Another month; On my soapbox...

October has come and gone. Using my aligners as a Halloween candy defense - the longer I keep them in, the less candy I will eat.

Had an ortho appointment earlier in the week. I am on set 19 of 22. We started to talk about end plans. One lateral incisor and one canine are not tracking/moving as well as the rest of my teeth. My ortho felt that I might not need refinements since my 4 upper incisors have veneers and any remaining cosmetic issues could be dealt with through new veneers. My feeling is to do the refinements and get as much tooth movement as we can, and rely less on the talent of the dentist making the veneers, though I do expect to have to replace at least two of them (if not all). Ortho did not object to my preference,and said to plan for new impressions at my next visit when I will have completed the final set of aligners. He thinks any course of refinement will be half or less the time of my original treatment.

This conversation puts me back on my soapbox. Whether for Invisalign or for any medical treatment, it is incumbent upon us as patients and consumers to play an active role in our treatment, from selecting a doc, to reviewing treatment options, to assessing progress, to deciding an end game. We simply can't sit back and let someone else make decisions for us. A medical professional brings specialized knowledge and expertise to the table, but should be treated as part of your health care team, with you as the leader, quarterback, manager, or whatever other euphemism you prefer. Only you know what you will consider a treatment success or failure. Your expectations are hopefully shaped by the advice of your experts, but ultimately only you will decide if you are happy.

For Invisalign, you should all become armchair experts, as I have. When I had LASIK, I became an expert in laser eye surgery. Be educated, be assertive (but polite), and if the doc needs to be God and can't deal with this, find a new doc.