Genesis

A few nights ago, I developed an overwhelming urge to have my teeth corrected. For years, I've considered it off and on, but, five days before my 24th birthday, I decided that it was time to take the economic plunge.

Last year, I received an estimate from an orthodontist recommended by my dentist. His figure was somewhere in the vicinity of $13-15,000; I forget the precise number because once one eclipses $10,000 for corrective oral work, things become a bit of a blur.

The high figure ceased any leaning I'd had to begin the whole braces process until Tuesday evening. I decided then to get estimates from Sears dental and the Pitt dental school, and after weighing the costs and benefits of each, deciding on the one that seemed the best.

To my surprise, Sears' estimate was just under $5,000. Ok, $5,000 is a lot of money. A LOT of money. But let's put it in perspective: That's a bit more than a third of the initial projection, and half of what my new maximum expenditure was set at (at that point, the extreme option of tooth extraction and dentures would become disgustingly more tenable).

On Monday I'll be getting the second estimate. I hope it will be at least 10% lower. Actually, I think as an alumni of Pitt, I should get a discount. I won't, of course, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't.

I decided to blog about my experiences because hey, it's something that should be interesting. And by interesting I mean painful and frustrating, with a distant ending (2-3 years) of that almost-perfect smile.