Does anyone else have a child that is ready for braces? Well I do and let me tell you they are not cheap!!!!! My oldest son had braces when he was in 8th grade (he is now 20) and I thought they were expensive then but now they are crazy expensive. The orthodontist told us the estimated cost is between $5500 and $6000. Now that was a shock to the pocket book!!!!My husband and I figures they have increased in price by about $2000 over the last 6 or 7 years. Now I know everything has increased in price but really…..$2000 is a little much if you ask me.
When we did our oldest son’s braces they were right at $4000 and you could set up a no interest payment plan. You had to pay a small amount down when the braces were initially put on and then pay $125 per month for either 18 or 24 months, I can’t remember which. Now with our middle son we have to pay almost $1000 before they even start and then pay $250 a month for 20 to 24 months. That’s almost a car payment! Wonder how much they will be by the time we get to our 8 year old.
The thing that really gets me is that the orthodontist said his bottom teeth were small so after the braces were off we might have to build on to a few of them. Ummmmm….NO!!!!! I asked why this needed to be done and I really don’t think he ever gave me a straight answer. He just seemed to talk in circles. I said to him “so what was going to be a $6000 braces project is turning into a $10,000” and his reply “pretty much”. I told him right then and there unless he could produce some really good hard facts about needing to build onto his teeth then there was no way I was spending $10,000 on his teeth.
Now please don’t get me wrong, as I said, if he can produce a good reason why this NEEDS to be done then I will absolutely take care of him but I need proof. Cold hard FACTS!!!! It appears to me that he is just being a good dentist and wants Jake to have perfect teeth. Which I get because that’s what they do, it’s kind of like a hair dresser wanting you to have all the latest hair color and perfect hair cuts, that’s what they do so it makes sense. However, for those of us that aren’t dentist or even hair dressers, we need proof….at least I do anyway.
You should get a 2nd opinion. Make sure that everything he is suggesting is what another dentist would suggest also. My daughter just got hers a while back and yes it was expensive. I tell her to smile big in her pics so everyone can see all the money in her mouth! Sad part was that insurance only covered 1200 which one of the dental assistance told me was what they covered over 10 years ago! So yes braces have went up but no insurance coverage has not:( Lucky us!
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