Oh Lordy!

[HeatherPrins]

Middle child just came back from her orthodontist appointment and we were told that her braces will cost a whopping $7000!!! They have gone up $2000 in price in 3.5 years! We can pay $350/month for 2 years. Ugh.

[esther_a]

Yes, my daughter's braces cost about the same. And last week she went for a checkup and cost us another $1,200 in fillings. It was an awful shock!

[HeatherPrins]

our insurance has no braces coverage either, rats!

[Jen D]

Oh boy... not looking forward to that!

[dugarner]

Wow, I don't get that! My daughter has the second-worst mouth her orthodontist has seen in 20 years of practice. She had a top and bottom RME, two bionators, two sets of braces, and a retainer for $3400. I think maybe he gave us a good deal because she's having so much work done. We love his work, she looks amazing---she actually had a birth defect that caused a problem with her jaw structure. The work he's done has completely changed the shape of her face from her nose down.

Sorry to hear about this! Our son will need braces in several years, I hope they don't go up again!

[anke]

I paid about half of that!!! Did you check around? That sounds like an awful lot of money to me, it's ridiculous!!!

[HeatherPrins]

I did. i phoned 4 other places in different areas near me and they are all the same. Sheesh its a crazy amount of money!

[FlowerGirl]

Two of my boys are getting braces soon... I know one of them is going to be around $4600 and that includes one of those crazy piston spring pieces to hold his jaw together in the back. I think even that is completely outrageous.

Slightly off topic: I went to pick up a prescription yesterday for a skin cream -- $170!!! I told them to put it back on the shelf!

[Crystal]

oh no!!! That's seriously craziness!!! I am pretty sure that my oldest is going to need them. I guess I better start saving now..

[anxela]

That really is a crazy amount of money. Sometimes I wish I had followed my heart when I was young and started studying to be a dentist.

[dugarner]

I was surprised how cheap ours seemed to be---we have friends who use the same ortho who are getting far fewer appliances and are paying twice the price. But when you consider that we have x-rays, lab fees (all the appliances are hand-made there in the lab at a cost of about $375 each), and we go every six weeks for four years, it winds up not being so unreasonable. I know Americans get guff about our obsession with perfect teeth. I don't want Bailey's teeth to be perfect (mine are crooked and they're not bright white, either!), but hers was a health issue. She had serious bone problems and she was going to have almost half of her teeth pulled unless they spread out her palate.

So to those who have kiddos who need orthodontia, it's been a huge financial sacrifice for us, but I think entirely and completely worth it. And I love how they give you a payment, and that's it---no unexpected extras, and you're done in two years. (Unless we break an appliance and it can't be fixed.) We'll be done paying in October of this year even though her treatment will continue for another two years.

[TU_Jenn]

Wow - i so hope that my 5yo at least gets that straight part of my teeth (so no braces) but the general health (better enamel, etc.) of daddy's --- because I'm definitely not wanting to do this in the future! Can you do part this year and then do a pre-tax deduction next year maybe? At least get some benefit (besides nice, wonderfully straight teeth)?

[HeatherPrins]

sadly no they all go on at once.

[MIDA78466]

haven't bought braces in a few years. Totally worth it though. At one time, we had 4 kids in braces at the same time. We were broke!

[cheska99]

The other day I man I know, whose wife is a mortgage broker and therefore gets to find out what lots of people make, told me that dentists are the top money makers of everyone she deals with. This may or may not be true, of course, but after my husband announced that he was told he needs a deep cleaning to the tune of $1,000!!!, I'm ready to believe it.