Ortho Playbook

Meet Your Ortho Mentor

Dr Ib Rominiyi

Specialist Orthodontist & Mentor

BDS (Hons), MFDS RCS(Ed), PG Cert (Higher Education), FHEA, MClinDent (Orthodontics), MOrth (RCPSG)

Hi 👋,

If we haven't met before I'm Ib.

I'm a specialist orthodontist and I'm currently treating 1000+ patients by supervising 8 fantastic therapists.

I'm also an ortho mentor, so I get to coach general dentists with all levels of experience too.

I work exclusively with traditional fixed and removable appliances... so I don't do aligners.

I'm currently writing a book on orthodontic decision-making skills for general dentists - because this is the most important skill you will every need in orthodontics, no matter the appliance.

I'm also mum to three amazing kids, aged 2, 5 & 8 and married to the kindest neurosurgeon you'll ever meet (my own Dr McDreamy for any Gray's Anatomy fans 😊).

My mission is to empower general dentists who are serious about "proper ortho", so you can build unshakable confidence with your fixed appliance cases without the stress of uncertainty

Here's a bit of my back story....

Prof: “So, what’s your plan?”

Me: “What do you mean?”...   (...I'm thinking my plan is whatever your plan is)

Prof: “What. Is. Your. Plan?”  (said a little impatiently)

Me: “Oh, erm, I guess I would…”

Prof: “Wrong!”

Me: Yikes 😳

This was me, first year of orthodontic specialist training on a new patient clinic.

Prof, was one of my mentors and he wanted me to come up with the treatment plan for every single patient, every single week = PRESSURE 🥵.

In the beginning I just kept getting it wrong. I felt like I was guessing and fumbling around in the dark, but the pressure was high because the patients could hear everything.

But this baptism of fire turned out to be the very best thing for me.

It forced me to think for myself & make my own clinical decisions. I had to figure out how to make the right call at the right time… and quickly!

How I Hacked “Proper Ortho”

Whilst I did get it wrong a lot at first, this drove me to figure out "proper ortho" - ie. how I could make the right call at the right time.

I call this proper ortho, because there’s no hiding behind computer simulators, treatment planning services or even my mentors; I had to think for myself, and I had to get it right.

Now, I’m a specialist orthodontist with a Masters in Orthodontics, but I figured out how to do proper ortho by studying my mentors. I had three amazing mentors, so I stand on the shoulders of orthodontic giants.

• I combed through their treatment plans
• I asked endless questions to untangle their thought processes
• I took photos at every single visit and studied them daily – which showed me the impact of each decision in real time

These three things allowed me to work out how my mentors made their decisions. I learnt how to think like a pro and created a mental model, that combined all of their thought processes.

To be honest, I was just trying to not look incompetent in front of patients, but I was actually developing the most important skills you’ll ever need in orthodontics - decision-making and treatment planning.

Once I cracked it, I could treatment plan new cases and make decisions for active cases with confidence. But best of all, my mentors would agree with my decisions, as I finally started getting it right.

No more guessing.

No more stress.

Just a logical thought process that really worked!

Fast-forwards to today, I completed my specialist training and started working in practice with ortho therapists amazing orthodontists. This helped me to refined my mental model and I turned it into the Ortho Playbook, to empower other dentists who are serious about ortho with fixed appliances – it really is the best hack for orthodontic decision making... for proper ortho. 

And that's my story

Ib

PS. If you want to learn my approach, just sign up to the FREE Ortho Playbook Library. If you want more support, check out the Bootcamp or Mentoring 👇