The new year brings fresh starts and renewed commitments. Families across Grandville and Holland are setting goals, making plans, and thinking about positive changes for the year ahead. If “finally get braces” or “schedule that orthodontic consultation” has been on your mental to-do list for months, January is the ideal time to stop thinking about it and actually take action.
Dr. Porto sees a predictable pattern at our Grandville and Holland locations every January. The first few weeks of the new year bring a surge of consultation requests and new patient appointments from families who have been considering orthodontic treatment but kept putting it off. Some of these families schedule quickly and get started in January or February. Others wait too long, find that appointment slots are filling up, and end up starting treatment months later than they’d hoped.
Here’s why January is the perfect time to begin orthodontic treatment, and why scheduling your consultation now rather than “eventually” sets your family up for success.
The Fresh Start Psychology
There’s something powerful about January 1st as a reset point. The new year feels like a clean slate, a chance to finally tackle things you’ve been postponing. This psychology works in your favor when it comes to orthodontic treatment.
Starting treatment in January means you enter the year with momentum rather than another item on your to-do list. You’re not saying “I should probably call the orthodontist at some point this year.” You’re saying “I scheduled the consultation, we’re starting treatment, this is happening.” That shift from thinking about doing something to actually doing it creates psychological momentum that carries into other areas of life.
For kids and teens, starting orthodontic treatment in January aligns with the same fresh start energy they feel at school. New semester, new classes, new opportunities. Adding orthodontic treatment to this mix feels like part of moving forward rather than like an interruption to established routines.
The Holiday Photo Motivation
If you spent December looking at holiday photos and thinking “we really need to do something about their smile,” that feeling is still fresh in January. This makes it the perfect time to act on that impulse rather than letting it fade as the year progresses.
Holiday photos from this past December become “before” photos when treatment starts in January. By next December, treatment will be well underway or possibly even complete, depending on your child’s specific situation. The contrast between this year’s holiday photos and next year’s becomes a visible marker of progress.
Waiting to start treatment means another year of holiday photos where you look at your child’s smile and wish you’d already begun addressing it. Taking action in January means this was the last holiday season where you felt that way.
Insurance Benefits Have Reset
Most dental insurance plans operate on a calendar year, with benefits resetting on January 1st. If your plan includes orthodontic coverage, starting treatment in January means you have a full year’s worth of benefits available immediately.
This timing can make treatment more affordable by allowing you to use benefits early in the year and structure payments around your coverage. Some families find that beginning treatment in late December or early January lets them maximize insurance benefits across multiple years.
Even if you’re planning to use payment plans or financing rather than relying primarily on insurance, understanding your benefits and starting treatment when a new benefit year begins provides financial clarity. You know exactly what’s covered and what’s not as you move forward.
Appointment Availability Is Best in January and February
Here’s something most parents don’t realize: orthodontic offices have natural busy and slow periods throughout the year. January and February are typically slower months, which means consultation appointments and treatment start dates are more readily available than during peak times.
By March and April, appointment slots start filling up as families who were “thinking about it” in January finally call. By summer, offices often have waitlists for new patient consultations. Fall brings another surge as families try to start treatment before the holidays.
Families who schedule consultations in January often get appointments within a week or two. They can start treatment within a month if they’re ready. Families who wait until April might be scheduling consultations six weeks out and starting treatment in June or July. That’s a four-to-five month delay just from waiting to make the phone call.
School Schedule Alignment
Starting orthodontic treatment in January aligns perfectly with school schedules. Students are back in predictable routines after winter break. Sports seasons are established. The calendar is relatively clear of major events compared to spring’s end-of-year chaos or fall’s back-to-school intensity.
This predictability makes the adjustment period easier. During the first few weeks of treatment, teeth are sore and kids are learning how to manage their new orthodontic routine. Having this happen during a calm period rather than during finals, championship games, or spring break travel makes everything less stressful.
January also provides a natural timeline for treatment progress. Starting in January means significant visible progress by summer vacation. It means potential completion by the following school year. These milestones are easier to track and celebrate than when treatment starts mid-year without clear seasonal markers.
Setting Up Success for the Year Ahead
If your family has other health or wellness goals for the new year—eating better, being more active, taking better care of yourselves—orthodontic treatment fits naturally into that framework. It’s a health investment that supports those broader goals.
Kids who start orthodontic treatment often become more conscientious about oral health in general. The extra attention required for brushing around brackets and avoiding certain foods often translates to better overall health awareness. They become more mindful about what they eat, more consistent about brushing, and more engaged in their own health care.
This spillover effect is more likely when orthodontic treatment starts alongside other positive changes in January rather than being added to already-established patterns mid-year.
Why Waiting “Until After” Doesn’t Make Sense
Many families tell Dr. Porto they want to wait until after some upcoming event to start orthodontic treatment. They’re waiting until after spring break, or until after the school year ends, or until after summer vacation, or until after fall sports season, or until after the holidays. There’s always something coming up that makes “not yet” seem reasonable.
Here’s the problem: there will always be something coming up. Life doesn’t have a perfect pause point where nothing is happening and starting orthodontic treatment feels convenient. Waiting for the perfect time means waiting indefinitely.
Starting treatment in January means you work through whatever comes up during treatment as part of the process rather than delaying until some mythical perfect moment that never actually arrives. Your child plays spring soccer with braces. They go on summer vacation with braces. They navigate these experiences and learn to manage their orthodontic care in various contexts, which builds resilience and responsibility.
The Consultation Doesn’t Commit You to Anything
If you’re uncertain about whether January is the right time to start, the solution is simple: schedule a consultation and get information. Consultations at Enjoy Orthodontics involve examining your child’s teeth, discussing treatment options, reviewing timelines and costs, and answering all your questions. There’s no pressure to start immediately and no commitment required.
Having a consultation in early January gives you all the information needed to make an informed decision about timing. Maybe you decide to start right away. Maybe you decide to wait a few months but get on the schedule now. Maybe you learn that your child isn’t quite ready for treatment yet and should be re-evaluated in a year.
All of these outcomes are fine, but you can’t make an informed decision without having the consultation. The families who regret their timing are usually those who waited months to even schedule the consultation, not those who scheduled it early and then decided to delay treatment start.
Limited Consultation Slots Fill Quickly
During January, Dr. Porto’s schedule fills rapidly as families act on new year’s intentions to finally address orthodontic concerns. Consultations that are available this week might not be available next month.
If you’re reading this in early January, calling today could mean a consultation appointment within days. Waiting until late January or February might mean scheduling three to four weeks out. Waiting until March could mean even longer waits.
This isn’t a marketing tactic or artificial scarcity. It’s simple reality: orthodontic offices have limited consultation slots, and January brings a surge of families all thinking “this is the year we finally do this.” First families to call get first choice of appointment times.
What Happens at a Consultation
If you’ve never been through an orthodontic consultation, the process might feel mysterious or intimidating. Understanding what to expect removes that anxiety.
The consultation process at Enjoy Orthodontics:
Initial examination where Dr. Porto looks at your child’s teeth, jaw alignment, and bite pattern. This takes about 15-20 minutes and involves both visual examination and digital imaging if needed.
Discussion of findings where Dr. Porto explains what he observed, whether treatment is recommended, and what issues would be addressed. This is your opportunity to ask questions about your child’s specific situation.
Treatment options overview where you learn about different approaches that might work for your child. This might include traditional braces, clear aligners, or other options depending on their needs.
Timeline discussion so you understand how long treatment typically takes for similar cases. This helps with planning and setting expectations.
Cost breakdown and payment options so you know exactly what treatment involves financially. This includes insurance coverage information if applicable.
The entire consultation takes about an hour. You leave with complete information and a clear picture of what orthodontic treatment would involve for your child.
Common Consultation Questions
“Is my child old enough for orthodontic treatment?” This depends on your child’s specific dental development. Some kids benefit from early intervention around age 7-8. Others should wait until age 11-12 when most permanent teeth are in. The consultation determines what’s appropriate for your child.
“How long does treatment typically take?” Most comprehensive orthodontic treatment takes 18-24 months, though some cases are shorter and some longer. Your child’s specific timeline will be discussed during the consultation.
“How much does treatment cost?” Cost varies based on treatment complexity and options chosen. Dr. Porto provides specific cost information during consultations, including payment plan options.
“Do we have to start treatment immediately after the consultation?” Absolutely not. The consultation is for gathering information. You can take time to think about it, discuss it as a family, and start treatment whenever you’re ready.
“What if my child needs treatment but we can’t afford it right now?” Payment plans make orthodontic treatment accessible for most families. During consultations, we discuss various payment options to find something that works with your budget.
The Kids Who Wait Too Long
One of the most common regrets Dr. Porto hears from parents is “I wish we’d started this sooner.” They see how much more confident their child becomes with a great smile and think about how many years of school photos and social anxiety could have been avoided if they’d just made that consultation call earlier.
Adolescence is hard enough without being self-conscious about your smile. The middle school and high school years are when kids become acutely aware of their appearance and how they’re perceived by peers. Addressing orthodontic concerns earlier rather than later means less time feeling self-conscious and more time feeling confident.
Waiting until your teenager actively asks for braces sometimes means they’ve already spent years feeling bad about their smile. Starting treatment in January because you recognize the need, rather than waiting until they work up the courage to ask, can prevent that extended period of self-consciousness.
The Parent Who Keeps Putting It Off
If you’ve been thinking about orthodontic treatment for your child for months or years but keep putting off that consultation call, January is your prompt to finally act. Whatever has been stopping you—busy schedule, uncertainty about cost, general procrastination—can be addressed by simply making the phone call.
Often the hardest part of starting orthodontic treatment is just making that initial call to schedule a consultation. Once you’ve done that, momentum builds naturally. The consultation happens, questions get answered, and decisions become clear. But none of that forward progress can happen until you pick up the phone.
If reading this blog post is making you think “yes, we really should do this,” that’s your cue to stop thinking and start acting. Close this browser window and call our Grandville or Holland office to schedule a consultation.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Starting treatment in January 2025 means significant progress by summer. It means a different smile in next year’s holiday photos. It means potentially completing treatment before the 2026-2027 school year starts.
These milestones matter. They represent progress, confidence, and investment in your child’s long-term dental health and self-esteem. But they only happen if you take that first step of scheduling a consultation.
The families who will look back on 2025 as “the year we finally got braces” are the ones making consultation calls in January. The families who will look back and say “I wish we’d done this sooner” are the ones still thinking about it in December without having taken action.
Taking the Next Step
If you’re ready to explore orthodontic treatment for your child, the next step is simple: contact Enjoy Orthodontics to schedule a consultation at either our Grandville or Holland location.
During the call, our team will:
- Find a consultation appointment time that works with your schedule
- Answer basic questions about what to expect
- Gather insurance information if applicable
- Confirm your appointment details
The entire call takes about five minutes. That’s it. Five minutes stands between “still thinking about orthodontic treatment” and “consultation scheduled, moving forward.”
January consultation slots are filling rapidly as families act on new year intentions. The best appointment times go to families who call first. If you want a consultation this month rather than waiting until February or March, call this week rather than “eventually.”
The Investment That Lasts a Lifetime
Orthodontic treatment isn’t just about straight teeth. It’s about confidence, oral health, and investing in your child’s future. The teenager who smiles without covering their mouth, the young adult who interviews confidently for their first job, the person who looks back at childhood photos without cringing—these outcomes flow from the decision to start treatment.
That decision gets made in January by families who stop putting it off and take action. By this time next year, you could be well into treatment or possibly even celebrating its completion. Or you could still be thinking about it, wishing you’d called when you first read this.
Dr. Porto and our team at Enjoy Orthodontics are here to help families in Grandville and Holland invest in their children’s smiles. We make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible, from that first consultation through the day when braces come off and your child sees their finished smile.
The new year is here. The time to act is now.
Ready to schedule your consultation? Contact Enjoy Orthodontics in Grandville or Holland today. January appointment slots are filling quickly—call now to secure your preferred consultation time and start 2025 with momentum toward your child’s best smile.
