Sceptical of Invisalign Consent Form

Rosalinda Eyes

I have been comfortable with the cosmetic dentist who I've decided to have Invisalign with so far and that was one of the main reasons I haven't had a consult anywhere else. When taking impressions he said he needed to take various photographs of my teeth that he'd upload to the "invisalign app". The two of these photos I wasn't entirely comfortable with were a facial photo from the front and one from the side. I'm sure it would have possible to opt out from these, but in any case I let it happen. I didn't think a whole lot of this until I read a particular part of the 3 page consent & agreement form.

It reads "I authorise my doctor to release my medical records, including, but not limited to [pretty much everything...] to other licensed dentists or orthodontists and to Align, its representatives, employees, successors, assigns, and agents for the purpose of investigating and reviewing my medical history as it pertains to ortho treatment with product(s) from Align and (ii) for educational and research purposes."

I did a google on this to see if any others shared their suspicions. The Invisalign form that I found online (link below) seemed to be almost identical except for the end of the every last paragraph, where it read "My Medical Records will only be shared with third parties if this is covered by my consent or otherwise permitted by the applicable law".

https://www.omniadentalspa.co.uk/pdf/invisalign-consent-form.pdf

So why is there a difference? who made it? and when? Wouldn't this be off-putting to most!

I guess I don't mind photos of my teeth going about, but I don't the idea of an image of myself up in some lecture hall 10 years from now, where a lecturer is explaining teeth movements in the context of facial profile. I know some people probably have no issue with this, but it makes me reconsider the price alongside the feeling of a lack of privacy.

Interestingly, on the very top of the form it says that it has to be signed by the patient prior to treatment and kept for their records, and should not be sent to Align Technology, Inc. This gives the impression that there is no way that I can go ahead with this treatment without agreeing to this.

The dentist gave me the form to take away with me, read and sign. As he gave it to me he highlighted certain parts of it, giving the impression that I need only read those parts. These were points that related to what we'd just discussed in the operating room. I hope that he wasn't hoping that I wouldn't bother reading the part I'm sceptical of. As this was my third appointment of the process so far, and as I was happy, I agreed to pay the first installment (€700) as we finished our discussion in the operating room. He wasn't even expecting me to pay until the next appointment. He told me that since I'm going ahead with it that he'd need to refer me to another clinic to get an X-ray. He didn't mention that this would be extra... that clinic called me to arrange it and it'll be €50.

The other thing is that he'd sent an email to me of the entire 3D representations of the plan, and that email (which I'd seen but not opened) has since been retracted.

Thanks for reading

capnsparkles

My understanding is that "invisalign" is a franchise. Your scans are processed at their central HQ in the US.

US law and EU law regarding GDPR are quite different.

As regards the photographs these are needed for records. Opting out is not an option

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929263#Comment_120929263

Where Invisilign HQ is based has no bearing on patient confidentiality in Ireland.

You are correct about the pictures/scans though, they form a necessary component of the treatment planning for both Dentist and Invisalign. If the op doesn’t want to consent to necessary parts of the treatment, best to abandon it/try another form of treatment such as fixed appliances.

No dentist will publish patient photos these days without patient consent, the op wanting to opt out of some photos which his/her dentist needs to upload to Invisilign, is just an example of some of the bone headed stuff Dentists have to deal with.

Rosalinda Eyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120930021#Comment_120930021

They're all necessary apart from the facial. If it was necessary I should just got them to do a photo from bottom of chin to nose.

It's quite demeaning for you to say it's bone headed behaviour of me when I'm spending all this money, I think I've the right to ask these questions. If there is a solution for removing the photos it could probably be something that could be sorted in 2 minutes.

Think of it in this context. What if Angelina Jolie got plastic surgery to her face, and a photo was shared amongst researchers to be used in lecture halls, and youtube videos on plastic surgery. Where's the descretion?

capnsparkles

Your Dentist has submitted your records to Invisalign so they can furnish a prescription/treatment plan to get your desired result.

In effect they are supervising your treatment and he is purely a middleman and is relying on their expertise to do this. No point having them work in the dark , good record keeping will be of use when assessing whether your treatment is a success or not.

The facial profile is vital from an aesthetic point of view.

Rosalinda Eyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957090#Comment_120957090

I get all that but, you're completely ignoring my point about the potential of my face showing up in a lecture hall. Why the two different forms, with one that reads a lot gentler?

If you think the dentist is only a middle man then you'd want to read a bit more about invisalign. The movement of teeth is all done with the dentist, and they just provide the trays to the specification he desires. The alignment via the teeth buttons and trays is all the dentists plan.

It's "vital" you say? How is the facial photo vital from an aesthetic point of view? Why do they need the top half of my face? The adjustment of the teeth will be so small that it'll will barely affect the profile of my lip area when my mouth is closed. I'm guessing they just do it because it's procedure, and that if I insisted not to do it, that they'd be fine with that. The other photos were necessary for the 3D schematics of the teeth in the plan.

capnsparkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958073#Comment_120958073

Sorry If you feel I ignored your point. Why don't you email the company and find out.

As regards Invisalign , I have done a little more than read about it. I can assure you the location of the buttons and interdental stripping are prescribed by Invisalign. They formulate the treatment plan , your Dentist follows their instructions.

As regards the facial photo. Ideally your frontal plane should be parallel to your inter pupillary line. Your midline should be centered.

Best to use the glabella for this rather the nose , as this can deviate. If these are off ,then it can be quite noticeable

Rosalinda Eyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959665#Comment_120959665

I'm confused because my dentist said "I'll design the plan and you can potentially make a few tweaks to it", giving the impression that he's creating the plan.