Oldest is getting braces at age 8, small set for front 6 teeth, will need braces later on in about 4-5 years also.

Orthodontist recommended taking only $500 of the $1,500 lifetime benefit via Aetna. I'm of the mind to take the full $1,500 now... life changes. New job, new provider at current job, time value of money etc. Anything I'm missing?

We had Aetna dental when mine needed braces. We were on the basic plan, so no orthodontia was covered. I was able to take advantage of a Limited Purpose FSA to at least save the tax on the cost. By the time I did the math on the premiums/lifetime benefit cap vs the tax savings, it was pretty much a wash (because we could have postponed the braces for a few months and upgraded our dental plan).

You do have to be on an HDHP with an HSA to be eligible for the LPFSA (and it's only for dental and vision expenses), but that might be another option to save a little money in the future. Just mentioning it because a lot of people don't know about it.

Thanks all

We used my insurance for braces round 1 & switched to spouse plan a few years later for round 2.