I hesitate to call it a day “off” as I will be podcasting and have my weekly coaching class. Someone asked about this in the comments yesterday — in case anyone else was curious, I am doing a coaching training program (Wellcoaches) because we are going to be launching a coaching program (and associated research study to examine effectiveness) for the residents!
Coaching is definitely trendy right now (and perhaps research articles about it too) but this program seems pretty evidence-based and well done. I am close to halfway through and have learned a lot. I also can see how coaching can be helpful to many and hope to use some of the techniques both in patient encounters as well as with my resident trainees.
In other news:
I need to make an orthodontist consultation. Seasoned parents out there who have been through this process — any tips!? I have been told to see at least 2 people and choose carefully because you become ‘wedded’ to your provider for years.
(At least 2/3 of the kids have my crazy teeth; I wore braces for approximately a decade. Or at least it felt that way. Also, I hope headgear is no longer a thing; that @$(*@ hurt.)
Today in Planner Form:
Yes, this is the Wonderland222! YES, I LOVE IT. Yes, I am considering using it instead of a Hobonichi for 2021!!! Yes, it fits in a Cousin cover (!!!!). Yes, BLP review and more pix will be forthcoming 🙂
21 Comments
We are right in the middle of the orthodontist thing with my oldest, too. We had him in for a consult at one place ~2 years ago now (they said no action was needed yet, at that time he was 10), and now in August at 12 we took him back for a check up, plus a 2nd office too. We liked the second provider better. Sounds like in our case, my son could either start “phase 1” treatment now, and things would take a little longer/ be more spread out, or we can wait until he is a little older. But, they said if we wait, my son would have to “work harder” in his teen years (i.e. lots of rubber bands, I think maybe headgear, etc.). Either way will work, but option 1 is more proactive, they said. So I think we are going to go ahead and start the first phase now. I also just spent a bunch of time last Friday looking at all of our insurance options and ended up adding a supplemental plan that increased our ortho benefits (and made sense $ wise). At the consult they gave me a nice detailed quote for the first phase.
Sarah, I have never seen a kid with headgear. That seems to be a thing of the past? Now there are all kinds of “expanders” though and often braces in two phases for kids with certain kinds of issues.
We had a pretty easy experience, as LG’s was mostly cosmetic desire. Initial consult around age 9/10. Braces sfor exactly two years, 11-13, after all teeth except wisdom teeth were in, I think. At the end LG refused certain rubberbands and the ortho said okay that’s it (meaning, teeth would not be perfect but nothing else to do). Three years out, LG no longer wears retainer and there has been definite shift in front teeth (a gap).
We also had only one local choice due to dental insurance, and it was fine, FWIW.
headgear is generally just for overnight (and often you could skip it for a sleepover) so you wouldn’t necessarily ‘see’ it! it was terrible though! CLEAR vivid memories of what it felt like to sleep with headgear!
Ha, when you first mentioned the orthodontist, I initially thought for you! Maybe that’s because I can’t believe they start kids so young now and because I just finished my own 2+ year treatment with invisalign. I had braces as a kid and even wore my retainers religiously into college but things definitely shifted in my 30s. I just had my last appointment and asked at what age to bring my oldest son since he – like your kids, it sounds – definitely inherited my mouth and will need work! They said age 7, so we still have a few years to go, but man…I do hope things have changed in the last 25 years from when I got my braces on! I agree with another commenter that I have not seen headgear in decades. The expanders make me really nervous though – I was of the era when they just pulled teeth if you had a small mouth (I’m down 8 from a normal adult set) and honestly, it was not that bad…and then it was over! Rather than an expander that lasts for months…years? Good luck finding someone for A and I hope you guys have a good experience!
We are in the middle of our first orthodontic experience. We went with a group that was recommended by our pediatric dentist and several others we know. All I can say is Location, Location, Location! You have to go there a lot so make it easy. My kids can walk to the orthodontist alone if needed (one of us still typically goes with, but in a pinch we could send him on his own).
The early start is typically more things like palate expanders, but rubber bands and headgear are NOT a thing of the past. In pre-covid days I had a middle schooler sleeping over at my house in headgear.
I was most surprised to hear that our practice uses more aligners than braces (Cost is the same for both). They actually recommended using aligners in my son and felt he would see results faster but obviously each kiddo is different.
Good Luck!
Yep, they DEFINITELY talked about headgear at our appointment in August. I’m no ortho expert, but my understanding is that it is only worn for specific reasons. In my son’s case they will need to shift the side to side alignment, so they are planning he will need headgear for that purpose. His eyes grew as big as saucers when he heard that word. Hahaha! He was like, what on earth is headgear?!? 🙂 Sounds like they only wear it at night though, which might explain why people think it has gone obsolete.
HAHAH when I had headgear I definitely skipped a night if I had a sleepover!!!!
Ugh, the orthodontist research does not sound fun! I hope we can avoid that w/ our kiddos. Neither my husband or I had braces. My bottom team alignment isn’t awesome but you don’t see them so I guess it wasn’t bad enough to warrant braces. Out of 5 kids in my family, 3 had braces so I guess I was in the minority in not needing them!
I’m curious to hear more about the W222. One suggestion – can you set up your hyperlinks so they open in a new page instead of leaving your page? I am able to do that on blogger so hopefully that is an easy option on WordPress? I like to go back and look at the links I’ve opened later so if they open as a separate/new page, it’s easier to do that (and keeps traffic on your page/increases the chances of a comment?). Just a suggestion, though!
Hey there, just wanted to chime in on orthodonture. Two of my three kids have had an expander, and the third hasn’t only because she’s not old enough yet. They aren’t a joy ride, for sure, but I can’t recommend them highly enough. Every dentist I’ve had in adulthood has told me I needed one as a kid, and I have a bit of a wonky bite because I didn’t. You can only do expanders through a certain age while the palate is still malleable, so don’t put off that initial appointment, and don’t be afraid of it. Both of my kids each had theirs for about three months, and again, not the best time ever, but the before and after is insane, and it wasn’t *terrible* honestly. (Says the person who wasn’t wearing one, right?) I had teeth pulled before I got braces, and it does make room, but they have learned it’s much preferable to just keep your teeth if you’re able, and an expander allows for that. And pulling the teeth doesn’t really fix your bite. Our orthondontist also said it also kind of spreads your sinus cavity area and opens things up a bit, and we’ve noticed a difference with that as well. And now for the vain part? A much wider and bigger smile.
Anyway, I have been lurking for a while, and love love love your posts and am THRILLED with a podcast about planners, especially because I use a Hobonichi Cousin as well. But I just feel so strongly about the expanders that I had to chime in! No I’m not an orthodontist nor do I do anything in the dental profession. 😉 I would also second getting a provider you really like PLUS a location that isn’t going to kill you. There are a lot of pop ins just for a peek. Like five minutes, nope, not ready for the next stage yet types of things. I picked a provider we really liked in a location that was between my office and their school (which are only ten blocks apart, so, ridiculously convenient). It is a stage to get through, that isn’t a blast or anything, but is such a good investment not only on the vanity side, but as someone who has issues with her bite I can say also from a mechanical perspective as well.
This is so interesting to me! (as the person who is down 8 teeth – 4 wisdom teeth and the 4 first premolars) I have such a small mouth that I honestly cannot imagine where those 8 teeth would have gone even with a palate expander – and it was (apparently) never considered for me during my orthodontia 25 years ago, so maybe they already knew there’s no way my teeth would ever fit?!!? No clue, but I’ve never had issues with my bite; just crowding (and, ironically, a giant gap between my front teeth). In any case, your experience with the palate expander is good to know because I’m pretty sure both my kids have my small mouth and I’m SURE this discussion will come up when we start down the orthodontia path. I’ll be very interested to hear what they have to say!
You’re right, who knows if a palate expander would have been an option, and I’m sure they’re not the right answer for everyone! I will tell you, the before and after on my kids with a palate expander is SHOCKING. In a good way! I had orthodontia 29 years ago, and I wonder was this even an option for us back then, at all? But dang I wish it had been because my two older kids have the prettiest wide, big smiles. And neither my husband or I do, so it’s all artificial. 😉
So I will just say, if your orthodontist raises it for your two kids, don’t be afraid! It is something to get through, there are some things they can’t eat like popcorn, but again, it was so short (just three months), so it’s manageable. And whereas before the expander I’m sure they would have needed braces for years and years, now there is room for everything and my oldest will get braces soon, for a year tops. They just need to pull everything together, but they don’t need big movements. Now, that’s her mouth and not all mouths are the same. But I’ve been shocked at the before and after. I can already see on my two year old that we’re headed down the same path, and I won’t hesitate!
20 years ago, I would have like to have the expander option, I find that a bigger smile would have been better than a small one 🙂 I am still shock that those teeths are just GONE forever.
I ordered this planner after you mentioned it! So good to know that it will fit in my Hobonichi cover (of course, I already ordered the Dayfree for 2021 but the more the merrier!). The Wonderland222 is so interesting! Mine should arrive Saturday, but from the pictures I love the quarterly and monthly review layouts. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts about it! 🙂
I LOVE them too! I keep debating what I will use all the spreads for!
I don’t have children, but have been in orthodontics three times as an adult since I was 25 (currently 38 and in my third, and hopefully last, round now). Headgear is definitely still a thing unfortunately. And I completely agree with getting multiple consults! It’s different if they’re taken care of as children (my parents never considered them for me unfortunately), but if I had been able to get multiple consults I likely would have been finished a long time ago. Unfortunately, before this round I lived in a small area with only one option for me. Now I live in a large metropolitan area and went to the best in my area. They likely could have managed my teeth with one long round (as in 4 years vs the 7 years I’ve been in them total so far, likely to be at least 8 – horrific crossbite). Anyhow, my advice includes: do it while they’re young, get multiple consults, go with an office you like (as in, like everyone – all orthodontists if multiple, the assistants, the office staff, etc. you’ll be dealing with all of them a lot for a long time) and if possible, choose an office close to school/home since you’ll be there a lot. Fortunately, modern braces only require appointments about every 8-10 weeks vs the every 4-5 weeks or so I did with my first round. Good luck! They’re absolutely worth it – it’s been A LOT of money (especially with no insurance that ever covered it as an adult), but some of the best money I’ve ever spent.
Oh we are committed to doing it (and props to my parents for doing it without questioning too – they are very frugal but were always willing to spend on the ‘big’ things like this and I am grateful for my braces even though my bottom teeth could use a refresh!)
I also ordered the Wonderland 222 (B6, smaller version) after you mentioned it. I ordered it on Monday, received it on Wednesday, and just started filling it in! I had used a MochiThings weekly planner before and think I may prefer the paper in MochiThings. New to the stationery subculture, and I know Tomoe River paper is highly regarded, but the smudging and thinness is something I have to get used to. Maybe time in invest in some nice pens…this is a rabbit hole! Do you use the daily pages at the end often? What do you do when you run out?? Mine has 75 pages of the daily sheets. Thanks for introducing me to Wonderland! 🙂
Hobonichi/Wonderland paper is absolutely . . .Different. I find I am really only happy using the Uniball Jetstream + Mildliners (and some thicker pens for handlettering for a big heading only).
Gel and ink pens all smudge like crazy. The Uni Pin (0.1) came closest to working but still smudged too much for this lefty!
I’m glad you added that caption – I saw the picture and was thinking ‘which hobonichi is that?!’ – they look very similar so I’m keen to hear your review!
I had ordered the Wonderland after you mentioned it, and I finally unwrapped it today. It is the smallest planner I’ve ever had (I usually prefer full size pages), but I LOVE the goal tracking, quarterly lay outs, monthly overview, and the weekly pages are great too. I did NOT know it started in November—I’m glad you mentioned it. m going to start using it next week!
re; orthodontia, I had a headgear too and it DID suck. My son had a palate expander recently (age 9-10); it did make a big difference and the teeth seem to have straightened out with more space. It was only for 6 months (ended up being 8 because of COVID). It hurt the first couple of days but then he forgot about it (except for not being able to have popcorn, which is his fave).
Did you get the A5 or B6? I’m excited you got one!