My upper teeth protruded a lot, so from 4th grade in elementary school I went to the dentist a lot for preliminary orthodontic treatment. They said if I did preliminary orthodontics, I wouldn’t need extractions, so I kept doing it, and after all my permanent teeth came in, I started full orthodontic treatment in the winter of 6th grade. I changed dental clinics from the main orthodontic treatment onward, but in the end I had a total of four teeth extracted + two screws placed for the braces! I think I used Clippy-C? (It was a long time ago, so I don’t remember well.) Other than when I had the extractions, there were no additional costs! I don’t remember the initial cost.. After finishing orthodontic treatment, I had a retainer made, and I lost it twice. They said they would charge me if I lost it again, but they never charged me even once ㅋㅋ And since then until now (early 20s), I’ve been living with a wire attached to the inside of my lower teeth and wearing my retainer every night ㅎㅎ
What I still remember is that while having braces, after they changed the wire midway, it hurt for exactly two days ㅠㅠ On the day I got the braces attached, I remember eating steak.. ㅎㅎ
I’m satisfied that I got orthodontic treatment! They say if it takes too short a time, the teeth tend to shift back more easily, so I think I did well by doing it for a long time when I was young ㅎㅎ Even now, it’s maintained just as it was then. It’s a general dental clinic(?), so I go for a checkup about once a year along with my dental exam, and they say I’m doing well with the retainer and adjust it little by little ㅎㅎ