Terms & Conditions

1. Please read these terms and conditions in conjunction with the accompanying preliminary or full dental report, treatment plan and estimate correspondence. Preliminary dental reports with an estimate range outlining the scope of treatment required are sent following initial consultations. Due to medico-legal requirements, a full dental report, treatment plan and estimate is required prior to treatment commencing which may be chargeable separately. Each treatment plan is individually custom written for each patient. All information pertinent to your case is included in the accompanying correspondence and refers to the discussions and findings at the consultation appointment(s) and any subsequent additional investigations. You should question any aspect of your plan that is unclear to you in writing and receive a written explanation that ensures you understand what is being proposed prior to commencement of treatment or at any stage during treatment.

2. Estimates are valid for 3 calendar months from the date of the report, treatment plan and estimate correspondence. Where this 3-month period overlaps a date of fee revision at the practice, we will honour the original estimate if treatment commences and the full estimate for each phase or the whole treatment plan estimate is paid in advance of each phase.

3. In the event that the treatment has been paid for in advance but the treatment cannot be completed by either party, any credit remaining shall be refunded within 1 calendar month of notice. No interest will be payable on this refunded sum.

4. Appointments not kept or cancelled without timely notice are chargeable at our discretion up to the current full hourly rate of the clinician involved. The hourly fees are subject to revision and the updated fees may be found on our website. For cancellation of appointments without charge we require the following cancellation notices:

No charge will be made for time that can be filled by re-appointing other patients, but please note it is not always possible for us to fill an appointment that becomes available due to a late cancellation. No fees will normally be incurred for genuine illness for the first appointment missed in any calendar year. We reserve the right to charge for lost time if there are 2 or more cancellations or non-attendances due to illness in any 12 month period at our discretion. 

5. Where ¼ or more of the appointment time has been lost due to lateness of attendance, we reserve the right to re-schedule appointments and charge up to full hourly clinician rate for the appointment time lost. This is to have to avoid rushing work and the knock-on effect throughout the day on other scheduled appointments.

6. We reserve the right to request full payment of fees in advance at our discretion prior to further treatment, or temporarily or permanently withdraw services at the discretion of the clinician and the Practice Principal without further obligation if there are 3 or more late cancellations or late attendances in any 12 month period.

7. Due to the complexity of some courses of treatment, it may not be possible to give an accurate estimate of fees at the start of treatment until some investigative procedures are carried out first and the response to initial treatment evaluated. Such estimates will then necessarily need to be staged. You will be informed as soon as possible if the treatment costs are likely to exceed or fall below the estimate(s).

8. Estimate ranges given on preliminary reports are subject to written confirmation with a full dental report, treatment plan and estimate for which a separate fee is payable. Please note that the estimates are not definitive quotes. Payments of fees towards treatment must be made according to your chosen payment option and are based on treatment proceeding to the prescribed timescale. Occasionally we may complete treatment for a lower fee than initially predicted. Additional fees may be incurred if you delay treatment beyond the recommended timescale or further time or expense is incurred in completing the case due to delay or if your case proves to require significantly more time or expense to complete than first predicted. The appropriate party will complete balancing payments within 14 days after the end of the relevant phase of treatment.

9. Northlight Dental and the dental technicians with whom we work guarantee our work against technical failure for 5 years from the day of final fitting in accordance with the table below. “Technical failure” will be diagnosed by the dentist in conjunction with the dental technician responsible for any laboratory work fitted. It will cover the following: breakage of definitive restorations, (not core restorations destined for crowning), fitted laboratory work (apart from the acrylic or composite resin veneering on metal framework implant bridges which will require servicing as teeth wear), complete failure of bone or soft tissue grafts or dental implants in non-smokers only as stated by you on your medical history questionnaire,. The guarantee does not include failure of root canal treatment by persistent infection, breakage or root fracture under a crown or due to a delay in crowning or onlaying when recommended, minor chipping or cracking from normal wear and tear where the core material or tooth has not been exposed, where a guarantee has not been given in the treatment planning letter for a specific reason, where there has been a lack of proper cleaning and home care or lapse in recommended examination and hygienist programme visits, breakage due to trauma, inappropriate use or deliberate damage, delay in the provision of definitive protective restorations beyond a period of 2 months, new decay, gum recession exposing edges of crowns or implants, periodontal (gum) infection or sudden tooth or root fracture under an intact restoration. It will also not cover subjective aesthetic “failure” or subjective unacceptability from the viewpoint of the patient or third party including their partner or spouse if work is technically correct and the patient has accepted cementation or fitting at the time of the fit appointment.

Work is guaranteed as follows:

10. Any areas of dispute may be referred for independent arbitration with the defence society of the clinician concerned.

11. The guarantees are conditional on you attending for routine examinations and maintenance visits as recommended by your dentists. Allowances may be made for exceptional circumstances at our discretion.

12. All original material dental records, laboratory work, photographs, video or patient data recorded on any medium remain the property of Northlight Dental and may be used anonymously and within the constraints of the current Data Protection Act 1998 (Please contact us if you require our ICO Registration Number) for professional teaching or promotional materials including lecturing, mentoring, publishing, brochures and websites unless you inform us otherwise in writing or on your initial patient questionnaire. Photographs and occasional video are taken routinely as part of your clinical record. Copies of all records may be provided free or for a nominal administrative or laboratory fee where applicable if the patient requires duplicates.

13. The patient is responsible for the timely settlement of fees incurred after consent or implied consent to treatment even if a third party is responsible for payments. The Treatment Plan and Estimate Summary – and Patient Consent and Declaration Form enclosed must be completed, signed and returned in all cases to minimise risks of any misunderstanding. Attendance for a scheduled treatment visit following receipt of this correspondence implies consent to commencing treatment and to settling associated fees in the allotted time if no other communication is received either verbally or in writing or by e-mail from the patient prior to the treatment appointment. Northlight Dental reserves the right to charge for time, materials and laboratory work ordered for treatment that the patient has initially agreed to undergo either verbally or in writing but which he or she subsequently postpones for more than 1 calendar month or cancels altogether for the foreseeable future.

14. Invoices for professional services are payable in advance as outlined by the phases of treatment or on the day of treatment. Advance payment for phases of treatment will normally be requested in advance of each phase. You are responsible for settlement of all fees in full within 14 days from the day of invoice (unless otherwise agreed in writing or via an approved payment plan). Where treatment fees are to be settled by a third party, fees will be requested in advance of treatment proceeding. Finance from third parties must be arranged and cleared into our account in advance of treatment commencing. If treatment is commenced and the decision is then made by the patient to obtain finance from a third party after commencement of treatment, fees charged up until that point are payable by the patient as per these terms and conditions.

15. Northlight Dental may issue invoices in advance of treatment especially where a third party is responsible for accounts and / or extensive material or laboratory costs are associated and will normally invoice in advance for phases of more extensive plans. We reserve the right to postpone further on-going treatment if due invoices are not settled by due dates and can take no responsibility for any disruption to treatment or further costs that are incurred in the event this decision is made. In the event that settlement of fees is not possible due to a change in personal circumstances, please write to the practice via normal post or e-mail info@northlightdental.co.uk as soon as possible and in any event no later than 2 working weeks after the date of invoice so that we can make suitable arrangements. It is not possible to extend credit beyond that stated in the treatment planning and estimate letter unless there are exceptional circumstances.

16. The balance of fees not paid and cleared in full by one calendar month from the day of invoice will be subject to a 2.0% per calendar month interest surcharge on the following working day, compounding monthly. Please settle early if you will be unavailable after this deadline. This fee is applied monthly on the next calendar working day after the invoice date to the balance of the account until the account is settled and cleared in full. A reminder and updated statement will be sent after each calendar month to your last known contact address or e-mail.

17. We will send a final request to you at your last known contact or e-mail address after the second month from date of invoice with notice of impending transfer to a debt collection agency should the account remain unpaid. You should submit any valid reasons for non-payment of fees well before this date in writing and request acknowledgement of receipt.

18. Account balances not settled within three calendar months from the date of invoice will be forwarded to a registered debt collection agency of our choice without further notice. A 20% surcharge is applied automatically to the account balance when the account is transferred to the collection agency. We will not enter into any direct correspondence regarding fee settlement after referring the account to the collection agency. You should submit any further correspondence regarding this matter directly to the collection agency. We reserve the right to withdraw services including emergency care until due invoices are settled.

19. A statement of your account is available upon request and at any time.

20. Further fees may be applicable at our discretion (to a value of no greater than 10% of the final balance of the account) if extensive administrative time is spent dealing with recovery of monies owed on your account.

21. All above-mentioned fees are cumulative. The monthly 2.0% administrative fee will continue to be applied to the final balance of the account even after referral to a debt collection agency until the account is settled in full.

22. Northlight Dental has a policy of pursuing all unpaid accounts through appropriate legal channels, including all time and legal costs incurred in the pursuit and recovery of due fees. Please note that this may greatly increase the total fees payable over and above the outstanding invoice amount.

23. The above terms are set by Northlight Dental and apply to treatment carried out at or under the care of Northlight Dental, 6 The Square, Aspley Guise. MK17 8DF. Default late payment penalties as set out in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 F15A as amended and supplemented by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002 (amended 16^th March 2013) do not apply. Northlight Dental is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

24. Regrettably, in the event that a Northlight Dental clinician has to cancel or postpone an appointment for any reason such as illness or unavailability beyond their control, if they are running late due to an unexpectedly long treatment duration with a previous patient or more frequent visits are required for your treatment than initially predicted, we cannot be held liable for any loss incurred by you directly or indirectly. However, at Northlight Dental Care we do appreciate that your time and diary are at least as important as our own and undertake to minimise inconvenience as far as possible. We believe our planning and these terms help to minimise disruptions.

25. Agreeing verbally, booking a treatment appointment and / or completing and signing the enclosed Treatment Plan and Estimate Summary and Patient Consent and Declaration Form in the accompanying treatment plan implies that you have read, understood, accept and agree to abide by the above terms and conditions as they apply to this course of treatment and that all of your questions regarding the proposed treatment have been answered to your satisfaction. Please ensure that the Treatment Plan and Estimate Summary and Patient Consent and Declaration Form attached to the dental report and treatment planning correspondence are completed, signed and returned by  e-mail to info@northlightdental.co.uk or by return of post to Northlight Dental, 6 The Square, Aspley Guise. MK17 8DF, in all cases prior to treatment commencing.