Braces, in one form or another, have been around since
400-500 BC. According to the AAO (American Association of
Orthodontists), archaeologists have discovered mummified
ancients with crude metal bands wrapped around individual
teeth1.
In the hundreds of years since those first braces, there
have been some enhancements both to the braces themselves
and to who has access to them. In the years B.C. and long
after, dental care was reserved for aristocrats. And the
first "orthodontists" used catgut rather than metal bands
to slowly tighten and move misaligned teeth into place.
Much later, in the late 1800s and early 1900s,
orthodontists traded in catgut for wood, brass, copper and
even silver and gold. While they were large and cumbersome,
braces began to look more like what we see today. And, for
the most part, anyone with access to a dentist and with the
money to pay for them could get them. Still, braces were a
luxury for the elite, because a relative few had enough
expendable income to pay for them.
By the 1950s in America, orthodontists were using stainless
steel braces laced together with tiny rubber bands (that
all-to-often slipped or snapped off and flew out of an
adolescent's mouth into an embarrassing spot). Teenage
embarrassments aside, dental plans covered much, of the
cost. And suddenly, straight teeth were available to
virtually every youngster with an overbite in America.
In the late 1980s, Dental HMOs (Dental plans that levy
heavy restrictions on what they call "cosmetic" dentistry)
took root in America. And while orthodontics made amazing
strides with ceramics and "invisible" braces, fewer
Americans were able to pay the price to get them
(approximately $5,000 for two years). It seemed as though
the evolution of braces and who had access to them had come
full circle. Only the wealthy aristocracy could have them
once again.
Fast forward to today, and the evolution has become a
revolution! In the 1990s, something called "Consumer Driven
Dental Plans" emerged to fill the gaps left by HMOs.
Consumer driven dental plans (or dental discount programs,
as they are often called) give the ordinary working
American the means to purchase braces for their children
AND themselves at truly affordable rates. On average, a
patient supported by a consumer driven dental plan receives
a dental discount of 56% -- which means they pay less than
half the standard rate. And payments can be made over time,
making braces accessible to virtually anyone who needs them.
Who knows what the future holds in orthodonture. But let's
hope consumer driven dental plans are there to make it
affordable.
----------------------------------------------------
Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director for AmeriPlan USA
offering discount dental, health, vision, prescription and
chiropractic benefits plans starting at only $19.95 per
month for your entire household. Sign up today for discount
dental benefits plans at
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