Braces, a load of bullshit: advice needed

So my kid is beggin' me to get him braces before he reaches 14. We find that my insurance pays $1,000 of the $5,000 it will cost to get it done and the damn ortho wants it paid off in a year. Well, we just paid off a car and was going to use that money, but I'm wondering if we shouldn't get dental through my wife and then use both policies. Or, is there a better alternative program? What's your experience with this? Am I getting a "good deal' and therefore, should cease bitchin'?

 

We're on Mrs. PD's dental plan, which considers braces a cosmetic procedure and pays 0% of the cost.

Our daughter's orthodontist lets you finance for 24 months with no interest, or will give an 8% discount if you pay the entire balance up front. Hence the $5,240 check I'm taking to him next Monday.

That's my lone experience with braces.

 

I got mine through the office where my mother works and brother used to work. They filed through my insurance, then never charged me the rest. So I'm not much help.

I'll ask my mom tomorrow. She handles billing for her office.

 

When I was a child, my parents got taken to the cleaners by an orthodontist who had four kids to put through college. I have no idea what the insurance/payment situation was like, but I know they paid a lot for unnecessary add-ons.

Basically, if it wasn't cemented in my mouth, I never used it. Headgear, rubber bands, all that crap never got worn. It wasn't that I was a lazy kid, it was because I learned that no matter what I did or didn't do, I'd go in for one of the million orthodontist checkups (you know, pay an office visit fee for five minutes of examination) and the doc would always say "Looks good! Doing a great job with that headgear!" so I knew it was a sham.

So my advice is to get the braces, because they do work and they can help your kid's self image. But take a wait-and-see approach with anything removable, especially if your kid isn't the type to follow through. Don't let the doc strong-arm or guilt trip you into that crap.

Oh, and don't believe the "once the braces are removed, teeth will move back if the retainer isn't worn 24/7" hype. You'll pay for multiple retainers as your kid loses/breaks them, and they don't do jack. It's been 15 years and my teeth haven't moved back.

 

The retainer thing is more of a case-by-case situation. The first year or two after you get them off, you wear it all the time; then it's down to only at night; then down to once or twice a week. There's really no reason not to wear it at night, especially when your parents have just pumped a buttload of money into your teeth being straight.

 

I wore my retainer less than five times in my life. 15 years, no movement.

I'm not saying it's impossible that retainers work, but I'm 99 percent skeptical.

 

May depend on your orthodontist or oral surgeon, but my dad was able to get a large portion of my braces paid for through his medical insurance, because we were able to say that tooth overcrowding I guess it was caused headaches and other health-related issues. Don't know if it would work now if how much insurance ha changed, but it may be worth looking into.

 

I might be the one percent. But mine did.

I lost it when I got mine off after ninth grade, and a year or so later, I found it and tried to put it back on one night. Doing so brought back the memories of some long nights of pain.

 

I have permanent retainers behind my teeth. Whenever one side comes unglued (about once a year) I wait until I visit home again to have it reattached. My teeth shift sometimes up to a 1/4 inch in the two months.

You're lucky, Cadet.

 

I'm pretty sure a lot of teeth move! I had braces long, long ago but still wear a bite guard to prevent teeth grinding at night.

I don't take it on vacation, and when I return it's always tight.

Oh, and where I live, I can vouch that Americans are blessed with access to good dental care. I've seen toddlers here with black teeth, and kids as young as 13 who've had permanent ones pulled.

It's expensive, but from someone who sees the effects of not having dental care ... it's worth it.

 

That just happened to me for the first time, 21 years after getting the retainer on the back of my bottom teeth. I haven't gotten it reattached yet but I suppose I should.