Something about this topic has got me going. Rather than resorting to "wiring in", what if there were technological ways of controlling headgear wear?
Back in post 7 in this topic (
https://www.bracesforum.net/general/creative-idea/msg127992/#msg127992), I wrote a very short vignette of a story with one "locking" app. This is a bit longer, but is another "starter" that anyone is welcome to pick up and run with, involving a different sort of wear-control app. Enjoy!
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He lay in bed, watching the soft morning sun filter through the blinds. College was out for the summer, and his appointment wasn't for another couple of hours, so there was no real need to get up early. Once he'd decided there was nothing else for it, perhaps 30 minutes later, he yawned, stretched, and reached for his glasses. As he'd done so many times now, he slid them up his nose, then carefully between his head and the high-pull headgear straps that formed one part of his headgear. He smiled at the thought of his upcoming appointment. His orthodontist seemed so modern in his use of technology, yet still used "good old-fashioned headgear" at seemingly every turn.
Today would be the first check up since his orthodontist had instructed him to download the latest version of his weartime control app, LogStrap3. He'd had both previous versions since he first got the headgear a year earlier, and had watched each one get more complex, more overarching, and more devious than the last. No more a simple log of hours to save remembering to bring the sheet stuck to the fridge. LogStrap3 was a full on control system.
It was quite simple really. It looked quite innocuous. Really, there were three buttons that most people needed to use. On, Off, and Sleep. He remembered the explanation his orthodontist gave him when he downloaded it, and gave the app permission to use various functions of his phone. On, was quite simply, the button to press when you put your headgear on, and it recorded the time. Off, similarly, was the one you pressed when you took it off, and again, it recorded the time. Sleep was the button you pressed when you were going to sleep, and again, the first thing you pressed when you woke up. What could possibly be wrong with that?
When you pressed "on", the app called up your camera and took a selfie, to ensure you were wearing it. It would then send a random notification at various times of the day, requiring you to confirm that you were still wearing your headgear. You can probably guess how it did that - another selfie. When the alert went off, you only had between 30 and 45 seconds to hit yes and send the picture, otherwise the system would automatically end your wear hours. It was designed to be long enough to allow you to get your phone out of your pocket, and not long enough to allow you to put the headgear on if you'd taken it off, unless you were very, very quick. He wasn't. They made him try it in the office, and set the time accordingly. He was quite quick, so his app allowed 30 seconds from the moment the phone detected your hand, rather like when it silences the ring tone but you haven't yet answered. There was no selfie when you pressed "off", as it was assumed that if you said you'd taken it off but were still wearing it, that was your foolish fault for not logging the hours. Likewise if you were wearing it but forgot to press "on" - no amount of pleading was going to beat the app 'evidence'. Sleep took a selfie both times you pressed it, to make sure you hadn't removed it overnight. Arguably you could install it before pressing "off", but the lack of movement in your teeth would give you away eventually. Plus, his orthodontist made no secret of the fact he was aiming that StrapLog4 would have a mechanism of locking the headgear into place whilst "sleep mode" was activated.
The other options were hidden in a menu. There, you could set times where you shouldn't be bothered by the notification, e.g. if you were wearing it during classes or an exam, or where you couldn't use your phone. They had to be logged two hours in advance of any start time, and couldn't be any longer than three hours. Although he didn't know this, the app had a shoulder period either side, so that you wouldn't end up having to pull your phone out of your pocket before you'd left the exam hall when it asked you a minute after your block time.
He kept the headgear another 20 minutes before calling up the app, having spent the rest of the time scrolling through his phone. He didn't really need to take it off until he was ready for a shower, so why waste another 20 minutes of wear time by rushing? He may have done in the early weeks, but his molars were hardened headgear holders now, and he barely felt so much as an ache unless it had been recently adjusted. Today was appointment day, so that would mean shaving his face of the few days of accumulated stubble once he took it off, and he may as well get that 10 minutes in whilst he could. That was the other downside to this new app. Unlike StrapLog 2, which had a clear clock showing how many hours of your weekly target you had left, this one did not. You had no idea whether you'd reached your hours until you turned up at the appointment, or you kept a log yourself. Perhaps he might mention that for a small update in the middle. Even though he hadn't failed to reach his target for months, he always found it a good way of making sure he was on track. Perhaps one that counted up instead of down?
There was nothing else for it. He straightened himself up so the background was the lighter wall, rather than the dark pillow. He called up the app, held his phone up to his face, and hit "Sleep". The strange pretend-camera noise that phones make went off, and after a few seconds of 'thought', the App flashed up a green tick and the words "time logged" over the top of the picture he'd just taken. He reached for the straps, took them off, and slid the facebow out. Another day had begun. Time to get up.
