Need 100%...I also agree confidence issues are "needs" too.
If my dentist tells me DS#2 (like DS#1 did) needs braces, he will get braces. I trust my dentist as he would not bother saying my child requires braces if it was something truly truly truly minor.

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Santa gets all the credit but I swipe the card...

Rosie
Single mom of 2 boys~ DS#1 (17) & DS#2 (6)
Burn the good candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion...Today IS special.

Unless it is just slightly crooked/overlapping teeth, or a small gap (like David Letterman/Madonna), then it is a need. Do not underestimate the power of low self-esteem due to body image/bad teeth. Kids who are ashamed of their teeth will not smile, will hide their mouths, will not participate in class because it involves talking & people will see their teeth. This can lead to poor school performance and possibly not pursuing higher education.
Very often people will not get the braces as adults - they are expensive; the cost may be higher because the teeth are more firmly rooted and not as easy to move as when they were younger. And, in the business world, having a nice smile & straight teeth do count. It is noticed.
My girlfriend's little girl is 10 & her teeth are coming in just horribly. She will need lots of dental work but, the fact is, her mouth is not ready for the dental work to proceed. She is being teased endlessly and called "snaggletooth" at school (she is 10). All the other kids are in the process of getting their dental work started, but due to the nature of her issues, her mouth was not ready yet. So, the dentist made up a dummy retainer for her. It does nothing. It cost her parents a couple hundred, but the child's self confidence has increased dramatically because she is now like her friends, has a retainer, and her dental issues are being "addressed".

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While I agree with you somewhat, I think it depends on the child as well. I had a large gap between my 2 front teeth, large enough that I could stick my tongue all the way in there sideways. It didn't bother me. I actually liked it because it gave me character as my mom put it. I think in that case, the braces would be a want. If the child has self esteem issues because of bad teeth then it becomes a need. I was actually mad at my orthodontist because he wouldn't leave the gap and just put the braces on my bottom teeth that were really badly out of alignment. I smiled less after my braces than I did before them. I was 17 when they put my braces on and I hated them. To this day I wish I hadn't had them even though I knew that I had to have my bottom teeth fixed.

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A coworker has saved thousands by taking her kids to the dental college for their orthodontic work.

If it's a really bad case of crooked teeth I think it's a need because of self esteem issues. Now that being said I think it also depends on how much of a hardship it would be for the family. If someone can barely pay the bills now and put food on the table than what can you do.

Some people simply cannot afford it. Some people could afford it if they made some lifestyle choices and don't and I think that's wrong for a child's self esteem to suffer.

I think that is an AWESOME thing for the dentist to have done. Sometimes the 'little' things are what changes the MAJOR things for children

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Think big! Change the world! One A.R.K at a time.

Now that's a great dentist!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Santa gets all the credit but I swipe the card...

Rosie
Single mom of 2 boys~ DS#1 (17) & DS#2 (6)
Burn the good candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion...Today IS special.

We consider braces a "need".

We are also heading for much dental work with our daughter, who already is wearing a palatal expander at age 9 because there's no room for her teeth to come in. We don't have dental insurance so we'll be paying for all of this 100% out of pocket. We just got our first bill yesterday... $587 - and that's just the beginning. Yikes!!

Unless it's 100% cosmetic (like a slight gap between teeth) I'd say braces fall under the "need" category. If we couldn't fund them ourselves, we'd do what it took - extra jobs, loans, etc. to make it work.

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Absolutely a need. Teeth are one of the first things you notice about a person. We have completed 3 sets of braces and DS, only 8, will get them as well if they come in all wrong. We have pinched pennies and made payments for them to have straight, white smiles, but consider them an investment.

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Wife of Tim 21 years

I had major teeth issues growing up, I had two sets of braces and jaw surgery. I say they are a NEED. I would charge them before I let my kids go through what I went through.

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt