While I am very happy with my Invisalign treatment, I am not happy with my dentist. The treatment itself is a dream. It’s easy to use. It’s comfortable. And I can brush my teeth just like normal. My dentist, however, is very inappropriate. He tells suggestive jokes and the way he looks at me gives me the heebie-jeebies. Is it possible to switch dentists in the middle of treatment?

Carol

Dear Carol,

Any time you want to switch dentists, the dentist is under an ethical obligation to transfer all treatment information to your new dentist. You shouldn’t have any problem with that. If he gives you any trouble, you could always mention that you could report his behavior to the dental board instead of simply switching dentists. That should sober him up a bit.

I’m actually wondering if you should report it anyway. At the very least, talk to his assistant and see if that is something that just happened with you or if it was a consistent issue with female patients. Not that one is better than another. However, knowing if it was a pattern may help with the dental board. Many people have enough trouble with dental anxiety without adding in the additional pressure of feeling uncomfortable in the chair because of the dentist’s behavior.

I’m glad you are happy with your Invisalign treatment. It has a very high patient satisfaction rate. It will be very easy for you to just take up at the exact same spot with whatever dentist you end up with.

There is a hidden benefit you may not be aware of. The clear aligners you are using with Invisalign can also double as teeth whitening trays. Your new dentist can provide you with teeth whitening gel, which is quite inexpensive. Then, you will just add the gel to your aligners for at least twenty minutes a day. Before you know it, you have both straight and white teeth. It’s like getting a mini smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.