I got braces in Baguio, Philippines in July 2024, and it’s been six months since then.
I paid a pretty reasonable amount, and it has definitely been inconvenient for my daily life. But honestly, it’s been a lot of hard work, and I’m seeing improvement little by little.
I’m sharing this to give you a heads-up about the challenges you might face during the first six months of your braces journey.
Cost, treatment, frequency of visits
I’ll give a quick review of my braces experience.
I’ve got wire braces, which is the most common method. They attach metal wires to the surface of the teeth.
Here in the Philippines, wire braces are pretty much the only option.
At first, the dentist said I should go for two years, but since I didn’t know how long I’d be in Baguio, I decided to go for one year.
The fee was 50,000 pesos plus more for each visit.
Here are the x-rays taken before the orthodontic treatment. The issues are “alignment of teeth” and “buried canine teeth”.
I go to the clinic once every three weeks for adjustments (tightening and adjusting the wires)
If I need to do any other treatment, I’ll consult and pay for it on each visit.
Record: 0-1 month
Regular diet is the biggest challenge.
The first month was tough…. The first thing I struggled with was not being able to use my front teeth.
My teeth are held in place by wires, and my front teeth in particular hurt just by touching food.
So, I cut the food into bite-sized pieces and then carefully put them in my mouth and chewed them. I had no choice but to eat that way.
This was further exacerbated by the Filipino food.
Here in the Philippines, many dishes are made with chicken.
Because of its elasticity, it is very difficult to finely chop and chew. …. It took me almost twice as long to eat as it did before my braces.
As if to add to the problem, I also began to feel a sense of discomfort in my mouth.
It was like something was always stuck in the gap between my teeth. It is just a wire, but the discomfort does not go away….
It was very stressful and frustrating not to be able to identify the cause.
Bracket came off…
After about five days of having a hard time eating, something hard suddenly appeared in my mouth.
It was the bracket that holds the wire in place. Normally, they are attached to the surface of the teeth with adhesive and cannot be removed.
Naturally, the doctor had told me that they rarely came off, but after only a few days, they fell off….
When they fall off, the wire floats in the air, which is annoying and can stick in the gums.
This happened so often that I found myself going to the clinic every week instead of the original schedule of once every three weeks.
Record: 1-2 month
Brackets kept coming off
The brackets continued to come off after one month.
They kept coming off in the same place every time, and the one in the back right part of my mouth didn’t last very long.
It seems that my original habit of biting was the cause.
It looks like years of chewing with my braces in the wrong position created a strange habit that was putting pressure on the bracket, which shouldn’t touch during chewing.
Looking back on my life up to now, it has been as long as 20 years since my teeth changed from baby teeth to permanent teeth.
I have never been conscious of the correct way to chew, and now that I am here, I am reminded of the strange habits I had.
And every time a bracket comes off, I have to pay a follow-up fee.
It costs 500 pesos to reattach it, and 800 pesos to lose the unit.
There was no additional charge for the weekly visits, but the cost of the additional bracket eventually added up to about 2,000 pesos.
Getting used to the discomfort in my mouth.
Regarding the discomfort in the mouth that I suffered in the first month, I finally got used to it here in the second month.
The key to overcoming it is to clean it with a toothpick after every meal.
It’s a simple method, but it works.
One day, after using a toothpick and a stand mirror, the discomfort was gone.
I still use a toothpick and a stand mirror after meals, and I really don’t think I could do without it.I didn’t used to use toothpicks after meals, and I didn’t think of this idea easily.
Toothpicks are also available in Baguio.I found one with Japanese packaging at a store like DAISO in Japan.
It was 22 pesos for 400 toothpicks, which is reasonable.
First wire adjustment
First wire adjustmentIt’s been a month since I last adjusted the wire. It’s pretty straightforward.
It’s just untie the wire holding the teeth down and then tighten it again.
This adjusts the teeth to their ideal position and orientation.
Then comes the pain and discomfort of getting used to the new position again. It was tough at first, but I got used to it within the first week this time.
Record: 2-3 month
Putting the ring over the teeth
The bracket was coming off all the time, but it got a bit more stable in the second month.
It was coming off about once every three weeks, but it did get more stable. Sometimes it would come off a few hours after.
I put it back in.After a while, the doctor said I should wear a ring on my teeth.
The idea was to put a metal ring around the tooth and tie a wire to it, as you can see in the photo.
At first, this seems like a very outlandish idea, but it used to be a common practice in the past.
We decided to try whatever we could do, so we immediately introduced it.
As it turned out, the situation was better, and I quickly got used to the discomfort.
I’ve had it in my mouth since I put it on, and I still have it now.
The stress of eating is reduced.
As I wrote, the daily eating part was really stressful.
When I couldn’t chew all the way through, I was swallowing more and more often, and the shape stayed the same.
This put a lot of pressure on my digestive organs, like my stomach, esophagus, and intestines.
After a while, my chewing ability came back.
By the second or third month, I was eating the same amount of food in one bite and chewing the same amount as before my braces.
However, it was a process. My front teeth took the longest to get used to it, and it hurt when I put too much pressure on them. I’m still struggling with foods that have sticks attached, like hamburgers and ice cream, and grilled chicken skewers.
Record: 2-3 month
Extraction of upper teeth
So far, we’ve only talked about the wire braces. Now, let’s talk about a new treatment, “tooth extraction“.
When your jaws are small, it’s hard to get your teeth in the right place. So, I had to pull out the teeth that are in the way.
In the photo, you can see the two teeth we’re going to pull.
I’ve got another reason for getting them taken out, though.
The tooth on the right (the canine) is buried in my gums because there’s not enough space, and I’ve got to pull that one.
To be honest, I’d rather not pull that tooth if I can help it. It’ll definitely hurt, and it’s in the Philippines.
But it was the only time I could do it, and I was prepared to do it.
If you’re not into the whole painful topic, skip to the 4th or 5th month.
[Caution] Tooth extraction
First, they gave me partial anesthesia, which involves putting a liquid anesthetic on your gums to numb them.
Then, when that’s taking effect, they inject a second anesthetic.
While it definitely hurts, it’s more of a dull ache than a sharp pain. Luckily, it wasn’t as intense as I thought it’d be.Once the anesthesia wore off, it was time to pull the tooth.
The doctor pulled out a pair of pliers.
He held the tooth tightly and started to pull it out by rocking it back and forth, like pulling out a nail.
After a minute or two of being squeezed, the tooth was out of my mouth in no time.
I didn’t feel any pain, but I did feel a strong sense of loss, as if everything that had been there was suddenly gone.
バギオでの歯科矯正生活1か月目🦷
— 🇵🇭はふた | バギオ留学 | 30歳脱サラ(仮) (@haveto_nainani) August 8, 2024
ついに矯正に伴う抜歯の日。人生を振り返ってみても、今まで経験したことない気がする…。
麻酔ブスリ、歯ゴリゴリな感じと思うと、恐々としていましたが、思った以上に痛くなかった。
良いドクターに出会えたようで良かった…！(抜歯1本、1000ペソ) pic.twitter.com/CWZtWWpwGm
The two extractions took about 45 minutes.
This time, the doctor was very skillful, and I was able to finish without any pain after the procedure except for the moment of anesthesia injection.
Even the teeth that were supposed to be used for the rest of my life, they fell out more easily than I thought, huh?
I was left with only a slightly naïve feeling in my heart.
Record: 2-3 month
Hospital visits to once every three weeks.
I was going in once a week, but after three months, the brackets stopped coming off, so I could go in once every three weeks, as planned.
The more visits I made, the more improvement I saw, and the more I couldn’t wait for the next procedure.
I was nervous about the pain in my back right tooth that seemed to be acting on a nerve.
It was a weird sensation, like a tingle and a swoosh, especially when I ate, brushed my teeth, or did anything that involved my teeth.
It felt like a cavity, but I wasn’t sure.
I was kind of worried about how long it would last, but by the fourth month, I didn’t feel it at all.
It was probably just temporary, happening when the tooth was trying to move.
Could it be a cavity? I almost thought it was a cavity, but I was relieved when the pain went away.
Expander introduced.
After getting a tooth pulled last month, a new tool was used this time. This time, an expander was used.
It’s a kind of mouthpiece. When we think of braces, we tend to think of something that pulls the teeth inward from the outside, such as correcting protruding teeth, but this one is designed to expand the teeth outward from the inside.
My lower teeth seem to be tilted inward, so I need to make them wider. To do that, I need to have it made for myself, which cost 1,500 pesos. He asked me to wear it every day for about following one months.
When I’m actually wearing the device, there’s no particular “pain or suffering.” But it’s still pretty uncomfortable. I also couldn’t put my tongue against my lower teeth, and my speech got all slurred. The doctor told me to wear it every day, as much as possible, but I had to take it off when I spend a lot of time talking at work.
Record: 5-6 month
Back to the nomal days
Since I started braces, I’ve been trying new things, and now that I’m at six months, I can live my life without any restrictions.The brackets don’t come off, and I don’t feel any nerve pain in my teeth.
Right now, I’m working on getting the right dentition through adjustments every three weeks. Happy to say that I’m slowly but surely getting the hang of eating with my front teeth. Now, can eat “hamburgers” and “ice cream sticks,” which were a no-go for me at first!
Was the braces effective?
I hope I’ve made it clear how tricky the correction was, but what matters is whether it worked. I’d like to show you how much better it is, but don’t have many clear pictures. I found a photo where you can see the obvious difference, so post it here.
歯列矯正の経過。[閲覧注意]
— 🇵🇭はふた | バギオ留学 | 30歳脱サラ(仮) (@haveto_nainani) October 6, 2024
バギオで歯列矯正を始めて約3か月、目に見えて変化がありました。
上の歯は2本抜歯。
下の歯は外側に押し広げるマウスピース的なのを着けてます。
慣れましたが、不便ですね…。(本音)
慣れましたが、早く外したいですね…。(本音) pic.twitter.com/MyLRn6WKBR
Before braces, the lower teeth were kind of uneven, but after less than six months, they were all nice and straight. And the canine teeth, which had been hiding under the gums, have also improved. They’ve come down to the same height as the other teeth.
The goal is to balance out the space created by the tooth extraction.Then, I’ll make sure the teeth are aligned properly.
Conclusion
In this issue, I’ve given you an update on my recent start with braces in Baguio, Philippines.
It’s been a busy time, with a new challenge every month.
Looking back, I was pretty anxious about whether I’d be able to make it through the first month or two. Now, six months later, there’s nothing to be afraid of, and I don’t feel stressed.
However. I’ll still need to take care of myself every day. I’m really looking forward to the day when I can live my life without wearing anything. I think there will be fewer big changes and events in the future, but let you know if I experience any changes.
See you soon!