{"id":30926,"date":"2026-10-01T10:36:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=30926"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:36:06","slug":"orthodontic-services-in-badghis-high-costs-and-limited-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/10\/orthodontic-services-in-badghis-high-costs-and-limited-access\/","title":{"rendered":"Orthodontic services in Badghis; high costs and limited access"},"content":{"rendered":"

A number of youth in Badghis say that the lack of orthodontic services has made it difficult for them to receive treatment, forcing them to travel to other provinces, especially Herat.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that focuses on aligning teeth and addressing jaw problems. This treatment helps improve chewing, the appearance of the smile, and oral health.<\/p>\n

Samira Noori, a 26-year-old resident of Badghis, says her misaligned teeth not only made it difficult for her to eat but also negatively affected her self-confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teeth were misaligned, and this affected my smile. Whenever I laughed, I felt embarrassed, so I decided to have them corrected. It has been about a year and a half since I started orthodontic treatment, and I am still receiving it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She says accessing these services has not been easy and that she has had to travel to Herat several times, which has been difficult for her both financially and because of the time required.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were no orthodontic services in our province, so I had to travel to Herat several times. It was also very expensive, costing around 30,000 to 40,000 Afghanis, which was difficult for me to afford,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Marwa, a 27-year-old resident of Badghis, has had a similar experience. She says her misaligned teeth led her to start treatment despite the high cost. According to her, the treatment has not only taken a long time but has also put a lot of financial pressure on her. She says she had to borrow money to continue her treatment. However, she is satisfied with the results and says her self-confidence has increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teeth were crooked, and I felt uncomfortable when I smiled. After consulting a dentist, I decided to get orthodontic treatment, even though it cost around 35,000 Afghanis,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Sabiya, another 17-year-old resident of Badghis, says she decided to get orthodontic treatment because her teeth were misaligned and she felt embarrassed when she smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt embarrassed whenever I smiled. That is why I decided to get orthodontic treatment. At first, I had some pain, but now I have got used to it, and I feel that my self-confidence has improved,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Maryam Ahmadi, another 26-year-old young woman, started orthodontic treatment to align her teeth. In addition to having problems with the appearance of her teeth, she says she also had difficulty eating.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy teeth did not come together properly, and I also had difficulty in eating food. It has been about a year and a half since I started orthodontic treatment. It cost around 30,000 Afghanis, which was difficult for me to afford,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A number of dental specialists say orthodontic treatment is not only about appearance and can also be needed for medical reasons. Amena Sadat, a dentist, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cOrthodontics is a branch of dentistry that is related to the appearance of the teeth. Most women seek orthodontic treatment for cosmetic reasons, but age is very important. The results are better for people under the age of 20, and treatment usually takes between six months and two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yaser Amiri, another dentist, says orthodontics is a branch of dentistry used to align teeth and address jaw problems. According to him, misaligned teeth, gaps between teeth, and problems with chewing and speaking are among the main reasons people seek orthodontic treatment.<\/p>\n

He says that global statistics show that the majority of orthodontic patients are women.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrthodontics has a direct effect on the appearance of the smile and even the shape of the face. Straight teeth can increase self-confidence and create better harmony between the lips, teeth and face. About 60 to 70 percent of orthodontic patients are women because they usually pay more attention to the appearance of their smile and their overall appearance,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

According to him, the best time for orthodontic treatment is during childhood and adolescence. However, women can also receive treatment at older ages, although it may take longer.<\/p>\n

However, the lack of specialized services in the province is one of the main challenges in the dental sector. Health officials also acknowledge the problem. Mustafa Seddiqi, spokesperson for Badghis Provincial Hospital, says that the hospital currently provides only basic services.<\/p>\n

\u201cDental services are available at the provincial hospital, but we do not have specialized services such as orthodontics. The services currently available are mostly limited to tooth extraction and draining dental abscesses,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

According to him, requests have been made to expand these services, but the necessary facilities have not yet been provided.<\/p>\n

The need for specialized dental services, particularly orthodontics, is increasing in Badghis. However, the lack of facilities, high costs, and difficulty accessing treatment remain major barriers for people seeking orthodontic care.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Obaida Nikofar<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A number of youth in Badghis say that the lack of orthodontic services has made it difficult for them to receive treatment, forcing them to travel to other provinces, especially Herat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,16,218],"tags":[617,1999,2260,2261],"class_list":["post-30926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-report","category-health","tag-badghis","tag-limited-access","tag-orthodontic","tag-high-costs"],"views":12,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30928,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30926\/revisions\/30928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}