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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I grew up in a blue collar household where money was very tight.  My parents stretched every penny in the grocery budget, our house was shabby, one older car, and maybe one new school outfit every year, the rest being hand-me-downs from cousins, etc.  The family income was just enough for no assistance from the state or federal government.  Yet both my sibling and I had braces  through middle school.  My parents considered it a necessity.  They used part of their meager savings for it, and it was the only thing they went into a little debt for.

I'm enormously grateful.  My sib and I would have looked like beavers with our giant overbites.  All you can see in our elementary school pictures are giant teeth set in tiny mouths.  Both my parents grew up extremely poor, and had a lot of dental problems (and pain) stemming from childhood poverty, so I think that is a lot of the reason they made sure dental care was something we couldn't cut back on.

My point is, you never know how families might be budgeting to pay for braces; I don't think you can assume they are getting them for free.  [/quote]

This is basically me too. Luckily my sister didn't need them but we certainly shopped around for a good deal and got a payment plan. In my case it kind of was a necessity, I had baby teeth that we're not getting loose, the teeth above we're moving and crowding the roots, starting to cause discomfort. If they hadn't  been able to swing it I would have a very effed up set of teeth, which sadly some just have to deal with.

Also, remember that some "lower income" folks work the kinds of jobs that arent  salaried. Which sometimes actually means that you can hustle your way into extra money with more hours or shifts with some luck. My mom did this[/quote]

I was solidly middle class, BUT the child of a single mom.  Braces were not an option.  My mom also has lingering teeth issues from growing up poor - she is 70 and has had health and dental insurance since she was 18 years old.  Growing up without dental care basically overruled the next 52 years.  My dad didn't pay for ANYTHING outside of what they agreed on between the two of them for child support, but faithfully paid his every other month ortho bill.

So, OP - basically you just never know.  Grandma or someone else could be chipping in.  If you are salty, look for room in your budget.  Or get a higher paying job.  Or know that you can't go to the ortho charging top dollar (like the one in NW.  To that poster - you know you can go somewhere else, right?  Sometimes more expensive just means he needs to pay his NW rent).[/quote]

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