Re: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:08:27 GMT, Jette <bosslady@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

David Friedman wrote:
mike weber <fairportfan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:25:32 -0700, David Friedman
<ddfr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jette <bosslady@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

eah, in the UK up till fairly recently dentists would only consider
braces for teeth for actual _problems_ such as badly misaligned teeth,
whereas in the US fixing purely cosmetic problems seemed to be more
accepted. Probably because in the UK our generation mostly got our
dentistry on the NHS who weren't too concerned with our vanity,
whereas in the US they have always had private dentists. When you're
paying for it you might as well go the whole hog and have teeth that
look as good as they work.

I don't follow the final part of that. If you have the choice between
straightening your teeth for cosmetic purposes or not doing so, I would
think the fact that you would have to pay for the straightening would
make you less likely to do so, not more.

If you're already paying, say, $500 for something, an additional $150
(made-up numbers having no known relevance to orthodonty) doesn't seem
as bad as, say, $300 to start for scratch on the extra.

$150 isn't as bad as $300. But Jette wrote "when you're paying for it,"
which seemed to imply that the alternative was not paying for it. In
your hypothetical, the alternative is paying even more for it.

Well, you guys seem to pay through the nose for it. In fact you seem
to pay through the nose for all your health related items. Even for
children - and braces are usually issued to children, who wouldn't be
charged for _remedial_ work in the UK. (cosmetic work, yes)

Doctors work for free in the UK? I think not. There Ain't No Such
Thing As A Free Lunch.

As for the comment that we "seem to pay through the nose for all your
health related items," I can only state that I've gotten more than a
$100,000 billable worth of medical care over the past year (likely
more than $175,000) and it has cost me directly (out of pocket) less
than $200. Now, starting in May, I pay $201 most months for cancer
related treatments (Medicaid), but the diabetes and HBP stuff (and, to
be fair, everything but the cancer care - Veteran's Administration) is
still free out of pocket to me.
--
"...you know, it seems to me you suffer from the problem of
wanting a tailored fit in an off the rack world."
Dennis Juds
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Ive seen things you people wouldnt believe...
    ... braces for teeth for actual _problems_ such as badly misaligned teeth, whereas in the US fixing purely cosmetic problems seemed to be more accepted. ... Probably because in the UK our generation mostly got our dentistry on the NHS who weren't too concerned with our vanity, whereas in the US they have always had private dentists. ... When you're paying for it you might as well go the whole hog and have teeth that look as good as they work. ... If you have the choice between straightening your teeth for cosmetic purposes or not doing so, I would think the fact that you would have to pay for the straightening would make you less likely to do so, not more. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
  • Re: Ive seen things you people wouldnt believe...
    ... braces for teeth for actual _problems_ such as badly misaligned teeth, whereas in the US fixing purely cosmetic problems seemed to be more accepted. ... When you're paying for it you might as well go the whole hog and have teeth that look as good as they work. ... Even for children - and braces are usually issued to children, who wouldn't be charged for _remedial_ work in the UK. ... Jette Goldie ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
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