If your child needs braces, you are likely looking at a bill for several thousand dollars. Many parents in League City assume that “child support” only covers food and clothes. In Texas, the law actually treats dental care as a separate, shared cost between parents.
How parents share the bill
Under Texas law, child support orders include rules for sharing “unreimbursed” dental expenses. These are the costs left over after insurance pays its part. For braces to be a shared expense, they generally must be reasonable and necessary.
Most of the time, judges in Galveston and Harris counties order a 50/50 split for these extra costs. However, this is not a strict rule. A judge can order a different split—like 60/40—if one parent makes significantly more money than the other. You must check your specific court decree to see exactly how your costs are divided.
Are braces always covered?
While most parents agree that straight teeth are important, braces are not always automatically covered. If one parent argues that the braces are only for looks and not for health, a judge may have to decide if they are truly necessary.
Many Texas court orders explicitly list “orthodontic charges” as a shared expense. If your order is silent on braces, you may need to show they are a necessary dental expense under Texas Family Code.
Why the date of your divorce matters
Texas updated its laws regarding dental support a few years ago. Because of this, the date your order was signed changes what the other parent is required to do.
- Orders after September 1, 2018: These must include specific rules for dental support, provided insurance is available at a “reasonable cost.”
- Older Orders: If your divorce happened before 2018, your order might only talk about medical bills. It may not legally require the other parent to pay for braces yet.
In Texas, dental insurance is considered a reasonable cost if the total premium for all children under the order does not exceed 1.5% of the parent’s annual resources. If insurance is too expensive, the court might set up a different way to handle the costs.
Finding help with dental costs
Sharing the cost of braces should not be a battle. While following a 30-day notice is the only way to guarantee enforcement, a court may still order reimbursement for late claims if the delay was reasonable and did not financially harm the other parent.
If your ex-spouse refuses to pay their share, or if your old order does not mention dental care, you have options. An experienced attorney can help you understand if you need to modify your child support order to include dental support.