Braces (PART 2) - Confirmation

If you have read PART 1 of my braces journey, you would have known that I went to 2 clinics for consultation on braces treatment.

Continuing where I left off, I decided to go with Dr Tan from A Line since his rate was cheaper and also due to the reassurance that I was given when I went for consultation at his clinic.

I was then guided to take an x-ray followed by making a mould of my teeth before further assessment by Dr Tan.

From the x-ray, Dr Tan also confirms that I would have to extract the 2 milk teeth before I can proceed with the braces treatment.

He referred me to another dental specialist at Camden Medical Centre for the extraction, as he doesn't provide extraction services at his clinic. I presume because he's too busy with the amount of patients looking for him for braces treatment.

The clinic assistant will also help to call and make an appointment for the extraction at Camden Medical Centre as well, so it is pretty fuss free for me. Do let them know if you have any specific dates/time you want else they will just go ahead with the earliest slot possible.

The total cost that I was quoted for the braces treatment was $$3,852 (including GST). 

I was told to pay $120 on the same day I did my consultation and x-ray + mould, followed by $1,732 on the second appointment. Subsequently it will be $100 per returning visit.

Do note that extraction is not included in the quote for braces treatment, they are paid separately.

I'll post about how the extraction went in another post.

Keeping Yourself Hydrated

How many of you out there are actually drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water everyday?

credit: Google

Well, I used to be one of them.

I dislike drinking water in the past because I was annoyed with the idea of going to the wash room every 30 mins or 1 hour. And so in order to reduce the frequency of going to the wash room, I reduced the intake of water.

I probably started to notice how dehydrated I was when I saw dry and flaky patches on my face and body. At the same time I was also dealing with indigestion. My stomach always feels bloated after dinner and will last till lunch the next day.

So I decided to make a change when I started working.

I bought a Nalgene water bottle (1000ml) for myself as when when a friend of mine wanted one for Christmas.

credit: Amazon

Reason being, I tend to skip drinking water when the bottle is empty during days when I'm extremely busy. And the problem with smaller water bottle is I have to make more trips to refill them.

Getting a 1000ml big bottle will definitely solve these problems.

After switching from a small bottle to a big bottle, I usually only refill the bottle about 2-3 times a day. 1000ml can last me about 3 hours to about half a day, depending on how busy I am with my work.

My dry and flaky skin is better now, but I still need to moisturise every now and then (as I work and sleep in an air-conditioned room). I also saw improvement in my digestive system as I don't get bloated as often as I used to in the past.

So do you think you should start drinking more water now?

Braces (PART 1) - Researching

1.5 year ago, after I was sort of more financially stable with my job I decided to go ahead with my plan to get braces done. 

In fact I've been thinking to get braces done since I was in secondary school. Partially because I did an x-ray back then and was told that I have 2 milk teeth that didn't have adult root (in short there will not be any adult teeth growing out after the milk teeth falls out on their own). 

The 2 solutions that was given to me back then was either to go for dental implant or to get braces done. Since dental implant will be costly, I thought I might want to opt for braces instead. So I did some research for both public and private sector and finally found a few recommended orthodontist to go to.

1. NUH (no fixed orthodontic for returning visits)

My brother went there for his braces at a subsidized rate so he was able to provide me with the contact. But the waiting list to get an appointment was 1 year, hence I gave up the idea even though it was cheaper.

2. Dr Alfred Cheng, Alfred Cheng Orthodontic Clinic 

Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre 3 Mount Elizabeth, #03-03

Singapore 228510
Phone: 6735 5635

Getting braces done here is $3,800 before GST. They don't charge consultation fee hence you can just book an appointment to see if you're suitable for braces and how long the treatment will take.

I went ahead to make an appointment since it's free. Making an appointment for weekends is quite tough (since they only open half day on Saturday and closed on Sundays) so I had to choose a weekday instead. It is a little inconvenient for working adults since you will have to take leave to go for the appointment.

(Note: From making the appointment until actual day of appointment takes about 1.5 weeks as they have a very packed schedule.)

On the actual day of appointment, Dr Alfred Cheng confirms that I have 2 milk teeth and will have to be extracted if I would like to proceed with the braces treatment.

He also recommends that I do a jaw surgery as he thinks that my upper jaw is more protruding than my lower jaw. It seems to me that he wasn't convinced the effect will be prominent after braces (without surgery).  Moreover he felt that the problem lies with the jaw instead of the teeth.

I left the clinic thinking that I will probably have to give up on the braces treatment since the jaw surgery is a major surgery which will alter your appearance. And I am pretty reluctant to go ahead with it (so is my mum). Hence I decided to seek a second opinion on this instead.

3. Dr Tan Lam Seng, A Line Dental Braces Clinic

1 Coleman Street #03-01
The Adelphi Singapore 179803
Phone:6837 2722

After the scare of the jaw surgery (see point 2 above), I was pretty dejected that I wouldn't be able to get braces treatment done.

However on my actual day of appointment with Dr Tan, I was reassured by him that I can proceed with the braces treatment without a jaw surgery. He was also pretty confident that I will still be able to get straight and pretty teeth after the treatment.

Moreover, Dr Tan braces treatment is slightly cheaper then Dr Alfred Cheng at a rate of $3,600 before GST. Do note that they charge consultation fee on first visit if you've decided not to go ahead with the treatment at their clinic. Else the consultation fee will be included in the package for the braces treatment.

I'll continue this in another post on which clinic I chose. Read PART 2 here!