Thursday, August 23, 2007

Time, wastage of. In three acts.

orthodontia clinic, 1928 I. How much of a kickback are these guys getting?

At Jo's last checkup her dentist strongly urged me to take her to the orthodontist for a consultation. It's obvious that five years of thumbsucking have deformed her bite. But I've researched this and every source I've checked says that nothing can or should be done about it until her permanent teeth come in. Still, after futzing around for a couple of months I made an appointment with the ortho. The only one in this area code that takes our insurance is a good 20-minute drive away (which sounds like nothing but around here, we are used to getting everywhere in 5 or 10 minutes).

So today I stop working an hour and a half early, pick up Jo, drive her all the way to the ortho's office, and eventually see the Doogie Howserish practitioner. He spends about two minutes looking at Jo's mouth and then informs me that there is nothing he can or should do until her six-year molars come in. I ask you. Wouldn't the regular dentist be aware of this fact? Why then would he refer my five-year-old to a specialist who, even if he thought that giving her an appliance to correct her habit and her bite was indicated, could not do so because she does not yet have the teeth to anchor it to? What was the point in spending two hours of my day in this manner?

III. Welcome to bureaucracy

I filled out registration forms for kindergarten back in February and turned them in. Why then am I invited to a spaghetti dinner next week, at which I am advised to "pick up registration materials"? Is this like when you give all your information to one customer service representative, and then they transfer you to someone else, who says "let me just get your file up on my screen" and then asks you all the same questions all over again?

III. Police blotter = neverending source of amusement.

"Disturbance, police were dispatched to the 900 block of ABC Road, where a caller reported hearing screaming coming from the house. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered that the homeowner was yelling at the navigational system in his 2008 BMW."

I don't know whether to be disturbed by this flagrant misuse of police officer time, or relieved that this is the best the newspaper could come up with for the blotter, or amused at the subtle dig of including the car's luxury pedigree.

10 comments:

Girlplustwo said...

the BMW dude might go postal next. it's probably fair warning.

Kate said...

Dude, I'm sooooo not looking forward to all the school paperwork! CJ starts kindergarten on Tuesday! Yikes, where did time go, huh?

Magpie said...

LOL - the guy who bought the BMW probably was a dentist getting kickbacks from your orthodontist.

Anonymous said...

What Magpie said.

And I think I would've put on my "bad mother" hat and thumbed my nose at the dentist.

(How's Jo doing with the thumb anyway?)

Julie Pippert said...

3 is cracking me up

2 I have no sense of humor about after last night (just posted about it)

1 I'd ask the dentist that question. I've heard of dentists doing those referrals and I've never heard anything other than wait until permanent teeth are in.

Oy, is the thumb-sucking still ongoing? I've been working this summer on it here. Child 1 Me 0

LOL

Julie
Ravin' Picture Maven

Anonymous said...

I'd definitely be annoyed at that dentist. Gosh.

And with the kindergarten paperwork thing: I too had Mimi's done and turned in way back when, but the school keeps touting these school events where you can come and socialize (and register!) I take it to be a hint to people, unlike us, that aren't organized enough yet to have their paperwork done. Or who don't even have a clue what they're doing in terms of school for the fall.

Lady M said...

And can't all these school forms be on the web? Filling them out by hand, all the same info over and over in slightly different formats - grrr.

Maybe the fellow is a BMW Whisperer, like the Horse Whisperers who tame animals with their talking. Ha!

Jennifer (ponderosa) said...

I have to go to the administration office to drop off my son's forms for after-kinder care. It seems so... so... 1980's. Can't I just fill out a form online?

Re: teeth, my dentist just told me to start saving money for othodontia. It's a sure bet for both kids, he said. Grreeeeat.

Alex Elliot said...

I know items 1 and 2 must have been frustrating for you, but your post really made me laugh; I loved how it ended!

Anonymous said...

Can you take the bill for the ortho to the dentist and have him pay it? (In my dreams...)

The guy yelling at his car completely cracked me up.