A Smile Is a Luxury
We’re taught to chase flawless teeth—but for many Filipinos, oral care remains out of reach. Their smiles remind us that beauty isn’t found in perfection, but in access, confidence, and dignity.
“Uy sosyal, naka-braces!” It was the constant comment I heard when I showed off my new turquoise brackets back in elementary school. I still recall the feeling of power my braces gave me, even if I couldn’t properly eat, nor hide my aching pain.
The new, “cool” appearance I got from wearing braces gave me a boost. Plus, being able to request it—and get it—at such a young age made me good about myself. At around PHP 30,000 (back then), the price gave me a sense of contentment, knowing that my parents were willing to spend that much just so I could have better teeth.
But as I grew older, I realized that not everyone was willing to pay the price for a healthy set of pearly whites, especially when it amounts to more than the country’s monthly average salary.
Beyond our quest for bright, alluring smiles lies an even more striking picture—one where neglected dental checkups transform into chronic issues, and one where oral health reveals itself to have deeper roots than just a random cavity.
The systemic gap
College student Hanna Rivera can still remember how much of a financial burden it was for her family.
“I remember na isa-isang natatanggal and nauuga ‘yung ngipin ko and never akong nadala ng magulang ko to a dentist kasi ang mahal,” she says. (“I was losing my teeth one by one, but my parents never brought me to a dentist, because it was expensive.”)
It wasn’t out of a lack of willingness. Despite wanting to, Rivera and her family had other priorities. “Food, education, school supplies. Those were the things I prioritized over dental care,” she says.
Rivera’s case isn’t isolated nor anything new. Filipinos, in general, find it difficult to incorporate dental care into their meager monthly budget, a dilemma that Steve Mark Gan, DMD, founder of GAOC Dental knows all too well.
“Good dental oral care… is usually [about] economics,” Dr. Gan tells Allure Philippines. “Dental health care or oral health care in the [Philippine] public sector is not really covered, unlike in some places in the U.K. or Europe or in Canada, where it’s basically covered by most insurances or public insurances.”
The Philippine Dental Association, in its most recent study, records that seven out 10 Filipinos suffer from tooth decay, which translates to 72 percent of the entire population. Also known as dental caries, tooth decay forms from acids that break down the enamel or the outer layer of the teeth, causing cavities.
And some cases become much more than a toothache. “Recently, I did a surgery on an 18-year-old and he had a wisdom tooth that developed a cyst. The cyst basically expanded all the way near the orbital area, or the eye,” Dr. Gan recalls.
Decay can definitely run bone deep—not just in our teeth, but in the system that should be supporting our oral health.
Jharwin Castañeda
Early neglect
Before visits to the orthodontist, my family would tell me I already had braces. They were, in fact, my decayed set of teeth—brownish and grayish in color, looking similar to dental brackets.
Like my rather innocent case, many Filipino children also fall victim to dental neglect and a lack of early intervention, an issue that Fina Gupit-Lopez, DMD, president of the Pediatric Dentistry Center Philippines (PDCP), is seeking to eradicate.
Oral health doesn’t have to start only after the child is born. “We want to even go further back and inform pregnant mothers,” says Dr. Lopez. This is because many parents see baby teeth as a “placeholder,” instead of an actual part of their children’s health. Ever heard the phrase “Gaganda tubo niyan kapag nabulok?” (“That tooth will grow well after it rots.”) For Dr. Lopez, these harmful myths discourage parents from taking pediatric dental care seriously.
“That’s why we advocate for seeing children by age one, because by age one, kalalabas lang ng teeth six months ago,” explains Dr. Lopez, emphasizing simple acts of prevention. “What we want is to teach parents how to brush [their children’s] teeth.”
Band-aid solutions
Rivera still recalls the chronic pain from not being able to consult with a dentist. “Sobrang sakit niya talaga to the point na lagi akong umiiyak sa mother ko, kaso wala [siyang] magagawa kasi walang pambayad sa dentista,” she shares. (“I cried to my mother, but she couldn’t do anything about it, because we couldn’t afford a dentist.”)
To deal, Rivera looked to painkillers for relief. At PHP 3 to PHP 5 a piece, it was way more accessible than visiting her local dentist. ”Lagi na lang akong ibinibili ng mefenamic acid para mawala ‘yung sakit tapos itutulog ko na lang.” (“I would drink mefenamic acid, and sleep the pain away.”)
Dr. Gan regularly sees this in his practice: patients coming in with neglected oral health. “With our new patients every month, I would say more than 50 percent [already] have gum problems and have cavities,” he says.
But what if there was a reality where Filipinos didn’t have to wait until their teeth hurt?
Jharwin Castañeda
The power of prevention
“Early intervention or early detection of any dental anomalies is a must, as well as going to the dentist regularly from an early age,” Dr. Gan advises. “And when you’re an adult, it’s still highly recommended that you go through necessary scans at least once a year to check for underlying problems.”
But what about the dental jitters? Even though I loved my braces, every visit to the dentist felt like a punishment. Which is why dental care doesn’t have to start at the dentist: It can begin at home, through informed, empowered parents or adults.
“Healthy teeth and healthy oral care always starts at home,” agrees Dr. Gan. “Brushing three to four times a day with flossing and rinsing very well, making sure that there’s no food particles in your mouth after meals—these are very essential.”
“The best form of prevention is to have good oral hygiene daily. We encourage our patients to brush at least a minimum of three times a day,” he adds.
But while prevention begins at home through daily habits, sustaining it also depends on access to proper care and resources.
The fact is, there’s currently not enough dentists for every Filipino. There is an estimated 1:53,000 to 1:59,000 dentist-to-patient ratio according to data in House Bill No. 3862 (The Public Dentist Salary Standardization Act), meaning the dental care available is overpowered by the sheer amount of dental issues across millions of Filipinos.
Latest data from the World Health Organization from 2022 also shows that 45 percent of Filipino children aged 1 to 9 suffer from tooth decay in their baby teeth. While 29 percent of Filipinos, some as young as 5 years old, experience the same damage, this time on their permanent teeth.
“[Oral health] is the lowest priority,” stresses Dr. Lopez. “Because of course, when there’s no food on the table, why would they buy a toothpaste and a toothbrush?” This is where experts and institutions can step in, calling for broader programs that make oral health possible for everyone.
What experts are doing
For Dr. Gan, getting your teeth checked should not just be mandatory, but also affordable, and if possible, free. “If I had my way, I would create different programs from the government to mandate everybody to have a [dental] checkup,” he says.
The PDCP, on the other hand, is currently relying on imparting knowledge to its trainees. Dr. Lopez stresses the need for dentists to partner with pediatricians as the way to understand how to not only treat children, but also understand their behavior and what’s truly the best for their cases.
In rural areas, the accessibility of oral care is also a concern, an issue that the PDCP is actively resolving. “We have residents from Baguio, from Davao, from Cebu, you know, in all parts of the Philippines. Kapag na-train na namin sila, then they can also help in their own communities,” she adds.
There are also government-led initiatives, specifically PhilHealth’s offering of the PhilHealth Benefit Preventive Oral Health Services in Primary Care program which pushes the 70/20 vision, meaning all Filipinos, at the age of 70, must still have at least 20 teeth. The program offers preventive oral care and emergency tooth extraction and covers all Filipinos and beneficiaries (children under the age of 21, PWDs, senior citizens, indigent groups identified by the DSWD, and members of the 4Ps) registered in a PhilHealth Konsulta Package Provider.
These developments, Dr. Lopez stresses, are “what we need. That’s what the children need.”
Jharwin Castañeda
What our smile costs
“Now that I’m studying nursing, nalaman ko na dapat pala ay pina-prioritize ko rin ‘yung dental health ko,” shares Rivera. Awareness is growing for Filipinos like her—but access remains the real challenge.
Our teeth do more than help us eat or speak. They shape how we connect, express confidence, and show who we are. Oral health isn’t vanity—it’s dignity.
The jury’s still out on when we’ll stop treating oral health as a luxury instead of a necessity. What we do know is change needs to happen soon, before the decay sets in any deeper.
Art direction: Mikiyo Ricamora. Photographer: Jharwin Castañeda, assisted by Aljon Celis and Joshua Navato. Makeup: Booya, assisted by Grassy Irinco Robiato. Hair: Cats del Rosario. Models: Jeska Sandel of PMAP, Vi Macario, and Chrysler Logica of Luminary Model Management.
