Can't afford braces for daughter, will a delay in treatment matter?!
Question: We have been told that my youngest daughter (she is 8) needs braces and they want to start them soon, by putting in a pallet streacher. We don't have orthodontics on our dental plan and we can't afford the 6,000-8,000. I told the dentist that and he basically implied that if we don't fix her teeth now then be prepared for her to have issues with teasing as she gets older. Then he said "I would hate to see her go through that because your feel you can't afford it. Some things you really can't put a price on.". I felt awful when I left but we really just don't have that kind of money right now. If we wait until she is older, we might be able to get better insurance and/or save the money. Do you think that waiting a few years will make that much difference?
Answers: We have been told that my youngest daughter (she is 8) needs braces and they want to start them soon, by putting in a pallet streacher. We don't have orthodontics on our dental plan and we can't afford the 6,000-8,000. I told the dentist that and he basically implied that if we don't fix her teeth now then be prepared for her to have issues with teasing as she gets older. Then he said "I would hate to see her go through that because your feel you can't afford it. Some things you really can't put a price on.". I felt awful when I left but we really just don't have that kind of money right now. If we wait until she is older, we might be able to get better insurance and/or save the money. Do you think that waiting a few years will make that much difference?
I don't think the delay will do anything. I have a lot of friends who never had braces and they never got teased. I feel like the dentist is trying to push you into it. Maybe you can get a second opinion from another dentist? My parents did that for me, the dentist we had was saying I needed braces before most of my teeth had even come in. My parents took me to another dentist (who we still have to this day) and she said only time would tell. I never wore braces and I have perfect teeth. I'm not trying to brag, I guess I'm just trying to say that you never know, she may never need them. Besides, braces are pretty much only for aesthetic reasons, your daughter chances are will not suffer any health problems from not having braces. I hope this helps.
My aunt (50+) got braces a while ago. The delay, in my opinion shouldn't hurt.
An orthodontist can help you with your decision.
As an alternative, there may be some payment options too... Might be affordable that way...
Her teeth aren't even finished being replaced with adult teeth yet. If she has orthodontics now, she might need them again later.
Normally, braces are used when the child is a teenager.
Your dentist is being unethical by trying to put you on a guilt trip. I'd find another dentist and tell this one why you switched.
I hate when they make you feel guilty. My daughter didn't finish losing her baby teeth until 10th grade. She got her braces at 16 and had them off in two and a half years.
My brother is 51 and just got braces. We couldn't afford them either. My grandmother passed away and left us the money to get my daughter the braces. Age 8 is awful young for braces.
Get a second and third opinion. Prices also are very different between dentist so shop around and talk to other parents. Most all dentist have payment plans. Check with your work if you can ad dental insurance. Sometimes you only have to wait 3 month before the insurance kicks in. For us it was worth it because we knew we needed major dental work done. For most with just minor things it does not pay to get it. It sounds like you could really use it.
From what you describe her mouth is not shaped right and might be to narrow. This could be the reason they want to give her the braces. I believe that is how they treat things like overbites.
if she is 8 years old, she can probably wait a little while unless her teeth are really bad. but don't wait too long. the best time is during adolescence. after that, her bones will stop growing and it will be harder on her, plus everyone has braces when they are teenagers so she'll feel better about it.
I'm 29 and just got braces so the delay won't hurt but it will hurt her self esteem if she is teased. I would try to get them as soon as you can because high school can be grueling. My eye teeth were sticking out farther than the rest so it looked like I had fangs. It really did a number on my self confidence and I was in a few bad relationships when I was younger because I felt like I couldn't get the "cute or good guy". I never smiled or covered my mouth when I smiled, my senior pictures are all with a closed mouth, no smile. My parents couldn't afford them either and as I got older I just kept putting them off. I'm so glad I went through with it, it just would've made my teen years alot easier for me if I would've had nice straight teeth. Try to get on a payment plan, that's what I am doing and it is definitely worth every penny.
If you're uncomfortable with the answer your dentist gave you, you can always get a second opinion, but he is making a valid point. I'm sure that your dentist was just trying to explain the importance of starting ortho treatment in a way you could appreciate.
Now on to ortho...there is a big difference between pedo and adult ortho. Adult ortho takes a lot longer and is not always as successful as ortho that's started on children. Also, in your daughter's case where you're talking about placing a palatal expander, this is something that is most successful on children, so there is a lot of importance placed on the timing of treatment. It is recommend children be referred to ortho as soon as dentists notice that there are problems arising with spacing, crowing, impactions, etc., so now that problems have been detected, steps should be made to have those problems corrected. If you let your daughter go too long without ortho treatment, periodontal issues might arise as well, because it is very difficult to clean crowded areas. Don't think that you have to pay for ortho all at once, ask your orthodontist about payment plans as most practices have financing options.
Good luck!