Getting Ceramic Braces In Singapore: What It's Like
My teeth have always been super problematic ever since I was a teenager. My teeth were very crooked and some of them actually switched places. At 24, I still had about two of my baby teeth that just wouldn't come out. Because of this, my teeth were really cramped and it was hard to brush my teeth properly as they were all overlapping each other. My gums were also quite inflamed as well and bled often.
I actually wanted to get braces ever since I was a teen, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. First, because braces are so expensive, and second because they take so long. And of course, I really don't like visiting the dentist and I was scared of the pain. But in late 2019 my cousin got his braces done and after seeing the changes it did to his teeth, I convinced myself to get braces too.
My cousin had ceramic braces so I decided to get them too. So there are ceramic braces and metal braces - ceramic braces are typically more comfortable to wear than metal ones and are less abrasive so they don't irritate your gums or the sides of your mouth too much. I really wanted my braces journey to be a comfortable one, so I decided to pay the premium for ceramic braces.
I decided to get my ceramic braces at Q & M Dental Surgery, the one at Tampines 1. Apparently, not all Q & M clinics do ceramic braces, and it just so happened that my cousin who lives at Tampines at the time was lucky enough to have a dentist at that outlet that did them. The dentist was also known to be one of the best when it came to braces, and he was also very quick. Notably, my cousin took off his braces in less than a year.
The extraction
So I booked an appointment and went down to the clinic by myself on a gloomy, rainy afternoon. My dentist, Dr Sathy, was a strict but friendly guy. I got an x-ray and a mould of my teeth done, and he told me that I would have to remove my baby teeth and some others as well due to the overcrowding. In total, I had to get five teeth removed. Trust me, I almost fainted when I heard that!
I decided to get my teeth extracted on that day, immediately. I was literally shaking in the chair! First, I had to get a local anaesthesia shot injected into my mouth. I can't remember exactly, but I had at least six shots. The first one or two stung a little, but once the numbness set it, the next few shots were painless. I could not even feel my face.
Dr Sathy proceeded to extract my teeth and honestly, I did not feel any pain except some pressure, as if someone was tugging on my teeth. I dare say I felt zero pain. He was also really quick and all five of my teeth were gone in under ten minutes.
Once my teeth were extracted, I was told to come back in two days to get the braces fitted. I also made a lump-sum payment of about S$2k excluding taxes. Since I decided to get braces done the same day I went to get my consultation, my dentist kindly offset my consultation fees. The total amount to be paid was S$4.5k excluding taxes, and I would later pay installations every month. I could choose to pay more or less during each visit as well. Once I finished paying the entire amount in full, I could just continue with my visits without paying anything.
I remember the journey home from the clinic after the extraction was a mess. I was given a mask because my face was puffy and my mouth was still bleeding, but the blood was so much that it oozed through the mask. I looked like a zombie. I also couldn't really breathe properly as the anaesthesia was so strong, and I had mucus running down my nose because I couldn't control my nose muscles!
After about an hour, I could finally feel my face again. There wasn't much pain after that and the swelling was mild too. Eating was okay and I didn't feel very uncomfortable.
The ceramic braces fitting process
I came back for my braces fitting two days later. Putting on the braces was definitely uncomfortable, and in the spirit of being honest, I have to admit it was painful. First, my dentist did a deep clean of my teeth - which hurt like hell especially when he cleaned tartar in the gaps between my teeth and gums. Then he proceeded to glue the brackets onto my teeth. A small amount of glue is applied onto the centre of each teeth to attach the bracket, and then the dentist shined this blue light on it to set the glue. After this, he put in some bands around some of my teeth and attached the archwires. Up till now, there was a little pain and some discomfort as I could feel my teeth being tightened, and it felt very unnatural.
I can't remember when exactly, but at one point he also glued some thingies called bite blocks onto the last teeth at the back of my mouth. These are supposed to help your teeth move into the correct alignment and prevent you from biting off the brackets on your braces.
Braces during the first two months
During the first two weeks, I couldn't eat anything except soup and when I touched my teeth, I felt a sharp pain. I couldn't eat rice or bread or cereal, and because of this, I lost a lot of weight. But eating was not the worst part. At night, I often had this weird reflex where my jaw would instinctively clench up and I would just bite down on my teeth. I think this happened probably because I was not used to the prohibiting feeling that braces had on my mouth. This woke me up because it was so effing painful and I would literally tear up. Sometimes my face would swell from the pain too.
Brushing my teeth was another ordeal. I was encouraged to brush my teeth immediately after all meals to keep my teeth and braces clean at all times. I did do this quite religiously at first but I became lazy after a while LOL. But during the early weeks brushing my teeth was quite painful as my teeth could not stand even the littlest pressure.
In two months, I could see that the braces were slowly changing my face shape as well. My face became sharper and my cheekbones also became more defined. This was the one silver lining for me because I always disliked my rounded face!
During the third month, I could finally eat solid food! The first solid food I had was sushi as it was soft and I didn't have to chew so much. I got used to chewing more on my back teeth which made eating hurt less and often used my tongue to press the food a few times, making it mushier before swallowing.
Monthly braces tightening
I visited my dentist monthly to have my braces tightened. During the first six months, the tightening was a lot more painful and I would typically not be able to eat one or two days after. However, this would get less painful in time.
My dentist would always scold me for not brushing my teeth well and proceed to do the very painful cleaning of my teeth. It's definitely my fault because I don't brush my teeth properly! After a few months, I decided that the pain of getting my teeth cleaned was not worth it, so I brushed my teeth better.
Braces during the last six months
The last two months were a breeze! Tightening became less painful and Dr Sathy only needed to make minor tweaks to my teeth. Sometimes he would tighten just the upper or lower row. I was also given some rubber bands to better align my teeth, and I had to leave them on except during meals. I hated these rubber bands because they were so difficult to put on, and sometimes I would accidentally swallow them as well!
My teeth were quite stubborn and it took them a long time to move. My dentist initially projected that it would take me a year to get them straightened, but I ended up needing an extra year. There were also specific teeth that just wouldn't budget and it was quite annoying. About six months before my braces were taken off, my teeth midline started to shift a little and Dr Sathy had to make some adjustments as well.
Braces monthly progression
I took pictures of my teeth every month to see how they have progressed! Looking at these pictures gave me a lot of motivation to continue with the process.
Braces removal
After 24 months, I could finally take my braces off! I was so excited and ecstatic. The good news is that removing the braces is not painful at all. Ceramic braces are also easier to remove compared to metal ones. The removal process is quite straightforward, as the dentist will literally use pliers to rip them off your teeth. It sounds a lot scarier than it actually is.
My teeth felt so light after my braces were removed! It even felt weird! Weird but so so good. Later, my teeth were polished and filed to remove the chipped edges and make everything more aligned.
My teeth were cleaned again thoroughly which again hurt like hell, and then it was time to get the mould of my teeth for the retainers. I really did not like this process! The putty thingy that they put into my mouth made me gag quite a bit, and once it hardened, it was taken out to show an impression of my teeth.
The retainers
I had to come back in a week to get my retainers, and I was taught how to put them on and take them off. I have to use the retainers for the rest of my life to keep my teeth in check, but thankfully, I only need to have them on at night. Retainers aren't comfortable at all but you will get used to them eventually! No matter how tempted I am to skip a night of putting them on, I always remind myself that the consequence of not doing so - my teeth potentially becoming crooked again - was not worth it.
Beauty is pain but it's worth it
As painful and troublesome as getting braces are, I do not regret my decision because my teeth are absolutely perfect now. The result was definitely worth the pain and the money! I know that my experience may potentially scare some of you from getting braces, so I want to reiterate that the most painful months are usually the ones in the beginning, with the later months being much easier. Different people also have different pain tolerance so getting braces may be less painful for you.
Ultimately, whether you think you should get braces or not comes down to how bad the state of your teeth is. If they're bleedy and crooked like mine was, then getting braces will definitely change your life. If you have a single crooked tooth that doesn't really affect how you look, perhaps you should save yourself the trouble.
Thanks for reading this post until the end, and I'll see you next post!
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