Adult braces?

[Shyatic]

I've had a slight gap in my teeth for a long time -- and I went to a dentist who told me I'd have to get braces to fix it properly. So, I went to the orthodontist he recommended and well... they want to charge me like 6 grand.

Anyways, anybody have any advice with regards to this? My insurance doesn't cover braces, and I do want to get them... just not for 6 grand. How do you go about 'shopping around' for this kinda thing? The inherent problem is that the negotiated rate if you HAVE insurance for orthodontics is a lot cheaper than if you don't have coverage for it.

Appreciate any insight... I got my yearly bonus from work and that's what I want to get done... I don't mind how it looks as it will only be for 6-9 months (that's what the orthodontist told me). Also, how do I keep an eye out for the scam artist doctors?

Thanks!

 

[Ktulu]

6 grand for braces? Ouch!

Are they Invisalign?

 

[Theb]

Originally posted by: Scribe
Appreciate any insight... I got my yearly bonus from work and that's what I want to get done... I don't mind how it looks as it will only be for 6-9 months (that's what the orthodontist told me).

He's almost certainly lying about this. I've never heard of a case where the orthodontist was honest about how long it would take.

 

[Shyatic]

Originally posted by: Ktulu
6 grand for braces? Ouch!

Are they Invisalign?

No, just regular braces (the small kind, not the terminator teeth kind)

 

[mobiblu]

My teeth are so bad. I wanted to get them done. It pain to just of the cost.

 

[mrrman]

I went through ther same thing for my son...Its $6k...my work covers only $1k of it....they take payements to so that eases the burden. Invisalign may cost more as I asked about that to...I guess it all depends on how your teeth looks

 

[mrrman]

Originally posted by: Theb

Originally posted by: Scribe
Appreciate any insight... I got my yearly bonus from work and that's what I want to get done... I don't mind how it looks as it will only be for 6-9 months (that's what the orthodontist told me).

He's almost certainly lying about this. I've never heard of a case where the orthodontist was honest about how long it would take.

I was told 2 years to 2 1/2 years for it to be done

 

[arcas]

If you know in advance that you're going to have an expensive medical procedure done that's not covered by your insurance plan, you should check to see if your employer offers a flexible health spending account that lets you accrue money tax-free throughout the year. Since the account is tax-exempt, it effectively cuts the price of the procedure by whatever % your federal tax bracket is (25% most likely). A couple coworkers have used this to pay for LASIK.

Do read the fine print of your policy, though. My employer offers two similar-sounding options for this: A health savings account and a health spending account. Both take tax-exempt contributions but the first one is limited to around $2500/year (I think) and allows you to carry over any balance to the next year while the second one is limited to around $5k/year but does not carry over (you forfeit whatever remains in the account after dec 31). There are some other differences that I don't recall offhand. Like I said, compare the plans carefully.

 

[Theb]

Originally posted by: mrrman

Originally posted by: Theb

Originally posted by: Scribe
Appreciate any insight... I got my yearly bonus from work and that's what I want to get done... I don't mind how it looks as it will only be for 6-9 months (that's what the orthodontist told me).

He's almost certainly lying about this. I've never heard of a case where the orthodontist was honest about how long it would take.

I was told 2 years to 2 1/2 years for it to be done

2 years is what they usually say. It's an outright lie.