Adult Invisalign & assembly rooms at dentists

[Anonymous]

When did that layout become a thing? Are the rooms set up that way to enable the dental assistants to easily move from patient to patient to be more "efficient"? or is a function of "open concept" as applied to offices? I find it off-putting...as in whatever happened to patient privacy and HIPAA?

[Anonymous]

By assembly room layouts I mean all the patient chairs are in one large room, like a hair salon.

Maybe privacy is not an issue as the staff expects the patients to sit there with their mouths open and not speak.

For something as custom as a new smile (where everyone's mouth architecture has slight nuances) just me but I find the assembly room layout to be off putting.

[Anonymous]

Most have always been open concept. I hate it too.

[Anonymous]

Um, no. Had braces several times years ago and the patients were seen in small individual rooms. Guess the key is um, years ago.

[Anonymous]

i had braces in the 70s and all the chairs were in one room. my kids in the 90s had the same setup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, no. Had braces several times years ago and the patients were seen in small individual rooms. Guess the key is um, years ago.

Um, um, are you sure you still do not have braces, um, now, little girl?

[Anonymous]

OP. Nope, no braces now. But with invisalign, not too many adjustments need to be made so minimal time in any chair in any assembly line kind of room.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s ortho was like that too, didn’t like it

[Anonymous]

I had braces as a kid once (private room, 1980s) and as an adult (3 chair “public” room, 2015ish). I assumed it was just a difference in orthodontists but maybe this is a new trend. The part I didn’t like in the public room was that it would always be a couple of 12 year olds and me!

[Anonymous]

And I’ll add that my dentist uses the private room set up like a doctor’s office, except that the dentist rooms are always open door thereby negating any privacy you’d have in your conversations. I’m fine with it, though!

[Anonymous]

My orthodontist had that set up when I had my braces in the early 90s, so it’s definitely not new. My kids’ current ortho has that same set up. They do have a private office for discussions/consults etc.

[Anonymous]

Fine with open doors to individual rooms. Not real keen on hair salon style/open concept patient procedures.

When I had braces in the 70s one dentist who did the work and he did in an individual room with an open door.

[Anonymous]

My orthodontist has this, and there is a separate "adult room" too which I am usually in. When they do put me in the main room, it's always at the far end so it's a bit me private.

[Anonymous]

My dentist has 4 cubicles, which I don't mind. They're semi private. You can't really see other people, or hear anything due to the variety of machines and tools.

[Anonymous]

It’s a set up that makes a lot of sense when the majority clientele is kids/teenagers so that there isn’t opportunity to abuse or falsely accuse of abuse.