Can I Switch Invisalign Dentists in the Middle of My Procedure?

I have a question about the possibility of switching dentists. I come for a small city. Very few of our dentists do any of what they call “cosmetic frills,” such as Invisalign. I picked the one closest to my home who does. I am about a 1/3 of the way through tthe treatment. The treatment itself is going very well, and even though I am not very far into the process, I can already see a difference. I like that I can eat what I want and don’t have a mouth full of metal to deal with. One thing I am not thrilled with is the dentist. Obviously, the work itself is fine but he spends every appointment talking about politics. I’m civic minded and am involved in the political spectrum. However, I find some of his ideas offensive. I don’t begruge him having those ideas, we are free to believe what we want. I just don’t want to have to listen to them at every appointment, especially when I’m in a semi vulnerable position as the patient. Is it possible to change dentists while I am in the middle of the procedure or do I need to just suck it up and put up with his diatribes until my treatment is over?

Carol

Dear Carol,

I am glad you wrote. I’m sorry the dentist who has been handling your case doesn’t have the sense to keep his office neutral. The good news is that you are allowed to switch dentists at any point in your treatment.

Your dentist is under an ethical obligation to provide whichever dentist you go to next with all of your dental, as well as procedural, information. This includes x-rays, notes, everything. Your next dentist should be able to pick up right where you left off, with no trouble at all.

If you’ve paid for all of it up front, your dentist can pro-rate the treatment that is left and return the fees for those.

One thing to consider, is that you are not limited to seeing a dentist for your Invisalign case. With the ability for Invisalign to take on more advanced cases these days, you are likely to find an orthodontist who offers the treatment as well. The benefit to this is their additional training in orthodontics. That means if something is not going according to plan, which happens in many treatments, whether Invsiaglign or not, they will have the expertise to come up with a solution and get your procedure right back on track.

This blog is brought to you by Bee Cave Orthodontist Dr. Alberto Tostado.