About · For International & Expat Patients
Dentist in Manila for Foreigners
A boutique, single-dentist clinic in Makati's Legazpi Village seeing expatriates, returning Filipinos, and international visitors. Every consultation, procedure, and treatment plan is delivered personally by Dr. Monique Bacalla. Consultations in English; fees confirmed in writing before treatment begins.
Book a ConsultationAt a glance
Care for international patients, delivered by the treating dentist
DevelopDent is a single-dentist practice in Legazpi Village — an upscale business and residential district in the heart of Makati's central business district. Dr. Monique Bacalla personally conducts every consultation, examination, and procedure. Appointments are scheduled to allow time for examination, discussion, and treatment without compression.
The clinic regularly sees patients from across Europe, North America, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia. Many are expatriates living in Makati or BGC; others fly in specifically for treatment. Cabin crew and other airline staff also stop in during Manila layovers for routine check-ups, cleanings, and shorter procedures that fit a stopover. Consultations are conducted in English; Filipino is also spoken.
Treatment recommendations are based on clinical findings. Where treatment is not clinically indicated, this is stated. Where a more conservative option is reasonable, it is presented as a real option. For treatment that is planned rather than completed on the spot, you receive an itemised treatment plan in Philippine pesos after the diagnostic assessment, before any procedure begins. Care that can be completed on the spot is explained and priced with you during the visit.
Patients this clinic is set up for
DevelopDent's primary patient base is local — Filipino professionals, business owners, and families across Makati. International and expatriate patients are a regular part of the practice. The clinic is structured to accommodate each of the following:
Fees for common procedures at DevelopDent
Pricing at DevelopDent is tiered to the nature of the service. Fixed fees are published for common items where comparison is easy and case variation is minimal — check-ups, cleanings, whitening, second opinions. "From" floors and ranges are published for case-variable items such as veneers, simple extractions, clear aligners, and braces, with the final fee confirmed at consultation. Consultation pricing applies to high-stakes case-variable work — crowns, bridges, root canals, dental implants, wisdom tooth removal, periodontal and oral surgery — where an honest figure can only be given after diagnostic assessment. For planned treatment, a full itemised plan is provided in writing before any procedure begins; simpler care done on the spot is explained and priced with you at the visit. Treatment is invoiced in Philippine pesos.
| Procedure | PHP | USD ≈ | EUR ≈ | AUD ≈ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-visit dental check-up | ₱1,000 | $16 | €14 | A$23 |
| Professional cleaning | from ₱1,500 | from $24 | from €21 | from A$34 |
| Composite veneer (per tooth) | ₱5,000–7,000 | $81–113 | €69–97 | A$113–159 |
| Porcelain veneer (per tooth) | from ₱20,000 | from $324 | from €278 | from A$453 |
| In-clinic teeth whitening | ₱10,000 | $162 | €139 | A$226 |
| Whitening booster (per cycle) | ₱3,000–5,000 | $49–81 | €42–69 | A$68–113 |
| Simple tooth extraction | from ₱2,500 | from $41 | from €35 | from A$57 |
| Deep cleaning (per quadrant) | ₱5,000 | $81 | €69 | A$113 |
| Diastema closure (composite, per tooth involved) | ₱3,000–4,000 | $49–65 | €42–56 | A$68–91 |
| Clear aligners (Orthero) | from ₱90,000 | from $1,460 | from €1,250 | from A$2,040 |
| Braces (metal/ceramic) | from ₱50,000 | from $810 | from €695 | from A$1,130 |
| Dental implant (Osstem) | Quoted after assessment | |||
| Root canal treatment | Priced per canal — see the rate for each tooth, with USD, EUR and AUD conversions | |||
| Crowns and bridges | Quoted after assessment | |||
| Wisdom tooth removal | Quoted after assessment | |||
| Structured second opinion | ₱1,000 | $16 | €14 | A$23 |
Foreign currency figures shown on this page are indicative only. They use mid-market exchange rates as of 26 August 2026 (1 USD = ₱61.71, 1 EUR = ₱71.98, 1 AUD = ₱44.16 — sources: open.er-api.com, cross-checked against frankfurter.dev, which agreed within 0.05%). Actual exchange rates fluctuate daily; your bank or money changer rate will differ. Treatment is invoiced in Philippine pesos. Where cash is paid in USD, EUR, or AUD, the prevailing rate on the day of payment applies.
For context, single-implant treatment in the Philippines generally falls in the range of US$1,000–2,000 per implant including crown and abutment. Comparable figures in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, and Australia typically run several multiples of that. DevelopDent uses Osstem implant systems. Total cost depends on the case — single missing tooth, multiple sites, the need for bone grafting or sinus lifting — and is confirmed in writing after diagnostic assessment.
“I had such a great experience with Dr. Monique and team at DevelopDent. I had been traveling in the Philippines and Manila, in which the appointment booking, cleaning, exam and additional procedures end-to-end were incredibly smooth and thoughtful.”
How treatment is planned and sequenced
The pathway from first message to last visit follows the same structure regardless of where the patient is flying in from.
Pre-arrival contact
Patients can email or send a WhatsApp message ahead with photographs, previous radiographs, and a description of the concern. Dr. Monique reviews the material personally. A realistic framework for what is possible during the trip is shared before flights are booked. No commitment is required at this stage.
First visit: examination and diagnostics
Clinical examination, intraoral photographs on the chairside screen, 3D intraoral scan if clinically indicated, and targeted radiographs only where needed. The clinic does not operate a panoramic OPG machine — for cases that require panoramic or CBCT imaging (some implant and surgical work), patients are referred to a nearby imaging centre and the file is reviewed at the next visit.
Itemised treatment plan
For treatment that will be planned and carried out over one or more visits, the treating dentist provides an itemised plan in Philippine pesos listing each procedure, the sequence of visits, the expected timeline, and what can be completed in a single trip versus what requires staged visits. Simpler care completed on the spot is explained and priced with you at the visit.
Treatment
Procedures are performed by the treating dentist personally. There are no handoffs. Appointment scheduling is adapted to the patient's travel window where clinically reasonable. Some stages — particularly implant osseointegration — cannot be compressed.
Follow-up and continuity
Post-treatment notes, photographs, and records are provided in writing. For patients returning to their home country, a summary letter for the home dentist can be shared on request. Remote follow-up by email or video call is available where clinically appropriate.
How many visits, how many days
The number of visits and the time required in Manila depend on the procedure. The table below gives realistic ranges — built around clinical timelines, not flight schedules.
| Treatment | Typical visits | Suggested time in Manila |
|---|---|---|
| Check-up, cleaning, whitening | 1 visit | 1–3 days |
| Composite veneers (front teeth) | 1–2 visits | 3–5 days |
| Porcelain veneers | 2 visits, 1–2 weeks apart | 10–14 days, or two short trips |
| Dental implant (placement only) | 1 surgical visit + healing phase | 5–7 days for placement; final crown at 3–6 months |
| Implant with crown (full case) | 2 trips | 5–7 days first trip; 5–7 days at 3–6 months |
| Full-mouth implant case | Multi-trip | Discussed individually based on imaging |
| Clear aligners (Orthero) | First fitting + remote reviews | First fitting in Manila; later reviews can often be remote |
| Root canal + crown | 2–3 visits over 1–2 weeks | 10–14 days |
| Second opinion only | 1 visit | 1 day |
Some procedures cannot be rushed for a vacation timeline. Implant osseointegration is biological, not negotiable — the bone needs time to integrate with the fixture before the final crown is loaded. Porcelain veneers require laboratory time between the preparation visit and the bonding visit. Patients who attempt to compress these stages face higher complication risk. Where a plan does not fit a patient's intended travel window, this is said clearly at the planning stage.
Is dental treatment in Manila safe?
Patients sometimes ask whether dental treatment in the Philippines is safe. The honest answer is that safety in any country depends on the individual clinic, the dentist's training, the planning before treatment, and the diagnostic process used. The Philippines has a regulated dental profession. The variable that matters most is whom you choose.
Philippine dentists are licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and bound by the Code of Ethics for Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Dental Technologists. The Philippine Dental Association (PDA) maintains a public registry through which any dentist's licensure status can be confirmed. Patients are encouraged to verify the credentials of any dentist they are considering — at DevelopDent or elsewhere — through the Philippine Dental Association.
Dr. Monique Bacalla holds a Doctor of Dental Medicine from Cebu Doctors' University, is a graduate of the Osstem implant Master Course, a certified Orthero clear aligner provider, a member of the Philippine Dental Association and the Philippine Academy of Esthetic Dentistry, with continuing education in craniodontics and TMJ. A fuller account of training and credentials is on the About Dr. Monique page.
The clinic's specific risk-mitigation choices: a structured diagnostic process before any treatment is recommended; targeted imaging only where clinically indicated; written treatment plans before any procedure begins; no incentive to over-treat (single-dentist practice, no commission structure); and no HMO billing, which removes third-party utilization pressure from the clinical decision.
The honest answer to "is it safe" is: it depends entirely on whom you go to. Verify the dentist, not the country.
Getting to the clinic from the airport, your hotel, or BGC
From NAIA airport terminals to the clinic is approximately 6–9 km — typically 20–35 minutes off-peak, up to 60 minutes in peak traffic (5–8 PM weekdays). A Grab ride is usually ₱250–₱450 (≈ $4–7 / €3–6 / A$6–10) off-peak, rising to ₱400–₱700 (≈ $7–11 / €6–10 / A$9–16) in heavy traffic. Grab fares are metered to a published price before you accept the ride.
From BGC, the trip is approximately 4 km and takes 10–20 minutes outside peak traffic. A Grab ride is typically ₱150–₱250 (≈ $2–4 / €2–4 / A$3–6).
Many international hotels in Makati are within walking distance of the clinic — Peninsula Manila, Fairmont, Raffles, Dusit Thani — or a short Grab ride. For a detailed walk-through with landmarks, transit notes, and parking information, see the clinic location page.
Visitors needing to exchange currency before the appointment will find walking-distance options listed on the location page (currency exchange near the clinic).
Fare estimates use the same indicative exchange rates as the pricing table above (see disclosure).
Entry requirements to keep in mind
These rules are set by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and apply regardless of which clinic you are visiting. They change occasionally; verify current requirements through your local Philippine embassy or at immigration.gov.ph before booking.
etravel.gov.ph portal — third-party sites that charge a fee for this service are not affiliated with the Philippine government.These rules can be updated by the Bureau of Immigration without long notice. Verify current requirements through your local Philippine embassy or at immigration.gov.ph before booking.
Payment, records, and continuity
The clinic's payment and records procedures are designed to be straightforward for foreign patients.
- Cash accepted in PHP, USD, EUR, or AUD, at the prevailing exchange rate on the day of payment.
- Local payment methods: GCash, bank transfer.
- All fees are invoiced in Philippine pesos. USD, EUR, and AUD figures shown elsewhere on this page are indicative only.
- For planned treatment, an itemised treatment plan in Philippine pesos is provided after diagnostic assessment, before any procedure begins; simpler care done on the spot is explained and priced at the visit.
- Records: procedure notes, intraoral photographs, and radiographs available on request.
- Continuity care: a summary letter for your home dentist can be provided on request.
- DevelopDent does not bill HMOs directly. The clinic operates as a private, fee-for-service practice.
How treatment is structured
Six characteristics shape how international patients experience the clinic.
Related services
Common questions from international patients
Is dental treatment in the Philippines safe?
How does the cost compare to the UK, Germany, France, the US, or Australia?
Will my home insurance reimburse treatment done in the Philippines?
Do I need a visa to come for dental work?
Do I need an onward ticket to board my flight?
What is the eTravel form?
etravel.gov.ph portal — third-party sites charging a fee for this service are not affiliated with the Philippine government.Can dental implants be completed in one trip?
What if there is a complication after I fly home?
How far in advance should I book?
Do you offer airport pickup or hotel transfer?
Can I bring my own radiographs from my home dentist?
Will I see Dr. Monique personally, or an associate?
What payment methods do you accept for foreign patients?
What languages are spoken at the clinic?
Can I get a second opinion before committing to a treatment plan abroad?
Legazpi Village,
Makati
DevelopDent is located on the ground floor of Legaspi Tower 200 on Paseo de Roxas — a short walk from Greenbelt and accessible from across Makati CBD, Salcedo Village, and BGC.
Directions and getting here →1st Floor, Legaspi Tower 200
107 Paseo de Roxas Street
Legazpi Village, Makati, 1229
Legazpi Village · near Greenbelt
Ayala Triangle · Salcedo Village
What patients say about visiting from abroad
“This is an amazing clinic! I haven’t seen a dentist in 3 years and desperately needed a consultation and cleaning before leaving the Philippines. I’m so glad I found Dra. Monique!”
“Dr. Monique is amazing! I was quite nervous to find a dental clinic here since I am a foreigner, but everything went well. I suffered from a severe toothache caused by the inflammation of my wisdom tooth, the worst toothache I’ve ever experienced. Dr.”
“Great visit. Would highly recommend this place”
Begin with a consultation
International patients are welcome to begin with an email or WhatsApp message before booking flights. Dr. Monique reviews the materials personally and shares a realistic framework before any commitment is required.