Chelsea's Story.

[jensceana73]

Your ortho sounds about as talkative as mine. I wish that at the end of appointments they would ask you if you have any questions...or at the beginning...or during......Anyway your teeth are looking great!! Hope the pain gets better.

[Margie]

I just finished reading your story and your progress so far is amazing; I can't believe how quickly your teeth have moved!

At my last appointment my ortho didn't tell me what was happening either, I heard him say power chain so I knew I was getting one of those; but it wasn't until the end of the appointment when the assistant apologized for being so rough with my mouth that I found out I had a spring in there too! I don't know how I missed overhearing that part of the conversation!

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately I have bad news. As of right now I will no longer be a braceface. My next schduled adjustment visit is now being considered a removal appointment. I recieved a phone call from my mom while I was out with my friends (she was mad already at me for not coming home oops) and she let me know that I got a letter from my insurance company saying that I am no longer covered because Im 19 and that at the end of this month my insurance is ending. I was told that as long as I was in school I would have the insurance Im using until I was 21. Well, I guess I was wrong. I call my insurance company and they told me it wasnt their doing and to call this other office so I did and I was directed to 5 different places and each line noone picked up so I left messages on all their voicemails. I remember my ortho telling me if I was dropped from my insurance I would be responsible for the rest of the payments or my orthodontia treatment would be stopped immediately. Im upset to pieces. I mean Ive always wanted this. My parents cant and wont pay for my braces, I have no job, Im a full time college student for petes sakes. And if my braces are taken off my teeth will shift and possibly be worse than they were before. I wont get my retainers and Ill be left with a gappy, uneven smile. Just my luck yeah? Im facing some of the worst decisions in my entire life. I cant pay for my braces on my own. I have to have them removed if my insurance company bails on me. Ill find out more when I get my phone calls returned.

Maybe getting powerchains wasnt so bad. Ill just have an uneven, canineless left side, smile.

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

I was looking at reviews for my orthodontist and a lady posted this:

My 3 children has treatment at this office at the time I had medicaid because I am low income. half way through treatment we lost our coverage because my husband got a job and we made too much to keep the medicaid. But not enough money to pay for braces. I was not aware that medicaid paid for treatment over the course of 2 years and that I would be responsible for a any remaining balance if I lost medicaid coverage in mid treatment. I owe over a thousand dollars for each child and the orthodontist wont remove the braces unless I pay the full amount. My childs teeth are being damaged. I know we owe money but morally this is wrong. I recommend that you look for another orthodontist this office only cares about your money not the well being of your children.

Oh god. My orthodontist isnt going to remove them. I dont know what to do. Or where to go. Ugh I just want a beautiful smile. I cant believe this.

[alibracket]

Dont give yet. I know youve made a lot of calls and there may even be some options that the orthos office can suggest. So hang in there and if it helps, know you have a lot of people on this board supporting you.

Please dont give up!

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

Im trying to keep my head high. My parents never really supported the idea of braces. When I even mention the metal in my mouth to my Father he says it creeps him out. My mom said she never pays attention to other peoples smiles and that they shouldnt be a big deal to people. I dont know, they wont help me pay. Besides I owe them a lot of money anyway. Im not their favorite person at the moment.

Im hoping to get some calls back today, otherwise Ill just have to keep calling. Im worried about my exposure surgery. I really need this done. Canines are very important, and its time for my wisdoms to come out aswell.

Le sigh. Im keeping my fingers crossed.

[BracketRacket]

I forget where in the world you are, but do you have anything like Care Credit? It's a very low-interest credit card meant for medical (or even veterinary) use. Perhaps you can use that to pay for your braces and then pay if off little by little? Can you get a part-time job (maybe even through your school, then they really work hard to work around your class times/exams/breaks, etc.)? Work in the summer? I assume you're graduating sometime within the next few years, and this can possibly tide you over until then.

[Takako]

What do you mean your ortho won't take them off!? That's medically negligent!!

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

I suppose he just wont remove them until you start making payments again. :/

[shinyRiver]

You would be surprised the many reasons people stop paying their orthodontists. I dated a guy once whose dad didn't pay for his little brother's braces to be taken off- just because he didn't feel like it. As if the brackets would just pop off on their own. Retarded. Anyway, orthodontists cannot just keep treating people whose parents refuse to (or are unable to) pay. Those appointment times could be used to treat people who do pay, and people paying for braces keeps orthodontists and assistants employed and insured, and keeps the office well-stocked with all the latest gizmos to torture people with. BRACES ARE EXPENSIVE FOR A REASON! It's not just all the brackets and gadgets, it's the cost of dental school and orthodontic college and keeping the practice open. Nobody would want to go to a "cheap" ortho, anymore than anyone would want to go to a prison dentist. It would be so not good.

ANYWAY!

Chelsea, your insurance is giving you a bunch of BS for no reason. If you are a full-time college student, there is no reason for them to boot you off your parent's plan. Many of my friends were covered by their parent's plan the entire time they were in college. Is Cheyenne still on your parents' insurance? If so, make sure to tell them that your sister, who is exactly your age, is still covered and you are being told you're not. Because that would make no sense.

And I know how easy it is to jump to conclusions and assume that this is the end of your treatment, but don't. You've got a lot of unfortunate insurance company people to cuss out before it comes to that.

And finally, even if it turns out your insurance company doesn't cover you anymore, I know that the OSU college of dentistry has special plans that you can pay on (like Care Credit) and extremely low cost treatment plans. (My treatment was $3,300, and costs are lower for people who can prove financial need.)

I hope everything works itself out, but if it doesn't, I'm here to help in anyway I can!

[shinyRiver]

Also, I have met a TON of people at my (state) college who have braces and I always ask how long they've had braces and when they get debraced, and about have the people I talk to say "oh I dunno, I haven't been to the ortho in months, i owe him too much money". And it makes me mad cuz the girl I'm talking to is holding a legit Coach bag, or breaks off the conversation to answer her iPhone. People need to be responsible with their $. I know that for people who are serious about their treatment, there are ALWAYS options.

[shinyRiver]

Also, I have met a TON of people at my (state) college who have braces and I always ask how long they've had braces and when they get debraced, and about have the people I talk to say "oh I dunno, I haven't been to the ortho in months, i owe him too much money". And it makes me mad cuz the girl I'm talking to is holding a legit Coach bag, or breaks off the conversation to answer her SPAM SPAM SPAM. People need to be responsible with their $. I know that for people who are serious about their treatment, there are ALWAYS options.

Haha! You type i phone (one word) and it pops up "SPAM SPAM SPAM"!

iPhone I Phone i phone iPhone

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

Thanks River. I was actually going to ask you about the OSU unit, looks like Ill have to get a hold of them soon.

Cheyenne also recieved a letter saying the same thing. She wants braces also but I dont know if thats going to happen.

Its the weekend so I wont be getting any phone calls back until the week. The way I got my insurance was through my father, and now that im 19 it usually stops for then, but I was told as long as I was enrolled in school I would have it until I was 21 and I was doing research on the net about it and some states are 19, some are 21 for my insurance company. But when I called my insurance company they said they werent the ones dropping me which is the truth. I got my insurance through my Dad's lawyer, and theyre the ones that sent me the letter.

I guess I could do OSU with carecredit, but I have zero money. I owe my parents 1800 bucks as it is. They dont even want me in the house anymore, and clearly dont support my braces treatment. I have no job, no income, Im refered to as dependent on FAFSA but thats only because Ive never had previous job expierence. So insurance companies consider me dependent when I honestly do not get support from my parents for anything college, life, or anything in general. Im only under their roof at the moment because I would be homeless for 3 months. So hopefully OSU sees that I am financially unstable, and in need of assistance.

I dont know what to do.

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

As for the people who do not pay for no reason. Thats terrible. If my parents were supportive, Im sure they would make the minimum payments monthly but they do not support me. They never have, never will. When I go back to college, I can find a job and start making payments, but thats not for another few months, and Ive been trying to find a job here at home but to no avail. So Im basically screwed for the moment. If I had the money, I would be paying. I didnt think my insurance would give in. Otherwise I would have a plan. I wouldnt have started treatment if I knew this. I remember my mom checking and she said something about being 21 and something about me being school. Which I am enrolled in, and taking loans out my butt for! Ughhhh.

Id be so disappointed if my insurance doesnt pull through.

[shinyRiver]

I really really hope it comes out alright, and it was just a silly mistake!