1Flex Spending Accounts

Find out if the company that you work for offers employees a flex spending account that will allow you to transfer pre-taxed money into the account. By not paying taxes on the money that you will be spending on medical and dental procedures, you will be able to save a fair amount of money over the course of a year.

Just be sure that you find out if your flexible spending account is one of the “use-it or lose-it” accounts that require you to utilize all of the funds in it before the start of a new calendar year.

2Verifying Your Insurance Coverage

If you are fortunate enough to work for an employer that offers solid dental insurance coverage, you should verify with your policy to find out what level of orthodontic coverage you are allowed. You may find that your dental insurance policy only covers a small percentage of the total cost of braces for children. However, keep in mind that if your policy only covers 30%, that is 30% that you will not have to pay for out of pocket.

If, on the other hand, you do not have dental coverage through your employer, you should look into personal policies that can help you to get a fair amount of the costs covered. These plans can cost a few hundred dollars a year however, you should be able to save a good amount of money when you use an in-network orthodontist. You should of course verify that the annual costs of the dental policies will not exceed the actual cost of the braces.

Every dollar that you can get covered by insurance is a dollar that you don’t have to spend.

3Be A Savvy Consumer

There are good odds that you will know your child is headed towards needing braces. With this in mind, consider doing a fair amount of comparison shopping between the orthodontists that are within your insurance network. Your child’s dentist will be able to provide you with a list of recommended orthodontists; however, be sure that you also ask your family and friends for recommendations. You may find that they have experience with an orthodontist who is affordable and willing to work with your budget while still providing exceptional treatment.

During your initial consultations with the orthodontists that you meet with, find out what their fee schedule is for the cost of braces for children. Fees can vary greatly between doctors, and can also vary greatly between the areas of town that you are in. Once you have an idea of what you are looking at in terms of finances, you can start to work with the orthodontist’s office to get a tailor-made treatment plan for your budget and for the needs of your child.

The majority of reputable orthodontists will be willing to custom-fit a treatment plan that will suit the needs of the patient and the patient’s home financial situation.

4Nonprofit Help For Low Income Families

There are several nonprofit groups that can help struggling families with the cost of braces for children who may need them. Do an online search for them, or ask your dentist for more information.

One group that currently works with families and orthodontists is Smiles Change Lives. Visit their website (www.smileschangelives.org) to find out if your child qualifies for assistance.

Smiles For Life (www.smilesforlife.org) is another nonprofit organization that can help low-income families handle that cost of braces for children who have a definite need for them.

If your child and your family’s financial status qualifies within the guidelines of the programs, your child will be referred to orthodontists who are willing to provide treatment to the children of low-income families either at little or no cost to the family.

5Customized Payment Plans

The majority of orthodontist offices offer patients customized payment plans that can help to extend the cost of the braces over the course of several months. Be sure that you ask what kind of payment plans are available, what the terms of the payment plan are, and if there are any penalties that you should be made aware of prior to starting treatment.

There are several companies that offer third-party loan programs to families who need the assistance with paying for the high cost of braces for children. However, you should be very sure that you read all of the fine print in order to ensure that you are aware of all of the terms of the loan.

These types of repayment programs can certainly break your payments down into manageable monthly amounts but you may also wind up paying unreasonably large interest charges on the balance.

6Dental School Alternatives

Find out if there are any dental and orthodontia schools in your area; while you will still be required to make payments for services rendered, you may be able to get a good discount by allowing dental students and their qualified supervisors to perform the procedures.

A perfect smile is worth so much more than the high cost of braces for children. A smile can allow your child to feel confident about the face that she presents to the world!