How are you paying for your braces?

Message

#1 Post by **MsViola** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:18 pm

It seems that one of the major things that keep people from getting braces is [b]MONEY[/b]. By the time you add in all the work that has to be done before you get them and work done after you get them it can add up to quite a bit. How am I going to pay for them? I am sure there are a lot of interesting stories to be told about how the money was obtained.

My story:

1)
I used my Christmas bonus + some savings to make the 25% down payment and will make monthly payments directly to the Orthodontist.

2)
I was blessed that our dental insurance switched to a new company that covers $1500.00 for adult orthodontics ( so they say) with no waiting period.

3)
I will teach a session of summer school and play some extra gigs to pay the remainder of what I owe on the braces and pay for the removal of 4 wisdom teeth, 2 pre-molars (still not sure I am going to do this) and replace 2 crowns.

If all works out I will be making payments of $115 - $125 per month for the next 20 months.

Now that I think about it 24-30 months doesn't sound so bad

#2 Post by **Lisa65** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:33 pm

I have no dental insurance and am paying the fee in 12 monthly instalments out of my own pocket. i've just paid the 6th one so I'm halfway there lol

#3 Post by **TheSarahMonster** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:41 pm

My dental insurance covered $1500 of it. I put 30% of the remaing balance down, and I'm paying the rest by 20 installments of 95$.....

#4 Post by **SDFD TSchott** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:08 pm

I put down 25% and I pay monthly payments of 125 a month. My insurance will be covering 50% of the total cost meaning that I only have another $500 dollars left to pay!

SDFD TSchott
(~Tim~)

#5 Post by **turrrtlelove22** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:22 pm

All cash...*sigh* out of my own pocket...*sigh*...donations anyone...LOL...jk...The weird thing is at my orthodontist...no one pays over a certain amount...I just noticed that...hmmm

#6 Post by **Kodius Champion** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:33 pm

As everything's coming out of my own pocket, I'm draining a savings account and I've sold some stock options.

$1500 down payment and $286.96/month for 23 months.

#7 Post by **lionfish** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:53 pm

I don't have dental insurance. I paid the lot up front and got a 5% discount. Here in Aussie if your medical and dental expenses exceed a threshold, you can claim a portion of the excess off tax. Which is what I did.

#8 Post by **MariaMetalMouth** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:57 pm

Thankfully my treatment is free on the NHS (I'm in the U.K), I was quite a bad case and luckily started treatment a month or so before I was 18, otherwise i'd have to pay.

#9 Post by **ShinySmile** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:24 pm

500.00 down payment, 1500.00 adult ortho insurance, 114.00/month for 15 months

#10 Post by **hd2755** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:33 pm

mine is 4750 now here is the breakdown.
2000 from home depot's dental coverage for adults.
2750 my portion
2750 comes to 600 down
and the rest at 100 dollar payments and thae last payment of 50.00
zero percent in house financing and after that he will report the braces "account" to the credit bureaus as payment in full loan satisfied.
helps me build more credit YES!

louis

#11 Post by **Tin Indian** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:41 pm

I paid $5000 for mine. $3500 which is my part and $1500 which the insurance kicks in. I pay $175 for the next 20mos.

#12 Post by **ellebee** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:58 pm

Total cost of $4200 (including $400 extra for the now-much-despised ceramics).

I paid $1250 out of last year's FSA money, of which I stood to lose about $1000 if I didn't use it.

My insurance will pay $1500 prorated over the course of the treatment time.

That leaves $1450 for me to figure out.

I'm inclined to pay as little as possible until the end of the year when I'll see where I stand FSA-wise. I halved my contribution this year, so I may not have as much to spare. It's always hard to predict FSA expenses.

Assuming I pay about half the remaing balance near the end of 2007, I will do the same thing in 2008. Which is about when I'll be done, worst case scenario.

I'm getting married in June 2008, and I'm really hoping to be unbraced (debraced? braceless?) by then.

Woohoo!

Elle

#13 Post by **SDFD TSchott** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:58 pm

hd2755 wrote:mine is 4750 now here is the breakdown.
2000 from home depot's dental coverage for adults.
2750 my portion
2750 comes to 600 down
and the rest at 100 dollar payments and thae last payment of 50.00
zero percent in house financing and after that he will report the braces "account" to the credit bureaus as payment in full loan satisfied.
helps me build more credit YES!

louis

Don't you just love that $2000 Home Depot paid for I just got confirmed that even though my treatment has started already that they will go ahead and pay for the coverage of $2000. So with that said I just looked over my last payment receipt and I only owe $375

SDFD TSchott
(~Tim~)

#14 Post by **MsViola** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:15 pm

Isn't it amazing how things work out at the right time and/or we figure out how to get what we really want. Two thumbs up for Home Depot insurance. Personally I was thrilled that I ended up with any insurance coverage.

#15 Post by **gracie381** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:38 pm

I applied through Capital One Dental, where you can choose how long you want to stretch out your payments and also pick your interest rate. I went with 3 years at 7% interest. My payment is $90 a month, but I've been paying $100.