Anonymous wrote:I think part of the answer lies in OP's question itself. She's asking how families of TEENS are affording braces.

As another PP pointed out, best practice is now to have the orthodonia completed before a child hits that age. Third through fifth grades, mostly.

So, these families are saving until their children are older than the ideal, because they DON'T just have $3K sitting around. It took them a while to save enough to pay. Hence the beater cars, etc.

Uh, we are high income & our orthodontist would not touch my child’s mouth until they were almost 13. It is very context delendent.

I’m low-income. My 15yo DD has braces because her jaw is so messed up that if she doesn’t get braces now she will need surgery by the time she’s 21. It’s not for cosmetic reasons. I am on a payment plan and my ex pays half.

I think the answer is that nobody can afford it. It's a huge financial pain.

Also, ever go to Disney? Almost none of the people there can "afford it".

We're a country that loves debt.

Maybe the low-income parents are better at managing what money they have than you are at managing the money you have? Maybe they're more willing to cut back on all non-essentials and drive a 15-year-old beater car to make it happen?

Anonymous wrote:Medicaid pays for it.

I personally know lots of children who Medicaid paid for their braces. They have been paying for braces for many years for children.

Medicaid pays for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Wow. Just wow. I hope you are not a parent on my team. Your entitlement ...

There is no entitlement in the OP's question. Just curiosity. I've often wondered the same thing myself. Personally I think this kind of stuff should be covered by medicaid, otherwise how would anyone struggling afford braces?

It’s only covered if they are medically necessary not just cosmetic.

Anonymous wrote:They pay for it before retirement, 529, etc. - the other places you are putting your money.

Are you saying people choose to put away money for retirement before they take care of their children’s needs? Bad decision.

Plus I’m not sure how OP knows what income anyone is. Ops daughter is no different than the other kids at the program.

I'm a teacher and a single parent. I think I paid for it mostly on a credit card. I got a zero interest card and paid for most of it before the zero interest time period ended.

Anonymous wrote:MEDICARE

I don't see a lot of folks age 65 and up with braces...

I have pediatric orthodontic coverage and it's been $100 a month for the past 2 years. Unable to pay upfront because insurance doesn't work that way. I believe it was like $2500 total. I didn't get braces as a kid, parents chose to vacation instead.

For my adult braces, they are 5k out of pocket. Combined, about $300/month. It's less than my car payment.

Braces are all about priorities. It's not just about pretty teeth, it's about oral health. Yes, it's expensive, but I'm now dealing with poor oral health due to crowding, jaw issues and now TMJ. Had my parents spent the 5k in the 90s, I wouldn't have spent 5k on dental work, had years or pain and now look like a goof as an adult.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:priorities. just like you, they put their kids first. I bet they aren't living in a house as nice as yours.

No. They are getting it for free from system, not through smart frugal parents. Good for poor kids but not good for struggling middle class kids. Both deserve it.

Free braces are not a thing nor is an amorphous system that gives poor people things you don't think they should have

Anonymous wrote:Everyone doesn't need braces, perfect looking teeth shouldn't be the aim. That would burden healthcare system, only people needing it for health reasons should receive it for free.

If aesthetics limit people's employment potential (and sadly, I think that's true), it might actually be cost-effective for it to be publicly-subsidized. Keep that in mind. Also there's probably no stable consensus on medically necessary orthodontia except in extreme circumstances. I favor my tax dollars paying for poor kids' orthodontia. It is part of middle class preventive medicine. Why design a system of support that keeps normal care off limits to poor children?

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.

If you have decent careers, have you looked carefully at your spending? I find that there are many costs that can be avoided in order to save for orthodontia.

Anonymous wrote:priorities. just like you, they put their kids first. I bet they aren't living in a house as nice as yours.

No. They are getting it for free from system, not through smart frugal parents. Good for poor kids but not good for struggling middle class kids. Both deserve it.