Can’t Afford Braces For Your Kids?
Here Are 5 Solutions
The last thing a financially struggling parent wants to see is their child’s teeth coming in crooked. After groceries, school clothes, car payments and the rent or mortgage, there may not be much left to pay for a trip to the orthodontist so the child can be fitted with braces.
But for those determined to help their child improve their smile, there are ways to work around those financial difficulties.
“Sometimes you must be creative, but many families who want to give their children orthodontic care can do so with a little planning and budgeting,” says Dr. Ana Castilla, an orthodontist and author of The Smile of Your Life: Everything You Need to Know for Your Orthodontic Journey (dranacastilla.com).
Dr. Castilla knows from personal experience what it’s like to be a child who needs and wants braces, but whose parents can’t afford them. She had to wait until she was an adult and could pay for them herself.
She says one of the first mistakes parents make is waiting until they think they can afford orthodontic treatment before taking their child in for an evaluation. However, waiting can only make the situation worse as many issues can be corrected easier and less expensively with early treatment.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends children be seen by an orthodontist no later than age 7. Dr. Castilla encourages all parents to take advantage of free consultations offered by most orthodontists so they can become aware of any issues with their children’s teeth.
She also has several recommendations for ways to work orthodontic treatment into the budget:
Flexible financing. “Most orthodontic practices offer zero-interest in-house financing but not all of them are equally flexible in their payment plans,” says Dr. Castilla. She says parents should ask if they offer “extended financing.” This type of financing is longer than the length of treatment. For example, the treatment may last only 24 months, but the last payment may not be due for 36 months.
Insurance. You are not required to have insurance to get orthodontic treatment. However, Dr. Castilla says if you do have insurance, be sure to read the policy. “You need to be your own advocate and learn the rules of your coverage,” she says. Many parents rely on an employer promises instead of reading the policy. “Just because your employer says you have coverage for braces, that doesn’t mean you are fully covered – or even covered at all,” says Dr. Castilla. There are many factors that affect coverage such as age limitations, waiting periods, and insurance payment schedules.
Combine insurance policies if possible. If you and another member of your household have two or more separate insurance policies, there is a chance that both insurances can help pay for treatment. Your employer’s human resources department should be able to help you maximize your benefits.
Use flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. “Many employers offer these accounts to their employees to help them manage their health expenses,” says Dr. Castilla. Employees can contribute tax-free dollars for payment of qualified medical expenses, such as orthodontics.
Use third-party financing companies (medical credit cards). This is not the No. 1 option that Dr. Castilla recommends because of high interest rates. “I would only consider this option if you cannot find an orthodontist that offers extended financing near you,'' she says. “Make sure you read the fine print.”
“I hated my teeth as a child, but I kept it to myself because I knew my parents could not afford braces for me,” Dr. Castilla says. “When I was finally able as an adult to fix my smile, I realized what a negative impact my old smile had on my self esteem. That’s why I want to help as many parents as possible afford a bright smile for their kids.”
About Dr. Ana Castilla
Dr. Ana Castilla is a board-certified orthodontist and the author of the book Smile of Your Life: Everything You Need to Know for Your Orthodontic Journey (www.castillaortho.com). Dr. Castilla is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and is dedicated to both education and research in the field of orthodontics. Her research on indirect-bonding techniques has been published in the Angle Orthodontist journal. Dr. Castilla was born in Ecuador and grew up in the United States.
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Dear Dave,
I’ve heard you tell people to avoid debt consolidation companies. Why do you think debt consolidation is such a bad thing?
Tom
Dear Tom,
The main reason is that debt consolidation makes you feel like you did something to really change your financial world when you didn’t. That’s part of the catch. Believe it or not, I hear people all the time say things like, “I took out a loan, and paid off all my debt!” No, you didn’t. All you did was move your debt around. It’s still there!
In cases like this, the biggest issue remains because you didn’t do anything to address the real problems—you and your behavior. When you have debt, the number of payments you have left isn’t the problem. The problem isn’t interest rates, either. The problem is the person you look at in the mirror every day.
Until you get mad enough about your financial situation and the real reasons for it—until you fix you and your behavior—you’ll never make any progress toward winning with money!
—Dave
(When can we buy a new car?)
Word count: 290
Dear Dave,
My husband and I are following your plan, and we’re in the middle of saving up our emergency fund. When do you recommend buying a new car in the process? Do we have to wait until we’ve finished all the Baby Steps?
Alanna
Dear Alanna,
I never advise buying a brand new car, unless you have a net worth of at least $1 million. At that point, you’ve got enough assets that you won’t get rocked by the ridiculous depreciation that comes with buying a new vehicle.
Now, you don’t have to drive a beater until you pay off your house or anything like that. I advise people to drive the minimum they can in terms of a car until they complete my first three steps. Baby Step 1 is a beginner emergency fund of $1,000. Baby Step 2 is paying off all debt except for your home. Baby Step 3 is fully funding your emergency fund with three to six months of expenses.
After you’ve accomplished these first three steps, then you can move up to a nicer car. Notice that I didn’t say move up to a new car. I want you to save up cash, and get a really nice used car. That’s what the typical millionaire does, and I want you to model your financial behavior after people who are in the position you want to be in some day!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 15 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey
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Who: Boston Manor in support of Movements with Trash Boat and Drug Church
When: Thursday, April 25th - 6:00pm
Where: The Complex | 536 W 100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Tickets: http://bostonmanorband.com/
Boston Manor's second full length album was released last Fall via Pure Noise Records.Ithas garnered impressive praise from outlets like Alternative Press, Kerrang!, Upset Magazine, Substream Magazine and more. Rocksound went so far as to place the album in their #3 spot of the "Top 50 Albums of the Year", sharing that "No band levelled up to the extent that Boston Manor did this year. In not so much building on their debut 'Be Nothing' as burning half of it down and moulding it into something entirely new, their follow-up was heavy, murky, filled with genuinely innovative songwriting and marked them out as one of the best young rock bands in Britain."
Welcome To The Neighbourhood is just as emotionally charged and meaningful as ever. With that comes a hope that this album, by addressing the issues it does, can have a positive impact on the future. Fans can purchase and stream Welcome To The Neighbourhood at http://bostonmanorband.com.
Boston Manor is Henry Cox - Vocals, Daniel Cunniff - Bass Guitar, Ash Wilson - Guitar, Mike Cunniff - Guitar and Jordan Pugh - Drums.
New Album
Welcome To The Neighbourhood Out Now
Touring with Movements,
Trash Boat and
Drug Church
April 25 | Salt Lake City, UT | The Complex
Blackpool, England - Boston Manor will be hopping over the pond next month for an impressive North American Tour in support of Movements. Along with friends in Trash Boat and Drug Church, this is going to be a tour that captivating and energetic sets each night that cannot be missed. Multiple dates are already sold out, with all remaining tickets on sale now at http://bostonmanorband.com/.
The upcoming tour will feature the Blackpool 5-Piece performing tracks from their latest release Welcome To The Neighbourhood. In addition to hypnotizing live crowds, these tracks have seen great success at streaming with adds to Spotify's Rock Hard, Totally Alt, Rock Save the Queen and Rock Your Body Playlists and on radio with adds to Sirius XM Octane, Music Choice and Active Rock stations like WRXQ-FM, WRKZ-FM, KHTQ-FM and more.
Despite the new sounds that infiltrate this record - which was recorded by Mike Sapone (Taking Back Sunday, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Envy On The Coast) - Boston Manor are just as ferocious and immediate as ever. They may be embracing new elements in their sound but listen to the savage hooks of "Flower In Your Dustbin" or the vicious vitriol of "Hate You" and there's no doubt who has made this record.
A full list of upcoming North American tour dates can be found below:
April 17 - Fresno, CA - Strummer's
April 18 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
April 19 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory**
April 20 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre**
April 22 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
April 23 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
April 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
April 26 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Thater
April 27 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room Lounge
April 28 - North Kansas City, MO - The Rino*
April 29 - Dallas, TX - Trees
April 30 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
May 1 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
May 3 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
May 4 - Jacksonville, FL - Welcome to Rockville
May 5 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
May 7 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
May 8 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
May 9 - Boston, MA - Royale
May 10 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
May 12 - Rockingham, NC - Epicenter Festival
May 13 - Millvale, PA - Mr Smalls Theatre
May 14 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater & Ballroom
May 16 - Toronto, Canada - The Opera House
May 17 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic Theatre
May 18 - Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
May 19 - Chicago, IL - Metro
* - Boston Manor Headline Show
** - SOLD OUT
ownload Tour Admat Here
All Other Press Assets available at http://www.purenoise.net/artists/boston-manor/
Follow Boston Manor:
https://www.facebook.com/bostonmanoruk/
https://www.instagram.com/bstnmnr/
