How can I finance braces and jaw surgery in Singapore?

Thank you for sharing your photo. It does seem that a combination of orthodontics (braces) together with orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery) would be the ideal treatment for you.

For the braces treatment, most clinics would require a downpayment to cover some material cost once they are placed.

Perhaps you could enquire with regards to the minimum down payment required due to financial constraints? I'm sure some clinics will be open to customizing an installment plan just for you, to help you split up the payments.

It also depends on the type of braces you choose. Metal braces are more economical than ceramic (white) braces.

An alternative would be to seek a referral from the polyclinic to see an orthodontic resident at National Dental Centre or National University Hospital. Thereafter, if you are open to be placed on the training list and a waiting period of a few months to a year (this may vary), you will be able to receive a discounted rate at these institutions for orthodontic treatment by the orthodontic postgraduate residents, who are closely supervised by orthodontic specialists throughout the whole treatment. The cost will definitely be less than private clinics. You will need to contact them to enquire about the details of their installment plan.

With regards to the surgical fees, if you have an integrated shield plan (health insurance), your costs may be covered up to 100%. It depends on the type of plan you have, would be good to check with your insurance agent on this.

Hope this helps and all the best.

Kind regards,
Dr Geraldine Lee

There are various options:

1. Credit card installment plans - certain clinics have pre-arranged plans with the banks such that credit cards from those banks are allowed to enjoy interest free installment payments (the whole amount is charged on the card, and then the patient pays monthly to the bank).

2. In-clinic installments - I have heard that some clinics do allow direct installment payment arrangements, and as such, you would probably need to message a few more dental clinic to find out the possibilities about this.

It is after all not a life-changing or life-threatening condition, so a more sensible approach may be to just leave it alone for now (if it’s not causing major medical issues), and to go for the necessary surgery or braces only when you are working and able to finance them .