Rite of Passage
Phase Two of the Braces Regimen.
And that crying sound you heard? Our checkbook.
The orthodontist here said, “Whoever did Brayden’s Phase One in Georgia did a really great job. She’ll only need this full set of braces on for eighteen months …. about a year shorter than normal.”
I replied, “Oh, good. So does that mean we pay for a year less in treatment?”
Um, no. Just means we have a year’s less time to get the full payment in.
::weep::
And I laugh at myself, to think back to the good ole’ days, when I naively thought diapers and formula were expensive.
22 Responses to Rite of Passage
March 17th, 2010 saat: 10:56 AM
No kidding…teenagers are expensive and mouthy…I remember when I thought two year olds were terrible…I wish I knew from the beginning that those were the easy years. My mother tried to tell me…I didn’t believe her.
March 17th, 2010 saat: 11:54 AM
Oh, I feel your pain! We just paid off the second set. That was a monthly raise of $220!
March 17th, 2010 saat: 11:56 AM
I know exactly what you mean…we just made our last payment for our daughter’s braces and we have two more kids who currently look like Spongebob Squarepants!!!
March 17th, 2010 saat: 8:14 PM
And, just when you think you’ve sen the end of the expensive stuff … daycare, diapers, sports, braces, any kind of lessons … comes college. Times however many kids you have (even if you’re just helping out and not footing the whole bill). But this too will pass, and with their graduation and finding fulfilling careers … comes the pride and contentment of a (parenting) job well done.
My #1 is an RN with Mayo Clinic, and my #2 graduates from college in May. Next on the list?? Yikes!! Weddings!!!! =)
March 17th, 2010 saat: 9:48 PM
What is a little debt when you see what a beautiful young woman she is!!
March 18th, 2010 saat: 12:12 AM
Yes, why is it that they cost the most at the same time they become hormonal and often enter a couple years of an icky phase? Talk about a terrible joke!
March 18th, 2010 saat: 4:23 AM
I hope you don’t mind me asking. In the States, just a ball park figure, what does a set of braces like this cost per child? In the UK if they are medically necessary they are free but if it is just to straighten out teeth for the sake of appearance and a better smile (unless it is extreme) we don’t generally get them done. Crooked teeth are part of our culture :) :)
March 18th, 2010 saat: 7:43 AM
Cost of eldest daughter’s braces 6986.00$
Number of hours spent at orthodontist 132
Fact that my beautiful girl now has the confidence to smile: Priceless
Although due to an accident and resulting neck injury…they were removed early and she’ll now probably have to get them again…just when the next child is ready for them….
That bites (no pun intended)….
March 18th, 2010 saat: 7:43 AM
I’d be curious to know what defines “medically necessary” ….. an overbite? Underbite? Misaligned jaw? Because my guess would be that while many kids here get them for strictly cosmetic purposes …… at the same time, Brayden had to have four teeth pulled as her mouth was too “small” and Kendrie has/had a pretty severe underbite and crossbite. So I wonder if either would be considered “necessary”? I would think many kids also have issues like that. Cost varies widely, I’m sure, and depends on how much work you need. Both my girls needed a “Phase One”, where they had brackets and spacers and bumpers to “prepare” for their adult teeth, and I had to turn a key to widen an appliance placed in their mouths to stretch their upper palate wider to make room for the adult teeth. Not fun. Phase One lasts around two years. Then comes Phase Two, which is the actual braces to straighten the adult teeth once they are all in. That typically takes two to three years, depending on the severity of work needed. Kellen didn’t need Phase One because his mouth was big enough, but because he was born without permanent lateral incisors, he will need MAJOR work done later, once all the baby teeth are gone, to correct that and will have to have implants placed for the rest of his life. So again ….medically necessary? Or just because I’m vain enough to want him to have a nice smile??? Anyway, you didn’t ask for my children’s dental history. :) You asked about price. I’m just ballparking, but I would say, on average, somewhere between $3,000 and $5000 per Phase. And whether dental insurance covers orthodontics, and at what percentage, can also vary greatly. Many do not. If anyone else would like to chime in with an estimate, I’d be happy to post that. Kristie
March 18th, 2010 saat: 8:55 AM
To the person who inquired, my dd’s braces were about $5000.00 (we did pay about 500.00 extra for the Porcelain ones strictly for vanities sake :) She wore them 18 months, then had to have her wisdom teeth cut out, another 1500.00 because they would have pushed her teeth back out of alignment. Then there were the costs for replacement retainers, after she lost a pair and all the visits to the city, a 120 mile round trip.
She also will have to wear a retainer a one night a week FOREVER to keep them in place. I tell her if she ever quits and let her overbite return she owes me 7500.00 :)
She does have a million dollar smile so I guess there is that :)
March 18th, 2010 saat: 9:01 AM
My son got his about 4 year ago. They were about $4500.
March 18th, 2010 saat: 9:07 AM
Hi Kristie – It was a looooong time ago that I was a dental nurse, but that is why I’m curious. A servere overbite would qualify. The protrusion would have to be at least half a centimetre. Also if at rest the lips don’t naturally cover the upper teeth they would be pulled back – and most likely 2 or 4 teeth would have to be removed further back in the mouth. The Pick-Up truck in Pixar’s “Cars” film would get free treatment for this :)Also where the eye teeth push forward or are higher than the front teeth and the front teeth pull back (think about Ricky Gervais)in severe cases this would count. Also if teeth crossed the children would be treated because the nooks and crannies are great for harbourng plaque and bacteria. If however the child just has generally mismatched teeth that aren’t straight the NHS would call that a cosmetic need. I remember underbites being treated very regularly – underbites can lead to a profile with a jutting out jaw or “British Bulldog” look and doesn’t look ‘normal’and some parents reported bullying so on psychological grounds this work was often done but its usually quite time consuming with fixed appliances and overnight head equipment. I hope your children end up with lovely smiles. X
March 18th, 2010 saat: 9:43 AM
Brayden looks beautiful! She has a great, natural smile.
Still laughing at the “Spongebob Squarepants” comment… :)
March 18th, 2010 saat: 12:07 PM
Well I just got back from my daughter’s appointment and her braces are going to be between $7400 and $8700. Once the treatment plan has been chosen we’ll know more.
Our benefits cover $1500/child/life time and that seems pretty standard here in Canada.
Our other daughter will need braces but hers are medically required as she was born with a cleft lip and palate. Most of hers should be covered
I wonder how we are going to save for university too?????
March 18th, 2010 saat: 2:58 PM
We paid $5000 per mouth and I felt like I got a better deal with my son, who had to wear them four years vs daughter who only had them 2. Our insurance didn’t pay anything for ortho. What ticked me royally was that they didn’t cover implants (son needs 3 or 4)until after he was too old for my policy and had his own. Now that he’s an adult, who knows if he’ll get around to getting those done!
When we brought him home from the hospital, my husband was so excited to see the super-size bag of diapers, and figured they would last a couple months (96 in a bag). Ha! He almost cried when they were gone in a week! Luckily, I worked at a clinic and got all of his formula FREE! Not so when baby girl came along, at least we only had to buy for one kid.
March 18th, 2010 saat: 5:55 PM
Which orthodontist did you use here? Spillers or Poole? I’m guessing Spillers. I don’t think Poole must take our insurance, because I don’t know any military families who go to him.
March 18th, 2010 saat: 7:17 PM
Yep, Spillers. Kristie
March 19th, 2010 saat: 12:59 AM
Child got braces in 5th grade (snaggle tooth mess! had four adult teeth extracted!); off in 7th; still wears retainers. They cost about $5500; ins paid $1500. It was money well spent. His teeth were horribly crooked.
For the record, my braces cost $836 about 35 yrs ago.
March 19th, 2010 saat: 3:10 PM
I am a single parent with 2 kids that needed braces. $7,000 later in payments(with no help from lame dental insurance)I see my kids’ smile and could have been Jamaica for me. My son did not follow up fully with his retainer (he lost it after 8 months) and I refused to fork out any more $ for a new one. His teeth have shifted slightly, but he is 20 and that is his problem! Brayden will have a beautiful smile when it is all done (not that she isn’t now) it will be ultimately worth it! Just keep telling yourself this :)
March 19th, 2010 saat: 3:14 PM
I would also like to add that an overbite, cross bites, etc. barces are considered medically necessary b/c correcting these problems now will saves their teeth from dentures in old age. At least that is what my orthodontist told me…
March 22nd, 2010 saat: 9:11 PM
Oh please let us be finished with diapers once we start ortho treatments!
This post made me wonder!
April 14th, 2010 saat: 12:21 AM
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80197&id=542071900&l=be809d6045
Worth every penny for that smile! Phase 1 (with the key turning to widen upper palate, ouch) was about $1300 and Phase 2 was about $5200. Insurance covered about 40%, thank God!
Callum has three more teeth to go and then we’ll be back paying for braces again….*sigh*
Brayden is going to have the most beautiful smile (she already does, but straighter!) and it will be with her a lifetime. That’s worth smiling about!
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