We went the monthly payment route for our daughter's braces, mostly because our ortho's upfront discount wasn't quite enough to justify the big hit to our savings. Honestly, it felt less stressful spreading it out over time, even though I knew we'd pay a bit more overall. I guess it depends on your comfort level with dipping into savings versus managing monthly expenses.
Funny thing is, when my son needed braces two years later, we had a different ortho who offered a much better upfront discount—so we bit the bullet and paid upfront that time. It was tight for a couple months (goodbye vacation fund...), but looking back, I'm glad we did it. Saved us a nice chunk of change in the long run.
So yeah, I'd say it's really about weighing your current financial situation against how much you value immediate savings. Both ways have their perks and downsides.
"Honestly, it felt less stressful spreading it out over time, even though I knew we'd pay a bit more overall."
I completely relate to this. I'm about to get braces myself (finally... adulting at its finest), and the upfront cost is giving me mild heart palpitations. Even though the ortho offered a decent discount for paying upfront, the thought of seeing my savings account take such a sudden nosedive makes me anxious. Spreading it out monthly seems like it'd ease my anxiety quite a bit, even if it's not technically the cheapest route.
Funny enough, my coworker recently shared a similar story—she initially went monthly but regretted not paying upfront when she realized how much she could've saved. Still, I think peace of mind counts for something too. Like you said, it's really about balancing your financial comfort with potential savings. Now if only braces came with a free side of stress relief...
We went monthly too, mostly because seeing that huge chunk disappear at once felt way too intimidating. Honestly, spreading it out made the whole braces journey feel more manageable—especially since our kiddo needed other dental work later on. Peace of mind is worth a little extra, IMO.
We ended up paying monthly as well, though I did briefly consider the upfront option (mostly because my inner cheapskate loves a good discount). But after needing a surprise root canal halfway through, monthly payments suddenly felt like genius-level foresight... dental bills have zero chill.
"dental bills have zero chill."
Seriously, learned that the hard way myself. I initially leaned toward upfront payment too—spreadsheets and budgeting apps open, crunching numbers obsessively—but then anxiety kicked in about unexpected dental drama. Sure enough, wisdom teeth removal popped up mid-treatment... monthly payments saved my sanity.
