Terms of Service

We always endeavour to provide the highest quality service that we can. This section provides further details to our terms and conditions of service. If you have any queries regarding any of our terms please contact us.

Please be aware that any information provided through any part of our website is provided for interest purposes only and does not constitute personal professional advice. No professional advice can be provided without a clinical consultation with a dentist. For professional dental advice we strongly recommend that you see a dentist for consultation.

Waterside Dental Health will have a new specialist contract with a NHS Primary Care Trust starting 1st April 2013. Before this date all treatments will be provided on a private basis only.

Treatment planning

Once your treatment plan has been agreed with the dentist, we will provide printed details of your plan which we ask that you read through and sign that you have been clearly explained to regarding treatment options. If this plan changes due to radiographic or clinical findings, we will inform you and discuss this with you. Treatment plans are valid for net 30 days from the date the treatment was prescribed. If there are any points on your treatment plan that you wish to query this should be done before any appointments for treatment are scheduled.

Consent

Certain medical treatments require completion of a written consent form. We work to strict governing guidelines in order to ensure that the patient and/or legal guardian is fully aware of the treatment, aftercare and any risk before treatment is carried out.

Fees

We require pre-payment and deposits to secure booking of specialist treatment appointments and hygiene and therapy appointments.

Waterside Dental Heath is currently looking to implement a suitable finance agreement for our patients. We do not operate a credit account system and we require fees to be settled at the appointment where treatment is provided. Where treatment incurs a laboratory fee, the full fee will be taken at the impression stage of the appointment. Fees for certain treatments like Dental Implants and Invisalign® are broken down and taken on a pay as you go basis at each visit. We will discuss and plan a schedule of payment for you.

Patients registered to us with Denplan must see their terms and conditions for treatments under contract. Otherwise all corporate and external insurance holders must pay for their treatment at the time of treatment, then claim for reimbursement from their provider, please see our section on Insurance for further details.

In cases where treatment is paid for by finance through a finance company, the finance agreement must be accepted and signed prior to the start of that treatment. Finance is only available on treatments over £400 (not including teeth whitening or emergency treatment) and that a minimum deposit may also be required. If you have financed any of the costs of your treatment through the finance company and later wish to cancel your treatment after signing the agreement forms, a cancellation fee of up to 15% of the total finance amount will be applicable.

Waterside Dental Health does not accept any payments by cheque.

Fees for treatment where intravenous sedation is applicable should be settled prior to appointment to avoid financial transactions and signatures while the client is still under the influence of the sedative. Waterside Dental Health reserve the right to charge time based deposits for booking future appointments. Deposits are transferable towards cost of treatment.

Waterside Dental Health reserve the right to make a charge for any debt passed to a debt collection agency.

Late cancellations or failure to attend

Late cancellations and failure to attend appointments have a negative impact to our service and regular patients. For a deposit to be refunded Waterside Dental Health requires at least 48 hours notice of cancellation. Cancellations made within this time frame, or failures to attend, are not subject to refund.

Being late for appointments

Sometimes being late for appointments is unavoidable. Please let us know if you are going to be late but please also be aware that if you are going to be more than 10 minutes late you may be asked to reschedule your appointment. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late without our prior agreement we may consider that you have failed to attend, in which case you will not be eligible for a refund.

Guarantee

At Waterside Dental Health our Ceramic Veneers, Ceramic crowns, Implant crowns and permanent fillings are guaranteed for a period of twelve months following placement, provided that the following conditions are met:

• The patient has fully paid for the treatment and does not owe the practice any money for the treatment received
• The Veneers, Crowns & Implant crowns have not been damaged as a result of an accident, trauma or excessive grinding
• The patient has followed all post treatment maintenance recommendations made by our dentists.
• No treatment is guaranteed for more than 1 year
• Some treatments may have a guarantee of less than 1 year in this instance the treating clinician will inform you

Personal Details

It is important that you provide a full medical history and details of any medications that you take. It is also a requirement that we have your correct contact details on file. Should these change it is very important for you to tell your dentist. Whilst we try to keep all information updated on each routine visit, It is the patient’s responsibility to inform the clinic of any changes in either personal details and/or their medical history. All records are kept in accordance with strict Data Protection guidelines.

Data Protection Act

All patient details are stored on a secure computer system in accordance with the Data Protection Act. All clinical notes, digital radiographs, digital photographs, etc. remain the property of Waterside Dental Health. Copies of notes, radiographs and photographs can be made available on written request. All staff undergo Data Protection training and understand the importance of information handling.

Use of Images and X-rays

Waterside Dental Health may use images and x-rays of your smile and teeth only (for marketing and educational purposes) for our website, promotional and educational literature. Your name will never be published and your identity will never be disclosed. We ensure we receive permission prior to using any images, however if you do not wish for us to use your images and x-rays in this way please inform us.

Contact

We like to use all tools available to provide you with a convenient reminder of impending appointments or routine check up appointment reminders, via email or SMS. If you would prefer that we did not contact you please ensure you inform reception during your next visit to opt out. We do not use your details for anything else and will not pass on your information to third parties.

Complaints

We always take any complaint about any aspects of our services very seriously and work under the strict guidelines set out according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure transparency with our communication on pricing, treatment planning and patient care.

In the rare event something should go wrong, complaints can be made in writing via post or email. Complaints should be made for the attention of the Patient Care Department if by post and if emailed sent to patientcare@watersidedentalhealth.co.uk addressed to the Practice Manager.

Any complaint will receive an email acknowledgement as soon as possible and the management will strive to resolve the complaint within a quick, reasonable period of time (usually no longer than two weeks). For our full complaints procedure and policy please ask a member of our reception team. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be acknowledged by the management team and then referred to the treating dentist. Please note that in these cases Waterside Dental Health accepts no liability on behalf of the treating clinician and will act as a liaison between the patient and the treating dentist only.

If you are dissatisfied with the way that we handle your complaint internally you can forward your complaint to the Dental Complaints Service (www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk). If still unsatisfied, you may wish to forward your complaint to the General Dental Council.