Braces time
Well, BM is back on the braces bandwagon (because its been about 6 months since she pulled stuff with us so she's due). SD is going this week to the ortho. Of course she's taking her to the one right in town which is the most expensive.
My fiance is going to the appointment with them, and he is armed with information, research, questions and ready to fight this. He will be asking for a second opinion, and the place he found can do it for half the cost. So his plan is that if its deemed medically necessary, he will force the issue of having it done at his ortho of choice. At the very least, he hopes that all he will have to pay is 1/2 of the rate at the cheaper office if BM insists on taking her to the local office.
If its not medically necessary he's going to push back as much as possible. He looked at SD's teeth again this weekend. They are near perfect. We also have concern that if she gets the braces they will be a waste as she wont care for them properly and avoid the foods that she should not have while wearing them. She never flosses and often does not brush her teeth.
To be fair id did ask him if he'd approach this in the same manner if he were still married to BM. He said that he would.
Wish us luck!
Forewarned is forearmed.
Forewarned is forearmed. Applause to DH for doing his homework and being ready for BMs bullshit on this.
Why did you have to bring up
Why did you have to bring up braces? It has been a couple of months since SheSloth and BM last griped at DH for SheSloth to get braces, which are not medically necessary! Ugh...now gonna come up again any day...LOL!
SD13 got them last March and
SD13 got them last March and she has started to NOT brush her teeth. DH still has to remind her. It will be quite the "fashion statement" when they come off in three years and she has white spots in the middle of corn-yellow teeth!
~ Moon
she will be 14 this
she will be 14 this month.
has no overbite, no underbite, no TMJ issues, no malocclusions. She has a nice smile, has never been picked on for bad teeth or anything like that.
according to the ADA if a dentist believes they may be medically necessary they recommend seeing an ortho at age 7 to start correcting malocclusions. the dentist has never mentioned braces to her until now which i think may be one of the strongest arguments for us that they are not medically necessary.
nope. never heard anything
nope. never heard anything from her. she complains alot about her nose, but never her teeth smile and takes TONS of pics/selfies.
im sure the dentist sees BM as an easy target. she's dumb, not well read, probably knows she gets a healthy CS check and knows that she will believe anything she told. probably thinks its the easiest braces sale ever.
its a small town. everyone
its a small town. everyone knows everything about everyone.
and if what you say is true, then why the heck are there so many more kids today running around with braces who dont really need them?
as BM hired this ortho, we
as BM hired this ortho, we know he will do whatever she wants asks. our ortho will most likely do what we ask. so i think the issue is that we will end up with two differing opinions. then BM will probably take this to court. Or she will just give up and not get them or pay for them herself. both are easily accomplished, she has MORE than enough money to pay 100% if she wishes to do this.
@notasm...that is exactly the
@notasm...that is exactly the case with SheSloth! No overbite, teeth are straight. She has some spaces, but her wisdom teeth haven't even started to come in, and we are certain that those spaces will close up with the wisdom teeth. But even still, every few months, SheSloth complains about the spaces in her teeth, and starts insisting she has to have braces. DH will say no, so then she complains to BM, who then starts cussing DH out about it! I mean, how dare the princess have to live with the spaces until they close on their own! We have about 2 weeks of fighting about it, and then the topic drops for a little while longer.
I also think some orthodontists push braces simply for the money. As it has been said...it is a fashion statement these days. So why not make money on people getting braces who do not really need them! Vanity is a high paying business these days!
Same here. SD's teeth are
Same here. SD's teeth are about as close to perfect as you can get. Yet BM had her in pre-braces(you know, a couple of rubber bands that SD never wore). It is completely a popularity/fashion thing. I'm MOTY since I put braces on my kids teeth. Now she wants to go for full braces. DH fell for the pre-braces but is trying to fight braces. The orthodontist that BM used wouldn't even talk to DH even though he is the one who's insurance was being used and paying the difference. BM doesn't work so she doesn't pay anything. Orthodontists could recommend braces for about 99% of the population if they choose to. They can use all kinds of measurements to say they are necessary. Most don't need them.
" By the time I was grown
" By the time I was grown (wisdom teeth came in and stayed) I had perfect teeth. "
Jealous! I had a space between my front teeth and I REALLY wanted braces to correct it when I was a teenager! The dentist told my parents that it would close up when I got my wisdom teeth. Unfortunately for me he was COMPLETELY wrong. I still have that stupid space (which makes me self conscious) and now feel I'm too old for braces (they'd make me feel even MORE self conscious - braces are for kids). *sigh*
You're not too old. I'm 43
You're not too old. I'm 43 and just got mine off. I wore the clear Invisaligns for two years. Hardly anyone could tell I had them. I've had very bad teeth my whole life (my parents couldn't afford braces). I decided to get them when my BS needed them. We went together every month and the orthodonotist gave me a discount for doing both at the same time.
I've heard of the
I've heard of the Invisaligns! I probably will look into them once I can afford it (3 kids in daycare right now means no "extras"). It just feels so... I don't know... trivial? I don't *need* them, really, so spending the extra money on myself for cosmetic purposes just feels weird. Even if no one notices the braces themselves, they'd certainly notice when my teeth changed, and I suppose part of me is afraid of being though THAT vain that I'd spend money on purely cosmetic changes in my 40's.
I am clearly neurotic. 
They are just as expensive as
They are just as expensive as the "train tracks". The changes are very gradual so most people don't notice the changes. I felt the same way as you. I thought "I've lived 40 years like this, why bother now". I can say that I do feel better having did it. I didn't do the complete treatment but they are a lot better than they were. It was going to take another two years to finish and after two years already, I didn't want to wear them anymore. Mine were $5200.
GOOD FOR FIANCE!!! At least
GOOD FOR FIANCE!!! At least he's not rolling over like a lot of NCP biodads do. Make sure if it does go through that he gets all bills-and that BM doesn't just have it rolled into the CS. Chef got totally gypped this way. . .ended up paying 100% of the orthodontia for the two older kids; BM insisted they be slapped into middle-class status braces the second they turned eight!
Oh and the giant BM went to an orthodontia SPECIALIST whose office looks like the Taj Mahal (which is weird because the entire town is a run down white trash nation). "Braces Only" is the name of the game (eye roll)
Funny. . .YSS (stb 12) does NOT have braces and his teeth are the most crooked. Oh wait, it's because he's on HER insurance plan and won't be getting any extra CS for any orthodontia HE gets. . . (rolls eyes)
I'm an RDA and have worked
I'm an RDA and have worked for two different offices. Sadly, if there is the slightest curve to make teeth not perfectly aligned, meaning 99% strait they will now recomend braces because that's where the money is. Back side braces, colored bands on front braces, invisiline, she probably doesn't need braces to corrent anything but one tooth that isn't perfectly in line with the rest of her teeth.
Exactly. You can "justify"
Exactly. You can "justify" braces for every child if you try. All you need is a millimeter off here or there and you have a reason. If you can't notice anything and if the child doesn't have any TMJ or other issues, it is largely a waste of money.
My teeth are nearly perfectly
My teeth are nearly perfectly straight. The only issue is a 1/8inch gap between my two front teeth. I have never had it fixed. You younger brother was rather snaggle toothed when he was very young but over the years his teeth straightened out fairly well. His smile is great though his teeth are not perfectly aligned.
I would agree with your DH that he needs to counter this crap if there is not a true and legitimate reason for braces. Slightly out of alignment teeth are far from a legitimate reason for braces IMHO.
If BM wants them she can pay for them.
Good luck.
That's my feeling about it
That's my feeling about it all! I have crowding in my teeth from when my wisdom teeth came in. One day I would like to fix them, but not for vanity reasons. There is one spot that I simply cannot get to with floss, and that spot kills me every cleaning! LOL
BS19's teeth are not straight, but that doesn't stop him from smiling, and he has a great smile!
BD23 had to have braces, but she had one of those strange situations where her baby teeth would not give when the permanent teeth came in. As a result, the baby teeth pushed out, and the permanent turned in. By the time all the baby teeth finally cleared, she was left with chewing on the sides of her permanent teeth, and this was rather painful for her. So, she had braces to pull her teeth into a normal position to where she was chewing on the surface of the tooth that she was supposed to be chewing on.
SheSloth has straight teeth...nothing turned in or out...no over or under bites...no crowding. She has some spaces, but that doesn't cause any pain or anything. It is for purely cosmetic reasons that SheSloth and BM think the girl needs braces. "But I don't like the gaps in my teeth!" What? If you don't like your nose, do you think daddy should have to pay for a nose job?