I had braces as a kid but my teeth all shifted back so I need braces again. I’ll also need jaw surgery to fix an overbite too after my braces. Problem is, since I’m over 21 now, no health insurance that I know of pays for adult orthodontics. I need my jaw surgery done by the time I’m around 30 years old (I’m 24 now) according to my orthodontist as a child.
Since I can’t afford it in the US, I’m thinking of going to another country to get it done. The most common suggestion seems to be Mexico but I want to hear your thoughts on the safety of that and if you have other countries/suggestions, I’d love to hear those too.
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Costa Rica’s nice this time of year, great medical care too.
For braces? I don’t see how that could be done. You have to go back every few weeks.
But are you considering jaw surgery?
Top ten places for medical tourism.
Mexico
Thailand
Hungary
Spain
Poland
Costa Rica
The Philippines
Malaysia
Turkey
The Czech Republic
If I was going to go to Mexico – I’d head to Mexico city.
But I know a lot of doctors – and it seems it’s pretty easy if you have a connection to say it was “medically necessary” for many surgeries and get them covered.
Would you travel back every time you need adjustments?
Sounds expensive
Honestly feel like braces are a scam. There’s no way half of all kids need them. Bullshit.
r/theydidthemath is probably your best bet. You have to do a cost analysis. Getting a plane ticket (outside of Mexico or Canada depending on where you live), the cost of the procedure, and subsequent appointments. Just because people in other countries have universal healthcare doesn’t mean you, a tourist, gets it lol. Honestly your best bet is to get a job with good insurance or have Medicare. Not going to say it as a fact but seems youll be spending at least a couple bands. Also since you’re under 26 I’m assuming your parents don’t have insurance?
When we were in Costa Rica last year, we met a dental tourist. He said that even with paying for flights, food and lodging, his dental care was still cheaper in Costa Rica as opposed to the US. Good luck!
Mexico
There’s a lot of medical tourism here. My mom’s a dentist and a good chunk of her patients are from the US. Americans come here all the time for healthcare, their hair, their nails, mechanic, etcetera. As long as you don’t go to shitty areas you are safe here.
There’s a lot of medical tourism here. My mom’s a dentist and a good chunk of her patients are from the US. Americans come here all the time for healthcare, their hair, their nails, mechanic, etcetera. As long as you don’t go to shitty areas you are safe here.
I had braces as an adult for 4 years.
You cannot get braces in another country. Braces work over time and need to be adjusted every 2-4 weeks or so for the entire time you’re wearing them. You’re constantly having wires tightened, brackets moved, hardware reattached in different places, etc. This is how they work. The orthodontist repositions the hardware to guide your teeth where to move. Without visiting your doctor for adjustments, your teeth won’t move.
Are you prepared to pay for flights to your dentist in another country every 2-4 weeks for the next X number of years?
If not, you’re not looking for braces.
These people were likely talking about other dental work.
Mexico all day. Grew up on the border and everyone went to Mexico to get braces. My parents said flat out they weren’t paying for that bullshit or I would’ve done it too. Cuidad Juarez to be specific
When you say jaw surgery…is this to prevent you from biting into the roof of your mouth? If so, insurance likely WILL cover it as it can cause major problems long term and is not the same as just having a bit of an overbite or crooked teeth which would be considered just cosmetic. I say this because I had been approved for the surgery by our insurance (granted I was a teen but they still typically wouldn’t cover it) but ended up getting it fixed a different way.
My husband just got trays from smile direct or some other internet place. They were around $2200 and I’m pretty sure we could’ve made payments.
That’s an option.
> no health insurance that I know of pays for adult orthodontics
Not that it helps you, but my Dad’s and my dental insurance (seperate companies) paid for adult orthodontics. I took advantage of having double coverage and got braces when I was 25 (1 year before the dependency cutoff).
Mexico, or if you want a more reliant one, eastern Europe