Braces - How did you pay for them?

[Pink Fairy]

If you are a family of limited means, and didn't have dental insurance to cover orthodontia, how did you manage to pay for your child's braces? I'm sure there must be a secret to it that I don't know about yet. Do tell, because I have no idea right now how we are going to make this happen. :(

[AK_Mom4]

Our orthodontist set up a payment plan. This is standard here. OUr dental insurance paid for the xrays, but not much else, so it was about $5K. It was like making a car payment, but the difference in DS15's mouth makes it all worth it.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Same here. Payment plan.

[gingersmom]

No insurance. I have been paying monthly for nearly 3 years. I am going to take a break before I begin again with child #2.

[Amy1k]

Ugh. Yep, payment plan. It's 2 years and no interest. I'm hopeful that they will be paid for very early. :)

[ourjourneys]

Thanks for posting this question because we are looking at funding 2 kids braces. We have actually thought of getting them put on in Morocco and then just paying a dentist here to 'service' them. Anyone else done this internationally or lived part of the year here and part international while kids had braces?

[Starr]

Thanks for posting this question because we are looking at funding 2 kids braces. We have actually thought of getting them put on in Morocco and then just paying a dentist here to 'service' them. Anyone else done this internationally or lived part of the year here and part international while kids had braces?

 

Switching orthodontists mid stream doesn't always save money. :(

[mom2denj]

We paid $130/month for our sons braces. It was worth it! I am very thankful that we were able to pay monthly payments.

[Lara in Colo]

I actually had a dental hygienist friend of mine tell me only do a payment plan. What if the dentist goes out of business when only half of the mouth is done?

 

Lara

[Cera]

Thanks for posting this question because we are looking at funding 2 kids braces. We have actually thought of getting them put on in Morocco and then just paying a dentist here to 'service' them. Anyone else done this internationally or lived part of the year here and part international while kids had braces?

 

I know the orthodontist we are going to use won't service braces he didn't put on. I think this is not all that uncommon (many orthodontists won't) based on what friends who moved mid treatment have told me.

[ourjourneys]

Switching orthodontists mid stream doesn't always save money. :(

 

Yes, I see someone else posted that they will not service the braces if they did not put them on. In that case, you are right... no savings :( But in Morocco dentists are so much cheaper than here. Braces would be a few hundred dollars instead of thousands. However, I do not imagine that we will live there for a few years at a time so that would end up with no savings...

[Brindee]

I know the orthodontist we are going to use won't service braces he didn't put on. I think this is not all that uncommon (many orthodontists won't) based on what friends who moved mid treatment have told me.

:iagree: that could happen.

 

I got braces after I got my first job and could afford it myself. about a year after I got braces, I ended up moving to a different state. I found a great ortho., and he gave me a good price, but he took the braces off (they were bands) and put brackets on. Then he finished the job. He didn't charge that much extra, and I was single and had a decent job, so I could afford it.

 

You might have the same thing happen if you got the braces on somewhere else, so you'd end up paying more in the long-run.

 

I did payments for mine, and dh and I did payments for our oldest. I can't think of another way to do it, cuz most of us don't have enough to pay it all off at once! I'm guessing most places let you make payments. But they probably won't finish the job if you don't keep making payments! :tongue_smilie: SO make sure the payment plan will work long-term!

 

Best wishes!

[redsquirrel]

Yes, payments. it is 150$ a month. I don't even know how we come up with the money but we do. Thank goodness we don't have a car payment.

 

I keep saying when these braces are off I am going to get a massage every month. Clearly we can afford it, right?

[bbsweetpea]

We will do a payment plan when it comes time. My parents are pretty determined to pay for them for all three kids but I don't know if I feel comfortable with it.

[Denise in Florida]

We went to the nearest orthodontal school. Work was done by qualified dentists who were finishing their orthodontist specialty and were supervised by the teaching doctors.

 

There are two such schools near us, we used Jacksonville Univeristy.

 

The price was about 50% of that quoted by an independant orthodontist. Our dental insurance paid about 40% of that and we used a flexible spending account (money placed in pre-tax) to pay for the remaining amount.

[sparrow]

We also have a zero interest payment plan with our orthodontist. We have no dental insurance. This is our second go around for phase II of our son's orthodontic treatment. His treatment started at age 8 :(. We are extremely grateful for our daughter's slow to erupt teeth :D. It should be at least another 8-12 months before we'll need to start with her treatment.

 

It's a necessity. We somehow manage to come up with the extra $150/month and will need to budget for the extra $300/month once our daughter starts treatment.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

not going through that yet with my son....but back when I was a teen and had to get braces I'm not sure I had dental ins....I remember there was a payment plan and every time I went in to get checked/adjusted each month we'd pay $100.......I'm sure there are still places that do payment plans......

[Cheryl in NM]

We got a loan, cut back on the very last of the discretionary spending and Dh worked overtime for 2 years. It was worth it to see Dss smile and confidence boost in the end.

[Brindee]

Yes, payments. it is 150$ a month. I don't even know how we come up with the money but we do. Thank goodness we don't have a car payment.

 

I keep saying when these braces are off I am going to get a massage every month. Clearly we can afford it, right?

:iagree: Good thoughts! I NEED a massage! :001_smile:

 

 

I WISH our insuurance would cover some of it, but it does not cover ortho. work. :(

Edited April 25, 2011 by Brindee

[AvasMom]

Ours was a God thing for real. My husband is enlisted Navy so we don't have a lot of surplus income. Payments of $100+ a month were daunting at best. I happened to be working for a few months when we got my daughters and so I paid cash (was a cardiac ICU nurse at Hopkins...good money). My son just got a palate expander a couple of months ago and right when we needed the $$ for that we got more money in our tax return than we expected so we paid for them out of that. So we have two kids in braces and no debt which still blows me away.

[justamouse]

I am going to ahve three with them at the same time.

 

I'm thinking that I may have to sell my soul.

 

Back when I had braces, my history teacher remarked that they were a status symbol and I understood it in the way that a teenager living at home only could. Now I *totally* get it.

[QueenCat]

We took money from ds college fund, and repay it (auto payments so it can't be skipped) so we can do it over 3 years instead of 18 months. Dentist does offer an interest free plan but it has to be paid in full before the braces come off. With the way we did it, we got the cash discount since we paid in full to the dentist, and pay ds' fund back instead.

[swimmermom3]

We have a wonderful orthodontist who has managed the timing so that none of the three kids will have their braces at the same time. Also, like everyone else, we are on a payment plan as dental insurance covers not one dime of orthodontia. We utilize our FSA when we can. I feel fortunate in finding an orthodontist we trust. I knew his parents while I was growing up and showed horses with his sister. His office is downstairs from our dentist's. Paying the orthodontist is a piece of cake compared to the oral surgeon.:tongue_smilie:

 

Be sure to get recommendations from people you trust and who have had at least one child satisfactorily finish their treatment.

[Rhonda in TX]

Insurance paid some (but not much!). The rest was an interest-free payment plan through the orthodontist's office. They had to be paid for by the end of treatment, so we had 2 years to pay for DD's. DS's will be more expensive, but we will also have longer to pay them off.

[Pax]

We have my 15 year old and my DH in braces right now. With my DH having been out of work for the past 6 months, $300 a month is getting a bit difficult to do. Luckily, my son's bill will be paid off in June and DH is going to do some work to pay off his bill. I can't wait until we don't have that payment anymore. We are going to save it for a Disneyland vacation!

[Twilight Woods]

I just had braces put on for myself in January. I do not have dental coverage for myself.......The ortho I am working with put me on a payment plan with no interest. :) Soooo glad.

 

I know Chase has a program you can borrow money to use for dental/healthcare expenses but you have to pay interest.

 

If your using a certain ortho call them and ask about payment arrangements.

 

My DD will be getting braces next year I do have dental for her but there is still a portion I will have to pay. We will have payments for those too. Thankfully my braces will be paid off before then.

[KidsHappen]

Flex benefit card and payment plan. Three sets so far.

[KidsHappen]

We have a wonderful orthodontist who has managed the timing so that none of the three kids will have their braces at the same time. Also, like everyone else, we are on a payment plan as dental insurance covers not one dime of orthodontia. We utilize our FSA when we can. I feel fortunate in finding an orthodontist we trust. I knew his parents while I was growing up and showed horses with his sister. His office is downstairs from our dentist's. Paying the orthodontist is a piece of cake compared to the oral surgeon.:tongue_smilie:

 

Be sure to get recommendations from people you trust and who have had at least one child satisfactorily finish their treatment.

 

Yes, we also had the sequential not concurrent plan.

[Mom0012]

Can you get dental insurance before you do the braces? Our plan will pay $2000 of the cost. Also, I have been saving for the deposit and as much beyond that as I can before we get the braces. Then, depending on what the orthodontist's interest rate is for her payment plan, we will either finish off paying that way or put the rest on our line of credit and then pay it down as quickly as we can. Have you been to an orthodontist for a quote and a timeline yet?

 

Lisa

[plansrme]

Flexible spending account. I had $5,000 withheld from my pay over the course of a year, pre-tax, and I paid for braces in full in March of the following year. I could have gotten the full $5000 reimbursement at any time in the year in which the money was being withheld; I just procrastinated in making the appointment to get the braces on. To make this work, you have to know, before the year starts, that braces are going on in the next year or, if your plan has a grace period, by March 15 of the following year.

 

Terri

[Donna]

My husband sold his fishing boat.

[The Girls' Mom]

Through the nose..lol.

 

My twins are getting braces next week. There went getting our car replaced. :glare:

[Kari C in SC]

We refinanced our house and pulled money out of that. I will say we did not only refinance for braces. We refinanced because it was a much better deal for us and then made the decision to pull extra money out for the braces at the same time.

[Gratia271]

I am going to ahve three with them at the same time.

 

I'm thinking that I may have to sell my soul.

 

Back when I had braces, my history teacher remarked that they were a status symbol and I understood it in the way that a teenager living at home only could. Now I *totally* get it.

 

We have two right now, one who will be having braces put on in May and the other starting down the same path oldest began three years ago with a palate expander etc.... Poor children inherited my small jaw line and their father's gorgeous big teeth, so there is NO room for permanent teeth without a palate expander, bionator and then braces. It is outrageously expensive, but I cannot stomach subjecting my son to multiple painful extractions.

 

The real kicker for me right now is the fact that my husband may have to relocate in which case we would have to pay someone else all over again. I guess we won't move with him until eldest is out of braces.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

We have the no-interest payment plan offered through our orthodontist. We have a 24 month plan(the longest possible offered by our ortho) and our payments are much higher than $150 a month. Our insurance offers a $1000 lifetime benefit and they have been sending us a check for the past few months. That benefit is about to run out though, so we have to try to find the money to make up the difference. At present we are planning on selling DD's car which will save us insurance, repair and fuel costs. It means DD and I will share a car (again) and I am experiencing a little anxiety about it (time conflicts, lack of freedom, etc) but it is necessary.

 

The amount you pay per month depends on the amount of work needed to correct the teeth (i.e. bite plate, jaw spreading, etc) as well as how long you are able to finance. DS's teeth are corredcting much faster than the ortho anticipated and the braces may come off sooner than expected. I happily (naively?) asked if the bill would be reduced since DS won't be needing the extra visits and care. Um....not happening.

 

We actually had DS's braces applied when we did so that ortho care would be complete by the time he goes to IMSA in 2012. We were told that it would be difficult to find an ortho who would do the final treatments for DS and commuting back home for a weekday appt is impossible (3 hour one way drive).

 

Hope this helps.

[Mejane]

Most orthos let you pay down and monthly. You could also look into carecredit.com which allows you to pay over time.

 

http://www.carecredit.com/

Edited April 25, 2011 by Mejane

[Pretty in Pink]

We paid in up front, in full, by using part of our income tax return. We saved over 1000.00 this way.

[Swirl]

My husband sold his fishing boat.

 

:) This is how my Daddy paid for things like this when I was a kid. They were funded by the selling of either a gun or boat.

[sheryl]

We're in the braces phase. We have limited funds as well...they offered a monthly payment plan.

 

Can you have a yard sale? Sell homeschool books that you are retiring and clothes and/or household items?

[TravelingChris]

We had dental insurance but since dd has spent half of her life in braces, it only covered a bit of it. We have spent over 5k ourselves (2 years free with military in Europe, two and a half years half with portion paid by insurance, another 2.5 years total self pay). We could not have done it without payment plans since we were also paying college costs of over 10k a year for another kid.

[MamaT]

We have always used the orthodontist's payment plan. We ALWAYS have someone in braces. We will have paid for seven sets of braces by the time we are finished (one dc had to have them twice - bite problem). It is just part of our monthly expenses - forever, it seems like.