Guest post from Marie
At nearly 14, my son’s last baby tooth had finally fallen — I was filled with elation but also dread. We always knew he would need braces (we’re talking major orthodontic help) as he was born with a snaggle of slow-growing teeth and was missing an adult canine tooth.
It’s a genetic trait several family members share, and they have all ended up with partial dentures as adults.
Fortunately for my son, dental implants are now the norm, but they start at about $3,000 per tooth. How was I, a divorced mom, going to pay to straighten out what was there, and plan for what will come?
Saving Up
I started putting away $10 a week since my boy was 10, giving me more than $1500 so far. Working for a coupon company, I cut every corner I could and put any excess into braces and college funds. My work insurance also paid a portion of orthodontics.
By January of this year I’d saved up $2,000; but braces tend to run $3,500 and up in my area, and he’d need more than the norm. He’s a good-looking kid but refused to smile and it broke my heart. It would only get worse as he entered his teen years. I had to do something.
Seizing a Deal
The answer came unexpectedly a few weeks ago when I attended a fund-raiser for a new magnet middle school. I went as a favor to a friend who was selling her jewelry in a booth. I was surprised by the number of handicrafts and silent auction items.
I promised myself I’d steer clear of beauty products and artisan clothing – wants instead of needs – and then I came upon the most unusual “deal” I’d ever seen: $3,700 worth of metal braces from an orthodontist whose son attended the fledgling school.
Doing My Research
A deal like this would not be worth it if the orthodontist had a bad reputation. A quick survey of attendees who knew him and a Google search on my phone showed he was a respected professional with no complaints filed against him. I had to do this. The opening bid was $500. I held my breath and bid the next allowable amount: $550 — and I won!
A Deal Waiting for Me
Sometimes you have to spend money to save money, whether it’s grocery stockpiling or buying in bulk or a pre-sale price. This fell into the latter category for me. Even if the $3,700 didn’t cover all the work he needed, it would lighten the load.
When the initial appointment time came around, I was nervous. What if my son needed so much work my $3,700 and insurance would be just a drop in the bucket? I did not want to use credit with a high interest rate to pay it off.
A Pleasant Surprise
It turned out the orthodontist, a kind man, works with families with small budgets and even works on a sliding scale with families receiving public assistance. I didn’t fall into that category but he agreed to honor the auction deal. My son gets a full set of braces next month and all adjustments until the work it done.
Planning Ahead
Yes, he will need a retainer with a false tooth until he is old enough to get the implant, and that step of the journey will run at least $5,000. Insurance will pay part of that, if I have the same coverage in five years. To be safe, I will continue to save and should be able to afford it, and my son will be able to afford to smile again.
Marie Hickman is a TV journalist turned savings writer. She and her son live a fun, frugal life in Palm Harbor, Florida. Follow her on Twitter at @MrsHickman777.
Amy @ DebtGal says
What a great story – thank you for sharing!
Brooke says
That is awesome! Happy for you and your son!
Ashley says
My husband just got some basic dental work done in Costa Rica for a fraction of the cost here (including travel costs). I never thought we would be leaving the country to get medical/dental care done (it sounded like it would be very unaffordable, but it wasn’t at all). My husband was very impressed with the dentist and found out that crowns there cost about 10% of the cost here in the US. They also do dental implants. It might be worth researching, especially if you could do a family vacation/dental implants for less than the cost of the dental implants in the US.
Marie Hickman says
Medical tourism is big right now, isn’t it? That is another great money-saving idea for some people … if you do your research! 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
HoosierMom says
What a neat story of God’s provision for you! He has all the resources of the universe at His disposal, and He uses the most creative ways to take care of His people.
Stacia says
I work at a dental lab and the markup on dental appliances is about 1000%! Trust me, I know how much it costs to manufacture crowns, implants, removable appliances, dentures, etc. If you knew someone who owned their own small lab and you could get the bite registration and impressions, it could be done cheaper. Failing that, I would definitely look into a nearby dental school. I would check NOW because their waiting list could be very long and it might be worth it to get an appointment early. My mom used dental school for me as a child and they did great work!
Marie Hickman says
That is a terrific idea, Stacia. I will definitely check into it! 🙂
Michelle says
As the oldest of 4 children of whom 3 needed braces….I am SO thankful my parents scarified to give me braces. To this day I am so grateful. My teeth were in bad shape talking 3-4 years with them on, night brace you name it. And now our oldest is needing to start hers next year…she is missing adult teeth, has crowing issues top and bottom, ect. So yes looking at a large expense, however it won’t be one we regret. All of our children will probably need them, but to us it is totally worth the investment! And I agree you do need to get a few opinions b4 making a decision on orthodontic work. A lot seem to just want to get your money, but their are those that care about what’s best for each patient. 🙂
M. says
Awesome deal an a blessing that nobody else bid up the auction. To anyone saying that they don’t have the money. This is something you will never regret spending money on. We had to pay $3,000 (no insurance coverage) for 14 months of treatment. Most places will accept monthly payments as low as $100 per month.
marie hickman says
I have several friends who are doing the payment route. I could have done that too but was concerned about the long term interest rate. I do think it is such a worthwhile investment for many although not all children. God indeed led me to this wonderful dentist.
Traci says
Ours are payments and zero interest
marie hickman says
That is awesome! 🙂
Marie Hickman says
I have Care Credit, which I use for my own (not great) teeth and it’s interest-free if you pay within a certain time frame, but then the interest rate skyrockets. A viable solution, IMO, but this deal was just too good to pass up. Glad you liked my story and I thank Crystal for letting me share it!
Kristen says
When I had braces 15 years ago, they were not allowed to charge interest for the payment plan. Not sure why – maybe something to do with medical profession? Anyway, what my orthodontist did instead was offer a discount if you payed in full up front. Just something else to ask about.
Anne-Marie says
What a wonderful story! Bless that kind orthodontist. I just came on to second the idea of searching out a dental school that trains orthodontists as an option for others. That’s how I got my braces as a teen in the early 1980s!
Jessica says
Wow. I have major dental issues – cross bite, multiple extractions, crowns, root canals, TMJ and sinus problems that make upper implants impossible. I’ve been told I need this, that and the other to stop all the pain I have… 🙁 dental problems like mine run in the family too. I also did not take good care of my teeth as a kid, teen or very young adult. I have been for the past 15 years though, but the past was enough to do a lifetime of damage.
My husband had head gear as a kid, and still has a wire in his mouth, but he has a great smile now. I know our kids will need braces given their genetics! So, instead of throwing them huge birthday parties and instead of getting them over the top gifts, I put $50 in a savings account each birthday and another $50 each Christmas. My oldest kid is 8 1/2 and her savings account has $1,000 now (the extra is gifts from family that I socked away). My almost 5 year old has $600 and my 2 year old has almost $300. Our insurance would pay a portion, and my hope is that whatever we have saved up, would pay the rest!
Crystal says
Super awesome story! Way to go! On a little bit of a side note, do some shopping around for the implant. A friend of mine has the same genetic problem of missing the canines and had to go through the implant route with her kids. She was able to find a well reputed dentist who does high quality implants for about 1/3 the cost of most other dentists. Finding the right person is half the battle, but can save you a TON of money! Good luck!
Laura says
Would you be willing to pass along the name of the orthodontist? I’m in Pinellas county, too, and I have a precious disabled friend who would really benefit from working with a professional who offers a sliding scale for payments.
marie hickman says
Dr. Butchart
Laura says
Thanks! 🙂
Brittany says
I know that UNC- chapel hill offers orthodontic services through their college program for a fraction of the cost. It’s supervised orthodontic students – I’m sure other universities with those programs do something similar as well.
Laineykins says
Wish mine ran as cheap as yours do. I checked two different orthodontists in my area and they were around $6000+. My daughter will just have to wait until she is older and can get her own dental insurance. Ours doesn’t pay any and I would have to pay all of it out of pocket. that’s a lot of money and have better things to spend the money on. Her teeth aren’t that bad. She has a gap in them and she doesn’t like it. For that kind of money, she will have to tolerate it. 🙂
scater says
This post is miss leading, making people think that in some way they can do this. But you want, unless other people are lucky enough to find an auction like this in their area. You didn’t do anything special, you got lucky.
Debra C says
Yes, technically, she got lucky. But she won with the minimum bid possible. How many people walked past that auction item and thought $550 was too much? How many people wouldn’t have even attempted to get that deal because the work their child needed was too far in the future or they already had plans to do it somewhere else?
She may have gotten lucky, but I think there’s also a lesson in there about seizing opportunities when they come (and waiting for opportunities when you need something big).
traci says
awesome and great way to do it! All braces here run at least 4700-4800 per set…..even with cash…
marie hickman says
It could have been a lot more but the ortho agreed to honor the auction price. Big-hearted man.always a treasure to find a healthcare professional who understands the pressures families are under and isn’t simply profit-driven.
Jenni says
That’s a wonderful deal and such a God-given blessing. We just had to start our oldest on his first orthodontic work, and he’s only 7! His father had to have 3 sets of braces + jaw surgery + headgear, and they told us that putting in a spacer now would save our son a lot of grief later on. We had not saved up yet, though we do have extra in our emergency fund, but with insurance we only have to pay about $1800 (and isn’t it crazy that this is considered low? It’s not cheap!) I am grateful for an 18 month interest-free payment plan and am working on ways I could generate enough extra each month for the monthly payments so that we could not have to divert some of our student loan repayment money to his orthodontia.