her teeth fall out first and, permanent teeth come in, second. At least I have about 5-6 years to prepare. With DS, they just starting talking about this last year, at age 15-1/2.

 

[FreshTressa]

A couple more good thing about the colleges..

1, you know they aren't trying to rook you, just for money and order unnecesary stuff.

2, because they are being graded, they HAVE to do a good job. No one is supervising the ones out in the public.

They are doing my DS's work and doing great and I had my wisdom teeth out at the dental school and it was very painless.

 

[Kallison]

I think they recommend braces for practically every kid. If she really doesn't need them, then don't do it. Don't feel guilty.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I would say, no matter what the cost, get your DD the braces!!! Find the money somehow! From your descripton, it sounds like she really needs them. Believe me, I know what "less than perfect" teeth can do to someone's self-esteem. Growing up, my teeth were pretty bad (vampire fangs, buck teeth) but my parents absolutely refused to spend the money on fixing them even though they had enough money. So I was teased throughout school, called "ugly" and "dog". All my classmates got braces and had perfect teeth by high school, except me. When I got to college, no one I knew had teeth anywhere as bad as mine, and I quickly realized I missed the boat. My self-esteem suffered greatly because I could not hide how bad my teeth looked. Very few dates, too.

Long story short, I hated my smile and eventually bombed a job interview because of my bad appearance. That was the final straw! Now at age 33, I had oral surgery and finally got braces, all totaling over $9000 and all out of pocket. I will get the braces off after three years of treatment. Already my fangs are gone, and I love to smile now. Braces are the best thing I ever done for myself, I kid you not.

Actually, I am surprised by some replies here that parents have opted not to get their kid's braces. Where I live, every child gets braces, and I am not exaggerating - every one!

Sorry I sound so dramatic, but a wonderful smile is so important, it truly is. Please get her the braces!!! Our society is so appearance-based, and that will not change. She will probably have to get them eventually, so do it now as it only gets more expensive later. Your DD needs her best appearance possible to suceed in this world.

<img src="http://home.att.net/~disneysue/hugsmall3.gif">

 

[tar heel]

You need to ask a lot of questions and, perhaps, consult with another orthodontist (and ask all the same questions again) before you decide not to get your child braces. Braces are often recommended for more than cosmetic reasons -- in other words, this may be a medical necessity. You also state that she "needs braces" -- that statement says a lot to me. If you make the decision to not get the braces, are you going to feel good about it over the long term?

Most dental insurance covers very little orthodontic teatment. Our lifetime maximum is $1,000 and our son's treatment was $5,000. We will make our last payment in February. We're sure not rich, and it's not been easy to add this to everything else including (for the last 18 months) college tuition for our oldest. During most of this time, I drove a van with 100,000+ miles on it -- no car payment on that!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Originally posted by FreshTressa
The crappy thing is that they don't even STAY once you are done. DH and I both had braces when we were young and now both of us have teeth that have gone back to pretty much what they were before. We both had retainers till 18 too.

I am 50 and still wear my retainers from when I had my braces as a teen. I stopped wearing the retainers in college and my teeth moved. I paid to have them restraightened and will wear my retainers to my death bed. I only have to wear them about once a week to keep things in place.

 

[Lorix2]

Thank you everybody for sharing your experiences.

I did see 2 ortho people. But neither one of these told me it's medically necessary. I was just realizing that I don't think any parent hears "well, it's not necessary, but if you want to improve their smile, they could benefit from braces".

I have the same overbite and I'm fine, no problems with my jaw or anything....to me she looks fine. I don't think any ortho has turned any child away...they are in this profession to correct problems and improve looks, but they are also in it to make money.

I think it's becoming the norm that every child is told they need braces. This ortho never said to me "it's up to you and your child. He only said it would show less gum on top and improve her bite. Never said her bite would cause problems for her.

I think I may put them off for a just a little while. Her 2 top permanents have not come down yet nor her 2 bottom permanents. I think I'll see what we are dealing with then.

She has a beautiful smile and I'm not sure it needs to be corrected in any way.

Please believe that if I thought for a minute that cosmetically she needed them for her own self image, I would never even have posted or thought twice.

Thanks again

 

[Poohnatic]

As another poster stated, see if you have a Dental School nearby.

I live an hour out of Baltimore and go to the Dental School at U of MD for treatment? Why? Because my Dad had his major dental work done at NYU dental school in order for afford two daughters having braces at the same time.

I have an extremely small jaw, and the braces were a necessity...my smile didn't look bad, but if left untreated, I would have had problems. Granted, back then, my braces cost 1600 (in 1976).

I've been very happy with my treatment at the dental school. I've needed some major work (a crown, a root canal, several fillings) and my insurance pays flat fees for services...so far, I've only paid out 275 for services that would have cost me 1000 out of my pocket elsewhere. The running joke is that I tell my student dentist "get the pediatric size' of anything.

They do orthodontial work, and I'd gladly take my kids there if I still live in the area. If I don't (planning a move), I will be looking for the dental school where I move.

A suggestion I have is to have those bands removed every 6 months to a year to get a thorough cleaning of the teeth. I had the same bands on my teeth for a ridiculously long time, and even though I was a thorough brusher, I had to have several teeth bonded and two root canals. One tooth disingrated the day after the braces came off and I had a crown at 15!

Suzanne

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DD#1 just got braces last month. Her upper jaw is too small and there is no room for all of her permanent teeth, although you can't really see any problems right now. My insurance pays $1000 but I still had to pay $3000.
Now the problem is DD#2. She is almost 9, but it is obvious that she will need more serious work than her sister (although I get 5% off for siblings, big deal). I had her in for a consult last week and they already did the impressions and Xrays. She has a slight UNDERbite and if it gets worse her jaw could start to jut out. I got the impression from all the "hmmmmm"s going on that she may need some early work. I was hoping that I could wait 2 years until I pay off the other braces! If worse comes to worse I'll use the $1000 orthodontic now and just bite the bullet if she needs braces later (she probably will; her teeth are coming in a little crooked).
Look at the bright side--orthodontia has come a long way. My mom had braces from age 10 to age 18 in the 40s!
Robin M.