The source of this photo is Getty Images
Edin Ojobin has one problem: when she was a child, she had an accident that left her front teeth unstraight.
She has had that problem for years and never even smiles in public.
Ojo had already thought that she would not be able to undergo orthodontic treatment until 2022, but after receiving encouragement from two doctors, she began the project to restore her smile.
Speaking to BBC News Pidgin about the first time she heard about orthodontic solutions, she said: “I don’t remember the first time I heard about orthodontics. It was just something I knew about, about what was publicly known to solve your problems. Like, if your tooth gets a fever they tell you to take paracetamol. That’s just not happening.”
“So when I was ready, I went to see two doctors who told me I needed orthodontics and that orthodontics would fix the problem.”
But correcting the consequences of her childhood accident will not come cheap, with only about 70 specialists capable of carrying out the procedure, according to the Nigerian Association of Orthodontists.
She says: “I bought the metal braces because it was cheap for me. It cost me about 750,000 naira ($494) to get them. I also had to have four teeth removed, which was expensive in itself. In total it cost me about 900,000 naira ($508) to get them.”
Explaining why it is so costly, Mrs Ojo said: “I go to a private hospital for my treatment. I choose to keep it private so I arrange it when I come to the hospital to have my braces refastened.”
In Nigeria today, orthodontics is no longer a part of pride, and the pride is lost because if you get your teeth straightened in a private hospital instead of a public one, you become a “steez” even though the price is not that different.
But that’s not the only reason they want to have orthodontic treatment.
Mrs. Ojo explained, “In public hospitals, if you want to get one or two teeth straightened, you are given a specific day to come in. So I go to a private hospital because I want flexibility with my work schedule.”
The craze for orthodontic braces is like many of the media-generated fads.
Mary, a businesswoman who also has orthodontic treatment, told BBC News Pidgin that she first heard about orthodontics on TV.
She said, “That’s how I first learned about orthodontics on TV because I watched a lot of Disney Channel growing up, so I may have found out about orthodontics on one of the shows I followed.”
The source of this photo is Getty Images
Mary spoke about how her dental journey began, noting that as she grew up, she noticed that her teeth were falling apart. She revealed, “My teeth were falling apart and they were getting more and more apart over the years, so I started orthodontics. So, I decided to get my teeth straightened out.”
“I’m feeling a bit insecure. I can barely smile. I feel very, very strange about my teeth.”
Mary details how much she has paid so far to have her teeth checked during the cost process.
She says: “I spent a lot of money on this tooth. I had to first pay the orthodontist’s fees and then start the treatment. That cost me about 980,000 naira. I have to pay every six weeks for check-ups, rewiring and other procedures.”
But Mary hasn’t heard of any other options and believes orthodontics is the best choice to keep her teeth healthy.
“Braces are the only natural solution I can do to align my teeth. Other solutions are more technical and involve having surgery to get what are called veneers. I’m not interested in veneers at all because they look ugly and fake. But the most natural way to align your teeth is with braces,” she said.
But I make no mention of how these procedures affect people’s lives.
From diet restrictions to pain, two women being followed by BBC Newspidgin are documenting everything they’ve done – until one of them gives up.
Mary revealed, “The pain has mostly subsided. I was not financially or mentally prepared but physically for the amount of pain I would face when I was put on set. They would just put in separators to make space for the band. The pain lasted for a few weeks and there was discomfort.”
“Oh man, I’m not ready at all. I’m going to say the worst part is the pain because I can’t even cut for a while. I’ve pretty much dropped everything myself and I’m trying to confuse everyone but when the pain hits you you never stop.”
However, Mrs Ojo reveals: “The things you should chop are the obvious ones. Don’t chop hard things like shaki or coconut as you don’t want to break the brackets that hold the wires in place. If the brackets break, it will affect the movement of your teeth and how long you can wear the brackets.”
“Sometimes the wire gets stuck in my mouth and I have to tug it out to get it out of my face. I also like biting my partner up and down, but now I can never do that again,” she said with a laugh.
“Due to an accident when I was a child, my incisors were crooked and remained that way throughout primary school, middle school and college, and I was always thinking, ‘I need to get them fixed.'”
“I’m very self-conscious and I don’t like laughing with my mouth open, so I always laugh with my mouth closed or avoid having my picture taken altogether.”
Between fashion and medical orthodontics
Dr Key, a dentist at Kings Dental Clinic, said some people wear braces just for fashion.
“We recommend braces for straightening teeth. When people call us wanting braces, we ask them if they will use it as fashion because only doctors can recommend braces for straightening teeth. Some people buy disposable ones as fashion,” he said.
I believe they look at a variety of conditions and recommend that patients use it to correct minor dental irregularities.
Dr Keatock said doctors recommend ceramic or metal braces depending on any problems with the jaw or teeth, and patients go for regular check-ups until their teeth are aligned.
During the examination, I was told that they would check whether my teeth were aligned correctly and the movement of my teeth, mouth, jaw, and gums to determine whether orthodontic treatment was necessary.
“We look at the relationship of your jaw, teeth and other parts of your mouth to see if they’re aligned. Whether your teeth are aligned will depend on whether you can chew properly without biting your tongue and whether your teeth affect the way you chew and cut,” Dr Key told BBC News Pidgin.
Doctors said fees at public and private medical centers across Nigeria range from 700,000 naira ($460) to 1 million naira.
