parental moral question #373

[JeepGal]

Orthodontia or Jeep Mods?

Damn kids braces are going to cost $9000, insurance covers $3000!

I could almost do EVERYTHING on my wish list!

Tam

[Hanzo]

This is going to sound messed up, but I'm already pegged for an A-hole...

I don't know if it's one of both of them, but whatever...just ask how bad they want them. If they REALLY want them that badly, make them a deal. Have them, over time, pay you back part or all of the money. It's their teeth and it's going to benefit them forever, they could swing that.

Basically have them buy the braces but you're just loaning them the money.

[JeepGal]

HA!

That wouldnt work...Id still be out the money

Tam

[Hanzo]

True, but...if you end up getting them the braces, at least it would be a way of seeing the money again.

[mikeythefireman]

I'm super self-conscious about my grill, so I'd say teeth. I didn't recieve ideal dental care as a child, so my teeth are a particularly unsavory shade of yellow that can't be bleached. It interferes with my movie star good looks.

[goodtimes]

A built up jeep will be way cooler than kids with strait teeth. So what if they can eat corn on the cob through a picket fence?

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J/K....we all know your gonna spend it on the kid(s).

[flywaterguide]

Well, how old is/are your kids? Is sounds like plural kids are going to need braces? That sucks!!

I would think if your kid(s) are in the pre-teen years, you could hold off getting braces for a few, and do the Jeep mods now. I think I got my braces put on too early, and now my teeth look f***d up!

Also, if they like wheeling with ya, you could always argue the point that in the event of a roll-over/crash, they could smash their face on a rock, requiring dental work, and there's no need to do the same thing twice...

Best,

FG

[mparker]

Maybe a cheaper alternative....

I was in the position of needing some dental work done a few years back. It was going to be about $4500 out of pocket, the insurance would only cover $1500 because I actually wanted my teeth to be white intead of looking like my dalmation with sliver spots everywhere.

A friend of mine had a brother at Loma Linda Dental School (which isn't too far from Temecula, it's on your way to Big Bear) and he told me to call them. I got better work done by dental students (newer procedures that required less drilling) for $2500 total, I only had to pay for supplies and a small work fee which is a flat rate regardless of procedure.

If the idea of dental students scares you, think about this, Loma Linda is one of the best, and hardest to get into... in addition, the students there were better at it than any of the 4 dentists I went to that were on my Dental HMO plan. They are also supervised by the professors which are practicing dentists/orthodontists.

If you do decide to go this route and you save some money... noone here will ever tell anyone that you got it done cheaper... so that will leave some extra money for the Jeep.... and you can just say that you won that new *whatever* in a raffle....

It would at least be worth looking into.

[JeepJunkie]

i vote dental work...bad teeth is a turn off

ive had my braces off for about a year and now i only wear my retainers at night and they keep my teeth lookin good. On the other hand 9 grand for teeth is a TON O MoneY. It really depends on how they think their teeth look, if they like em go mod the heck outta your jeep if not...well fork over the bling bling

[Black & Tan TJ]

My vote's for the kids. The kids and teeth will be around much longer than all the Jeep you'll own. It's a bummer the insurance doesn't help much so maybe put it off as long as possible.
Try this, it's a mod for the kids that will last a life time. Hope that helped, my vote's still for the kids. I have two myself.

B&T TJ

[D4x4Fish]

Food for thought!

Remember one day you will grow old and your Kids will take care of you. So when your bed ridden And He or she says :yawn:


Just think if we push Grandma two more days Dad/Mom on changing her diaper :poop: , think of all the money we can save for Jeep parts.

Treat your kids the way you what treated.

one day I will be telling my Kids

I'm Hungry whats for dinner. :beer:

My to :2:

[JeepGal]

OF COURSE Im getting the girls braces!

Sheesh I was just venting!

They are 13 and 14...they both need it. My parents could never afford braces for me, so Im stuck with funny looking fangs. (Dont look next time I see you!)

I went ahead a decided to set up a Flexible Spending Acct, where they take money from my paycheck everymonth, pretax. They withhold 31% of my paycheck for taxes, so it should make a HUGE difference I can then pay the medical and dental expenses with it. As well as the fact that I can pay it in full at the orthodontists and not have to worry about monthly payments. This is the second time Ive used this type of acct. Now its even cooler, as you access the money in your FSA using a credit card much easier

I had just made a wish list for my Jeep...and amazingly, the total of all the mods equaled about the cost of the braces. I just had to vent.

Tam

[Hanzo]

We all knew you would, but still, mparker has a point. My mother got her dental surgery done at USC by the students and it was very cheap. Also like he/she said, they tend to use the latest technology and do a very good job.

[Dukes69]

I say hook them up with some Gold Fronts. Or maybe a custom Platinum grill!

Bling Bling!

[NAILER341]

dont you have insurance for that sort of thing?
i am currently building a dental office right down the street from you. i can see if there are any deals available for my friends
if you like.
let me know if you are interested.
i have to first check and see if this dentist does braces.
it would be less expensive to just bust them in the mouth, and get fake ones in there. then you wouldnt have to hound them to BRUSH YOUR TEETH every morning and night