Braces | Imamother

Chayalle

Sun, Jul 08 2018, 6:19 pm

I paid the downpayment (I think about 1200) for DD's braces out of a flexible spending account. After that, I paid about $100 a month for like 2 years or so till I paid them off. I did have insurance but the amount they contributed toward braces was not even 1/3 of the price.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 12:37 am

doctorima wrote:

If it's for a real medical issue and not just cosmetic, you may be able to get insurance to cover some or all of it. Definitely check with them regarding your coverage, and try to get the orthodontist to advocate for you that it's medically necessary.

like try my regular private health I know if I had state insurance they would cover such a thing but I don't know about my regular insurance. My dental plan is not so great and won't cover braces

amother

Lime

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 12:46 am

We couldn't afford the full price so dc each chipped in 1/3 of the price from their savings. and the rest we paid over time. There's really no reason to get braces very young. Usually you can wait till they're young teens 13, 14 and get it then. Maybe have your dc work in a day camp in the summer. DC are very happy they got braces even though they had to chip in, it's worth it.

Rachel Shira

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 3:57 am

amother wrote:

As someone who paid for a lot of my own stuff (necessities) as a teenager, I would not have my teenage kids pay for their own braces. To me that’s like asking your 13 year old to chip in for their yearly cleanings or for the food they eat. Some things are a parent’s responsibility.
If it’s cosmetic, that’s another story.

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 5:41 am

It really ended up being a lot easier than we thought. Like others have mentioned, we had to give a 1500.00 down payment. That is the amount my dental insurance also covered.
The rest was a payment plan of $150.00 a month charged to my cc every month. We recently did our last payment and DS still has his braces. Had I known it were that easy I would've done it sooner

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 8:29 am

Rachel Shira wrote:

I feel the same way, and even if it's somewhat cosmetic. Before DD got braces, her front teeth literally overlapped - one blocking the other. She has a very small, narrow frame and her mouth was no exception - there simply was no room for her teeth in it. She had to have a palette expander to stretch her jaw and make room for her teeth. Having a normal-looking, nice smile and feeling good about herself was very important to us.

I agree with lime amother that there's no rush....our orthodontist actually believes in delaying braces to high school. The kids are more mature then, and take better care of their teeth with braces....plus all of their teeth are in, so it's a better time for braces. I've heard of people who got braces too young, and had to get it twice! I can't imagine my 10 year old getting braces - she is so not ready! We'll give her a few years (and some breathing space, now that we're finally done with paying off braces for our 2nd child...)

My daughter recently thanked us for the expense we went to to get her braces as a teen. She said now that she's working and realizing the value of the dollar, she thought about what we spent on that, and she appreciates it.

amother

Lemon

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 8:56 am

We just had our 1st consultation for my daughters last week. One will be getting them tomorrow!! The other he wants to wait a bit.
The downpayment needs to be paid first. We couldn't do the full thing all at once so they are breaking it up over 3 months. Then we start the monthly payments which will be 14 dollars higher than if we paid the downpayment in one shot. The payments must be completed at 24 months so because we are using more time for the downpayment it raises the monthly payment. We'll won't notice 14 dollar as much as large downpayment so it's a good plan

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 9:07 am

amother wrote:

I would not have her chip in for something like this. it's not a issue with her teeth per say but more her jaw and that's something they start younger to fix before the bones fuse so even it it's not the brases yet she needs orthodontist work done and already my dentist really wanted me to go a year ago . And her speech therapist said something about it also.

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 9:22 am

Chayalle wrote:

I was advised to get my DS braces at age 8. It wasn't for cosmetic reasons but rather because of his bite and jaw.
I was told he would need braces twice if I did it. I stalled and didn't do it until he was 14 but really he needed them years before. So there are some kids who do need to get them at a very young age.

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 09 2018, 9:32 am

thunderstorm wrote:

I guess every situation is different...and best is to consult with a very competent orthodontist. In our situation, he felt we should wait.