How do so many lower income families afford braces for their teens?

[Anonymous]

The poster who said poorer people are getting bad braces. You make up shit like this all the time. We are not living in a divided state you nut job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old DS has invisalign for $7000 over 18 months
In 1980 my parents paid $3000 for me to have train tracks over 24 months.

Given the number of years between these two encounters and that $3000 in 1980 money is now worth almost $9000 in today's money, I'd say this was exactly as expected.

My DD is getting Invisalign next week. She'll wear for about 18 mos. We have insurance that covers some of the cost. Our out of pocket is about $3000. This includes a follow-up retainer. Not sure how you're being charged $7,000.

[Anonymous]

We've spent about $10k out of pocket for ortho for our kids. We don't eat out, we don't save for college and we've put zero into retirement over the past 5 years.

[Anonymous]

My braces are $168 per month. Our hhi is 104k. I don't think anyone is putting braces on credit cards OP. Mind your own business.

[Anonymous]

Our orthodontist and dentist do pro bono weekly. Also I bet there are predatory lenders for others. Also how do you know they’re low income?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My braces are $168 per month. Our hhi is 104k. I don't think anyone is putting braces on credit cards OP. Mind your own business.

Teacher and single parent here. Some months are tighter than others so sometimes I put the payments on a credit card.

[Anonymous]

Op ask for payment plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a two parent house, college educated, decent careers. Even with supposed good insurance we really struggled to pay for braces for our two oldest. My youngest daughter plays on a cheap YMCA sports league and it seems basically every lower income teen her age has braces. Meanwhile we’re still saving $ to put her in braces. Where do they all find the $ for orthodontia? I’m at a loss as to how this is possible.

There is no government or non-profits handing out braces. It is so important. So families find a way to pay.

[Anonymous]

My ds had braces done at a local university dental school. It was about half the cost of a regular dentist, and with my limited insurance benefit, cost $1600 (4 years ago).

The student orthodontist was excellent and supervised by a staff of professors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:They probably get it for “free” (#yourepayingforit).

Okay, how? I don’t want to pay another $7k.

The same way they qualify for their food stamps. They don’t work.

Many people on food stamps actually work minimum wage jobs. Maybe if states raised their minimum wages more people could get off food stamps. That was a novel idea floated by a wealthy R in CA.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap

Raising min wage will only make braces (among other things) more expensive for the rest of us.

Op this is just another example of how the middle class loses. We make too much to qualify for assistance yet too little to easily afford things like braces.

+1
I think this is where OP is coming from. My family is middle class and in this area that does not add up to much. It is tough to work hard, try to save, sacrifice many things and all those things that add up to "following the rules" yet you constantly see people richer getting more and people poorer being given assistance or opportunities that are not available to those who are fine overall but definitely struggle.

+100

[Anonymous]

I dont thibk poor people do get braces. Like real poor people not DCUM poor. My husband certainly didn't. There is a reason people canp oit for days for free dental care. Dental care is a luxury many low income folks can not afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a two parent house, college educated, decent careers. Even with supposed good insurance we really struggled to pay for braces for our two oldest. My youngest daughter plays on a cheap YMCA sports league and it seems basically every lower income teen her age has braces. Meanwhile we’re still saving $ to put her in braces. Where do they all find the $ for orthodontia? I’m at a loss as to how this is possible.

Unless you have been asked by them to pay then it is none of your effing business.

[Anonymous]

Stage 1 of braces for DD was $3k before insurance and less than $1500 after insurance. The orthodontist offered multiple payment options.

[Anonymous]

Poor person here. Insurance paid $2,500 and we paid the remaining $3,000 in monthly payments. It was a stretch there for a little while, but we got it paid off.

[Anonymous]

Braces for my daughter were $5,500. Insurance covered $1,500. Paid the rest monthly for 18 months, no interest. Most orthos we saw offered no interest payment plans.