I have completed my Invisalign treatment. Though I love the results, I have never loved the dentist. He’s just got a terrible bedside manner. At this point, I am just receiving retainers every few months. Is it possible for me to switch dentists and still get my retainers?
Felicia
Dear Felicia,
A side by side comparison of braces and Invisalign
I am glad that you have been happy with your Invisalign treatment. It has one of the highest patient satisfaction rates of any cosmetic dentistry procedure. While your dentist may have a bad chairside manner, he is ethically obligated to work with your new dentist by providing all your diagnostics as well as your current treatment plan. You would be able to switch even if you were in the middle of your treatment procedure with the aligners themselves.
Let’s say worst case scenario your dentist does not fulfill his ethical obligations and is completely uncooperative, making a retainer is fairly simple and your new dentist should be able to do it without any of your current information. Your new dentist can take care of this in three simple steps.
- Take an impression of your finished bite.
- Pour up a model.
- Send it to just about any dental lab.
While having an Invisalign certified dentist helps, it is not necessary.
One quick side tip: Keep your last pair of aligners. They can double as teeth whitening trays. It has to be your last pair because those are the ones with your final correct bite. You will simply ask your dentist for some teeth whitening gel and use it in your aligners the way you would any custom made teeth whitening trays. It enables you to save your teeth at a fraction of the cost.
This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Patel.