Orthodontist: Say Aaahhhh! Open your mouth wider. Aaahhhh!
Patient: Uuurgghhh! Ogfftuurrr!
Orthodontist: Sorry, what did you say? Does it hurt? Just bear for a little while. About one hour.
Patient: Ooorgghrrwetugh! %^&*#$@!
The above could be a typical “conversation” if you want to have braces fitted.
Going by its popularity these days, wearing braces has become a sort of fashion statement among youngsters.
There’s so much pain and inconvenience but hey, it’s cool. They are willing to grit their teeth and put up with the prolonged agony. Often, a couple of teeth have to be extracted just for the top row.
That alone hurts like hell. Brave young people, I must say. Even going for scaling and just sitting in the dentist chair scares the daylights out of me. But then I was never the brave type.
Then you have to go on soft food for maybe a couple of weeks while living with the pain. This is followed by monthly visits for between one and three years to adjust the braces or replace the wire, whatever that means. More pain!
Not only are you in physical pain, it also hurts the pocket quite a bit.
A straightforward (no complications) fitting could set you back by at least RM5,000 to RM8,000.
So, unless absolutely necessary, it may not be a good idea. Thankfully, I didn’t go through this.
Yes, you can call me coward. At least it doesn’t hurt like having a set of braces fitted.
