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

Forum Index » Tweens and Teens

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No one has mentioned payment plans. We put down a deposit, then pay $62 a month. [/quote]

We are middle class and gearing up for braces and this is our plan. I *just* finished paying off my student loans so the money for braces is coming from the money that was previously allocated for that. Also we are shopping around to see who will offer the best combination of convenience and financial plan.

I actually struggle to understand how OP is really struggling to afford braces if they are truly UMC. We live in DC on an income of 150k -- we aren't poor but we are far from rich. And while I'm not thrilled by the expense of braces, it doesn't feel like some insurmountable burden. It's a trade off. If we weren't doing braces, the money would either go into savings or purchase something practical like a cargo e-bike or some household stuff that is getting old. We value the braces more because our kid's teeth are very crooked and she feels self-conscious about them, and this is something we can do that will help her for the rest of her life. Yes, it's vanity, but confidence and appearance matter in our culture. We know we will not be able to buy her the best of everything (we budget for clothes, she's in public, we take modest vacations, etc.), but with just a little planning we can get her a smile she feels good about.

I struggle to understand why a family with twice our income would find this so difficult. Can't you just cut back on dining out or take a few less extravagant vacations for the next few years? [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics