Invisalign Gold?

[Jane16]

Has anyone heard of this? My dentist is (apparently) an Invisalign Gold provider. I'm not sure what this means!

[robin8]

Gold is equivalent to Preferred Provider. In USA & Canada, the provider designations are Premier Elite, Premier and Preferred. In U.K., Australia and most countries in Europe & Asia, they are Platinum Elite, Platinum and Gold/General.

Similar to the U.S. designations, “….The Invisalign designations (e.g., Platinum Elite (PE), Platinum (P)) are primarily based on the relative number of historical Invisalign treatments a provider has submitted or has committed to submit….” They are not based on a doctor’s abilities in orthodontic treatment, the complexity of their cases or how many cases they have successfully completed.

Invisalign UK doctor locator - Find your nearest Invisalign doctor

The training course mentioned is a 1-day course on how to submit a case under the Invisalign system.

A Preferred Provider designation means that a doctor submitted/ started at least 10 cases in the last year.

[Jane16]

Thanks. I'm a bit surprised by how little training is given though! Actually I have wondered - all dentists/orthodontists have to start somewhere with invisalign don't they? Someone has to be their first or second case, I wonder if they give a discount if just starting or would you never know?

[robin8]

It’s up to the doctors to decide how much they want to charge their patients. There is no MSRP for Invisalign. Some doctors just starting Invisalign do offer promotional discounts or lower prices in order to attract customers.

AlignTech does offer optional training courses and had tried to mandate more training but failed. According to Dr. Ted Rothstein, “…. In 2009 Invisalign mandated that general dentist and orthodontists were henceforth required to take 10 continuing education units and submit ten cases as minimum requirements for being an Invisalign provider presumably to stem the tide of inferior treatment results. That mandate was rejected in 2010 after widespread objection from both groups …. At present a general dentist can become a provider by taking a one day eight-hour course…. “

Specialist in Orthodontics Dr. Ted Rothstein Alerts Public to Rising Levels of Substandard Invisalign Treatment by Insufficiently Trained General Dentists