I would really like to get my treatment over with now, and I almost have enough money for the down payment (I make enough money to cover the monthly payments). There's just one little problem: my family doesn't approve.
My mother's the worst, she doesn't trust doctors much, and she doesn't think braces work. She says things like: "They're too expensive and a waste of money", "You'll be in retainers for the rest of your life and your teeth will still probably go back to where they were", "You can hardly eat anything at all with braces", or "You'll look childish/terrible/ugly". Now I can deal with those, the worst part is she doesn't think I need them, you see, my teeth already look straight except for a spot of mild crowding on top, and my mom thinks they look fine and hates that type of vanity anyway. When I pointed out my overbite she said that it was normal overbite, even though my top teeth cover the bottoms when I bite all the way down, and my bottom front teeth bite my top gums! I'm not doing this for cosmetic issues, it's for my health, but my mom doesn't believe that orthodontics heas any health benefits because she survived without them.
Then there's my dad, who's concerned about my finances. He thinks there's much better things for me to spend my money on than braces, like getting another car or getting my existing car fixed, or going on a nice ski vacation or something. He also wants me to save, save, save, but I already save almost half my income (excluding my saving for braces!). He's always trying to tell me what I can and cannot afford, and how I should spend my money. Frankly, I don't mind using public transit for awhile, and I don't need a fancy ski trip!
I'm a 19 year old student, and I don't live with my family anymore. I plan on paying all the out-of-pocket treatment expenses myself (I have a decent job plus scholarship support). My orthodontist's payment plan ensures that my treatment will be paid for before I graduate and pay student loans. Plus since I'm a student I still have benefits from my dad's dental insurance, which partially covers adult orthodontics and is relatively generous compared to other American insurance companies, and I worry I'll never have coverage like this once I graduate.
So I don't really need my family's financial support, it's just that I visit my family occasionally and once they notice the braces they'll never let me hear the end of it, they'll shake their heads and tell me what a horrible decision I've made and that I'm wasting all my money and effort and that the braces make me look silly. Plus, my mother is a great gossip and will tell all the family friends and relatives these things.
So my question is, should I go through with braces, despite my family's objections? I think I might, but I'm really worried about this issue. Has anyone else dealt with unsupportive, meddlesome families when it came to orthodontic treatment?
I'm really sorry that this was so long, but thank you for hearing me out.
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