Health Philippines Net

The cost of braces in the Philippines varies from dentist to dentist and from dental clinic to dental clinic.

My daughter has been wearing braces since last year, and I’m not satisfied with the work and how the dentist is handling the process. A big part of the cause of the dissatisfaction is scheduling, as my daughter now goes to college, and the times that she’s free, the dentist is not available. The dentist also has several cell phone numbers and has an assistant that’s always napapagalitan, so scheduling is not easy.

It’s my big regret that when we had the money to have our daughter’s teeth fixed with braces, I was fulfilling writing commitments, and I didn’t have time to research on the Internet and read about braces in the Philippines. I could have gotten some ideas about how braces are handled by dentists.

It’s not profitable complaining, so I would just rattle off some discoveries I’ve had about braces, and I hope these can help some readers who are planning to have their teeth fixed.

1.  Fixing teeth using braces is not easy.

In the past, I thought braces work like magic — that dentists will just put them there and after a few months, the teeth will line up according to where they should be. I found out that dentists also have to weigh things — will they pull one tooth or two teeth to make space? And take note, these are good teeth they’ll be removing. The decision should be the correct one.

They also need to check if the best thing to do is to move this certain tooth forward or backward. How will this align with the upper set of teeth? How will this process affect the shape of the mouth and the face? I had this idea that most dentists know all the answers. Now, I know, they’re just like us, dilly-dallying between moving this or moving that, etc.

2.  Complications can arise.

In my daughter’s case, more than a year into the brace process, her left and right lower molar teeth started growing, and of course, we could not predict how these will develop and how they’ll affect the current brace plan. The dentist vaguely mentioned dental surgery. I thought, “Now, we’ll research.”

3.  Agreed price is not written in stone.

This again depends on the dentist or the clinic. Perhaps a dental clinic with a more detailed paperwork is better, where the agreed total price is broken down into items and prices and which items are excluded from the total price.

What usually happens when we decide to have braces is to go around asking prices and then compare. We don’t realize that a number of dentists quote a lower price to attract patients, but then later charge patients for certain services or items needed.

Ask what the total price of the brace process includes. Does it include tooth removal, replacement of something that falls from the brace, the task of replacing an item that falls, and teeth cleaning? How about if a part of the brace falls every now and then? What kind of brace is to be used?

In my daughter’s case, we agreed on 50K for the whole brace process. Well, more than a year later, the process is not yet finished, but we have already spent about double that. We’re now looking at some more expenses, as we’re now thinking of having the process finished by another dentist. Besides, there’s the problem of the growing molars, so we’ll wait.

Photo Credits:

Top left photo by Steven Depolo, CC BY 2.0,
flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3017064909

Lower right photo by Dottie Mae, CC BY 2.0,
flickr.com/photos/dottiemae/5204477142

An OFW Philhealth transaction can be accomplished through an authorized representative. Kung OFW ka na currently nasa abroad, you can authorize your representative to do the following:

• Pay your premiums as OFW
• Register you as OFW member of Philhealth
• Renew your registration as OFW member
• Update your Member Data Form
• Sign your Philhealth Claim Form 1

Documents to be Presented by Authorized Representative:

1.  Authorization Letter from the Philhealth Member

Your letter needs to state the full name, complete address and contact number of your representative. It must also state what your representative is authorized to do and your reason for authorization.

Include also your full name and date of birth.

2.  Photocopy of any document proving that you are currently an OFW

Proof can be ANY of the following:

• Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC)
• Working visa
• Re-entry permit
• Employment contract
• Company ID issued by employer abroad
• Certificate of employment from employer abroad
• Cash remittance receipt from OFW at least 2 months prior to the date of renewal or payment
• ID or certificate issued to OFWs, such as HK ID, Iqama, Soggiorno
• Any other OFW proof, subject to Philhealth officer’s approval

3. Valid ID and photocopy of the ID of authorized representative

Documents to be Presented by Immediate Family and Relatives

1.  Valid ID of family member or relative

2.  Copy of proof of relationship to the Philhealth member, such as marriage certificate or birth certificate

3.  Photocopy of any document proving that the Philhealth member is currently an OFW

Family and Relatives refer to the following:

- Wife or husband
- Child aged 18 or older
- Parent (biological parent, step parent, or adoptive parent)
- Brother or sister aged 18 or above

Example of an Authorization Letter:

PHILHEALTH
Philippines

Dear Sir/Madam:

I, Maria Maganda, a Philhealth member with ID No. … (if availale), and an OFW currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, authorize my nephew John Masipag, residing at 885 Malinis Road, Progressive Homes, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, with telephone number 5546878, to do the following transactions with PHILHEALTH:

1. Update my Member Data Form
2. Request for my updated Member Data Form

or to Pay my Premiums for the period March 2012 to February 2013

Thank you very much.

Respectfully yours,

Maria Maganda
Philhealth No.

OFW – Riyadh, KSA

You can check out this Philhealth circular for more information:

Documents Required for Philhealth Membership as OFW