Well, the time appears to be fast approaching, our first born is going to get braces. The poor kid will have them for a couple of years AND he’s a trumpet player. Ouch.

The other ouch is the cost. We haven’t had our final consultation yet, but the early estimate is about $5000 plus the $400 evaluation today and then retainers when they come off. I’d heard rumors to this effect, but hearing it straight from the dentist and knowing the quick timeline it still took my breath away. We don’t have dental insurance, every plan available was basically only going to cover an equivalent to what we paid in premiums (the caps are shockingly low… $1500?), and I can do that on my own.

And then I thought about Samaritan and their special prayer needs. I’ve seen dental needs come through my SPN list many times. Now I really know why! 🙂 In the event we can’t save enough to cover this on our own it’s so comforting to know that we could submit an SPN for it and have at least some of that cost shared by others. I’m pretty sure not all, but anything is a help, even if it’s just a few hundred dollars. We’ve been saving for this for a while, but it’s mixed in with our other medical savings, so hopefully the well doesn’t run dry. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to know about Samaritan’s SPN option, and to know that if we weren’t Samaritan members we’d really be stuck.

For the 800th time, thank you Lord for leading us to Samaritan Ministries!