What if you can't afford braces for your child? Is it ok to let them grow up with crooked teeth and pay for their own braces when they grow up .. or are braces a need and it's time to get a second job or take out a loan?

ETA: Let's say for the sake of this post that the teeth are quite crooked with gaps but there are no bite / alignment issues .. only self esteem issues.

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Mom to dd (age 9) and ds (age 11)
blogging daily about purpose and personal identity

I think it depends on the severity of the teeth. I had one tooth (next to my two front teeth) that was turned sideways. We lived on welfare until my mom got through nursing school so she couldn't afford it at all. I got braces when I was 16 and had my own job to pay for them. I couldn't afford to get the retainer when I got them off so they went back to how they were. Once I got a good job that had dental insurance then I got them again.

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I also think that it depends on why the child needs them. There are some people that need them just to straighten teeth to make them look better and then there are some that need then to correct bite problems and things like that. I think when they are needed to correct an actual problem they become a need otherwise they are a want.

I had a gap between my top two teeth. It didn't present any issues so my parents weren't going to pay for braces just to close that gap. I wound up having an issue with my bottom teeth overlapping once my wisdom teeth came in so then it became a need to have them done so that I didn't lose those bottom two teeth due to decay where they overlapped.

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I agree that it depends on the nature and severity of the problem. If the teeth are so badly out of alignment that they interfere with the ability to bite or chew food, or the ability to speak clearly, then braces are a need. If they're just slightly crooked, or there's a gap between the top incisors (which I have had all my lfe), then it's just a vanity want.

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Let's say for the sake of this post that the teeth are quite crooked with gaps but there are no bite / alignment issues .. only self esteem issues.

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Mom to dd (age 9) and ds (age 11)
blogging daily about purpose and personal identity

Then I'd say that they're not a need, but a want that is important enough that I would try to find the money for them.

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When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!
Any time God closes one door, She always opens another, even though sometimes it's Hell in the hallway.
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, prepare to die. (Klingon proverb)
Don't point. You'll poke holes in the air and all the faeries will escape.

to improve self esteem? I think it falls under need. But my mom insured both my brother and I had braces.

Personally, I'm hoping to skate by without getting braces for the kids. However, it will depend on how crooked their adult teeth are. I think it is a want.

For me, this would also be a need. Luckily we have excellent dental insurance that would cover braces, but even if we didn't, we would find a way to pay for them.

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Formerly Kimberly75!

Definatly in our case, it was a need. There was bite/alignment issues, my oldest daughter has a terrible crossbite,meaning her bottom jaw protrudes quite a bit further than her top jaw. It had to be corrected now, while she was young and while her jaw was still growing and the bones could manipulated into place. If we didn't do it now, it could result in surgery when she is older.

If it wasn't for that, no I wouldn't have done it. I would do what I could to afford them. But if I couldn't, they could wait.

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~Missy~Mommy
Meghan9.Samantha7,Cameron5

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