Is It Normal for an Ortho Not to Show Clinicheck File for Approval?

Typically, during the consultation phase, you and your doctor will discuss your goals for treatment. These goals will likely include your desires for the final appearance of your teeth/smile as well as your doctors desires for the function/health of your mouth/teeth/smile. Your doctor takes these goals into account when planning/designing the clin-check. It's possible that your doctor prefers to speed up the process by accepting the clin-check once it is in proper order. It often takes a couple of weeks (even 3) to get a clin-check ready - then another couple of weeks to get the trays delivered after accepting clin-check. By adding in another appointment, it takes even longer to start the process. It is my experience that once patients pay for treatment -- they're ready to get started right away.

Approval is not necessary, but may be a nice thing... Many offices do NOT show the clincheck, as most patients don't know what is being shown, therefore seeing a clincheck serves little purpose.
If viewing a clincheck means a lot to you, request seeing it in advance.

While it is not necessary to show your Invisalign Patients' their own ClinCheck for approval by them, it is a great way to give them an idea on the projected outcome Invisalign can provide. At my Orthodontic office, I almost never get their approval for ClinCheck but I ALWAYS send them an email with the Invisalign ClinCheck file for their information. It is always well received and patients love to see how the teeth are expected to change.
With more competition in the orthodontic market place, there have been some recent companies developing products similar to Invisalign. There is a chance some orthodontists use those other products and don't inform their patients that it is NOT Invisalign. Thus, there would not be a "true" ClinCheck. I can't speak to the quality of those other products.
Feel free to ask your orthodontist to see the ClinCheck. Remember, if your seeing a trained orthodontist (not a general dentist) trust them to make the right decisions for your teeth and bite, based on their knowledge and expertise...but, feel free to check out the ClinCheck to get EXCITED!
Dr. Todd Barnett