Orthodontia is expensive.
Thank you mom and dad for providing the funds to fix my teeth all those years ago. I now feel your pain. I don't know how much it impacted you financially, but I am sure it wasn't easy. So thank you.
Almost three years ago the dentist warned us that Jordan was going to need some ortho work. He suggested first trying a nite guide. It would cost $3200 for all of the dental work and the actual appliance. They would require the entire amount up front. We had a $1500 lifetime ortho benefit, but the remaining amount was more than we had left available in our ADP account. It would have to wait until the next January when ADP started over. We recalculated how much to divert to ADP. He got the appliance next January.
Fast forward almost two years and the appliance was not doing what needed to be done. The dentist gave me a referral almost a year ago to go consult with the orthodontist to see if we needed to do something different. I didn't make the call. I kept forgetting, but then it also got to the point that Jordan wasn't wearing his nite guard like he was supposed to. I told him we would not be consulting with an orthodontist (and spending loads of money) if he wasn't going to make the effort to take care of his teeth. So, he quickly resumed wearing it. Most mornings I found it lying next to his pillow, so I am not surprised it didn't help..
I called the orthodontist in November, after the dentist said at the check-up visit in October that it was time to get the ball rolling. I called to schedule a consultation, and the first opening was in January.
About that time, (mid-November) Dean informed me that we had $1100 left in our ADP account. We had over-estimated how much we would need for this year, and if you don't use it you lose it - despite the fact that it is your money to begin with! I got orthotics, but, dang it, that was covered. I made a dentist appointment for me - which hasn't happend yet. Then, the orthodontist called back and said that they had a cancellation, and could get us in at the end of the week. yesssss! A way to use the money!!!
Appointment day came, and we went in to the rather posh waiting room. Surprisingly enough, there is no little kids corner. There is a nice theater room, with several chairs. There is a nice gaming room with 6 different gaming stations. No kid corner. Apparently the constant stream of teenagers coming through at any given moment have NO younger brothers and sisters. I checked Jordan in, got the paperwork, took the little kids and went back out to the car. I can't concentrate on paperwork and keep track of kids. When Jordan finished the consult and came back out, I went back in, and 'consulted' with the finance lady. She showed me a neat video showing exactly what they would need to do to Jordan's teeth. She showed me the treatment plan. She explained the finances. I was sooo relieved.
Total cost of treatment was $5500. They would give a $1500 credit for the nite guard as a thank you for the referral from the dentist. We could use a big chunk of our remaining ADP for this year. If there is any left after my dentist appointment, we can give them a call on Dec.30th and apply the rest - down to the penny. Next year, we can make a big payment in January, using ADP. The following year we can make another payment (much smaller) using ADP. I was so relieved, I nearly cried. I think I surprised the finance lady by how thrilled I was with the payment plan.
For two years now we have been sweating with how we would pay for this. It wasn't nearly as much as I thought it was going to be. It was such a relief that they didn't require it all at once. They were so nice to give us a price break after spending all of that money on an appliance that didn't even work.
After living on the financial brink for the last three months, it was a nice bit of news and a huge relief that, for the most part, we wouldn't feel it. We have become so used to shunting 'x' amount of pre-tax dollars every paycheck off to ADP to cover the medical expenses that insurance doesn't cover (co-pays and medications) for a family of six, that we don't even notice it anymore.
I signed the paperwork and didn't even pause. What is wrong with me? We are agreeing to spend a lot of money here, and I am not even giving it a second thought?! I am not even asking for second opinion? I haven't even met the orthodontist that is going to be messing with Jordan's mouth! It bothers me that there is such a disconnect here. Since we are 'sheltered', in a way, from the actual sting of paying such a huge amount of money, it was so easy to just sign on the dotted line. I have to keep reminding myself that yes... $4100 dollars will be coming out of our pockets over the next two years. We have no more ortho coverage. The usage of an ADP account makes it 'feel' like credit, even though every dollar in there was put in there, a little amount at a time, with each and every paycheck.
This is a critical point that Dave Ramsey makes in his Financial Peace University course. Through rampant over-consumption and abuse of credit, most of us have become immune to the 'pain' of big expenditures. We don't even blink. or pause. or ask questions. There is a lot more pain involved in handing over actual cash, than a piece of plastic.
A lot of my friends are going through the same experience right now. We all have kids that have attained the age where braces are necessary. It is a mutual financial pain that we all share. I just have to keep reminding myself to also think about this from Jordan's perspective. He's the one that has to go without popcorn for the next 18 months. Or his all-time favorite candy, Hot Tamales. Poor kid.
