My kids will need teeth braces, but I heard that the cost would be 3k+? How people pay for their kids braces normally? Can insurance cover some of the cost? Should I get insurance for the kids? any advice you could give would be much appreciated.
How to Afford Teeth Braces for Children
DigitalTeam on 29/01/2023 - 18:58
Comments
I got two quotes a while back - one from Derek Barwood and one from John Hodgson Orthodontist in Papatoetoe. John Hodgson was significantly cheaper.
It pays to call around and get prices. Of course they probably can't give you an exact price until they have you in the chair, which they'll charge you for.
Normally braces treatment last for years.. pay as you go
We are paying nearly 7000 over a 24 month instalment plan directly with the orthodontist
I had braces put on a few years ago when I lived in Malaysia. The dentist was a local who trained at Otago University and I was very happy with his work. It cost a fraction of what I would have paid in NZ.
I moved back to NZ before the treatment was done and got the impression that the local dentists didn't want my business as they couldn't make big bucks off of me as it was just regular adjustments by that stage.
Dentistry is rediculously expensive here.
North Shore Auckland, I had 3 kids with braces, all cost around $8000 each, with one costing more, last one finished 4 years ago. Our orthodontist didn't expect/want payment up front, he had interest free payment plans.
Keep in mind that for the 6 week checkups only takes about 5 mins, so not sure its worth travelling a great distance to save money over the nearly I think 3 years of treatment each one had.
Also be wary of dentists who do orthodontic work, one of ours had work done by one who was recommended by school dental nurse in primary school, all his treatment plan work had to be redone and ended up costing her a tooth and a lot more time and extra money. Good luck.
My dentist told me (wisely) to put $10 a week away when our kids were born specifically for braces. He suspected they will need them due to the size/shape of my wife and my mouth.
I decided to do $5 instead, but also top it off with any old toys and clothes they don't want. I have the money in some safer investments other than the bank and get that magical compounding interest. At 6 and 7 I have built up $3500 each. By the time braces are due we should be well over what it costs.
So if your kids are still young my advice is to start a specific "don't touch" investment to pay for it.
Great idea. What are safer than bank investments out of curiosity
I meant better rate of return, but as safe as the bank (IMO) Currently I am ploughing most into peer to peer lending via lending crowd.
the website for the lending crowd just feels like a tech support scam. Im sure its not… but man, I just had a fart around and it really looks like one, they need to hire a designer
@Grandma: It's deliberately (they say) basic. I kind of like it to be honest. Retro cool lol. No slow loading times and can access from old phones and computers. Been using them for years. Definitely legit. My net interest return so far is $1,222.44
That is so organised, He probably told a lot of people that and you are likely one of the only ones who actually did something. Im impressed. Good on you.
Don't know where you got 3k from? Usually starts from 7k.
We used DentalCare West in Glen Eden and the way they do is a direct financing plan with them which doesn't involve any finance companies.
We paid a 1k deposit and the balance was split over 24 months, $250/month.
We got to pay it off earlier than planned so there was no extra costs involved.
What I usually tell people is to watch where they get quotes from. Most orthodontic clinics will charge you in excess of 250 dollars just to see your kid without you wanting to carry out the services.I called easily 10 different places given by the school dentist and every place wanted to charge for an assessment. Nothing against it, but if you want to compare prices, it can become a costly exercise.
DentalCare West does a free assessment. And their plan was great. We finished with them and my kid looks amazing. It was a bad case of crammed teeth, now it's beautiful. Kid also gets 2 year of appointments to check if everything is okay and six free retainers during the same period. If anything over them, then it's about $80 each.
Any other job can be done by them or the school dentist.
Pays to call around and check how much they charge. Hope this helps.
3k seems cheap to me, We got told like others, minimum 6k - most likely 10k when you add in all the side visits and if extractions are needed etc etc and 2x with 2 kids. Nice.
Never heard of it being covered by any insurance, hard enough to get any dental stuff let alone what is technically cosmetic - and even the premiums are so high its barely worth it
Thank you so much guys!
The dentist my brother went to had their own payment plan they offered to him, not sure which part of Auckland you're in but this was at Derek Barwood Orthodontic Ltd. I would assume this is the same for most dentists but not 100% sure.