Our guarantee – terms and conditions

All guarantees are with, and at the discretion of, the individual treating dentist (as a self employed professional) and not with 'Smilecare Dental Centre'. When using the word 'dentist' we use it in the context of any treating or advising dental or medical professional at the practice including hygienists, therapists, and dental nurses. Your statutory rights are not affected.

We will not be able to honour any guarantee if:

• The original treatment carried out was not in accordance with the dentist's advice (e.g. a filling was requested by the patient when a crown was suggested by the dentist)
• The dentist advised that the treatment may have a limited lifespan
• Any monies are still outstanding for treatment provided
• Dental check-up visits as suggested by the dentist have not been carried out
• Hygienist visits as suggested by the dentist have not been carried out
• General oral hygiene is poor
• The dentist's instructions are not followed
• Failure due to periodontal disease
• Damage caused by external trauma
• Discolouration that occurs as a result of smoking or consumption of substances known to cause staining
• Failure occurs due to further, or new decay

The guarantee also does not apply in the following cases:

• Failure due to bruxism (heavy biting forces usually at night when sleeping)
• Failure due to other changes in the restoration (e.g. a change in bite due to tooth extraction)
• Failure or damage subsequent to further dental treatment by a dentist who is not a dentist at the practice
• Failure of composite fillings primarily bonded to dentine (such as buccal / cervical fillings)
• Any item that has been described as 'temporary'
• Looseness of dentures due to changes to the supporting teeth or ridges
• Tooth-whitening procedures; patients agree to pay for the time and materials involved in the procedure only, without reference to the degree of whitening attained. The interpretation is very subjective and what may be a fantastic outcome for one patient, may be disappointing for another
• If a tooth requires root canal treatment subsequent to a filling or crown and within 3 months of the restorative treatment, the fees for the root canal treatment will be required to be paid by the patient. The repair, or replacement to the crown or filling will be completed free of charge. Thereafter the repair or replacement of the crown will be chargeable
• We do not guarantee root canal treatments. By the very complexity of root canal anatomies, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of root canal treatments. Suffice it to say that we do have a very good success rate, especially as we use microscopy and advanced techniques, and have relatively few failures
• All surgical procedures (bone grafts, sinus lifts, etc.) are not covered by any guarantee