PATIENT POLICY – ATTENDING APPOINTMENTS, CANCELLATIONS/FAILURE TO ATTEND, AND DEPOSITS

Attending Appointments

At North Cardiff Dental & Implants, we promise to treat you with respect, giving you the time and attention you deserve, alongside providing exceptional standards of care and treatment.

When you book an appointment, we reserve our highly qualified clinicians’ time, top-of-the-range equipment, dedicated team, and all other resources for you for the time you have booked.

We appreciate that life is busy and unpredictable. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please notify us as soon as possible. Our cancellation policy is as follows:

Appointment Length

Minimum Notice Required

Up to 2 hours

24 hours

2-3 hours

48 hours

More than 3 hours

72 hours

 

You can contact us via phone (029 22 679 999) during opening hours, leave a voicemail when we are closed, or send us an email ([email protected]).

Weekends and public holidays are not included in this notice period. Please refer to the table below for notice requirements when cancelling Monday appointments:

Appointment Time on Monday

Notice Required

9:00 am (up to 2 hours)

By Friday 9:00 am

9:00 am (2-3 hours)

By Thursday 9:00 am

9:00 am (more than 3 hours)

By Wednesday 9:00 am

 

Please keep this in mind when rescheduling or cancelling.

If you do not attend your appointment or provide insufficient notice, we cannot offer the slot to another patient. In such cases, a late cancellation or failure-to-attend fee will apply, and some or all of your deposit may be lost, depending on the appointment type and length.

If this happens twice, future appointments will require a £380 per hour deposit, payable at the time of booking and refundable if you attend.

It is our strict policy to request full prepayment and/or deposits and make an automatic charge should insufficient or no notice of cancellation be given.

Late Attendance

We allocate specific time slots to ensure your clinician has enough time to deliver the highest standard of care. If you are running late, please call us as soon as possible. Your clinician will determine whether there is enough time to proceed. If not, you may need to reschedule, and a late cancellation fee may apply. If they can see you, additional time may need to be booked to complete treatment, which may incur an additional fee.

Deposits

We schedule appointments expecting you will attend and undergo your planned treatment. If you change your mind or cannot attend, please provide at least 24, 48, or 72 hours’ notice (as appropriate).

When we book your appointment, we will ask for a deposit or full payment from you as confirmation of your commitment to attend. Deposits are normally fully refundable providing the appropriate 24, 48 or 72 hours notice to cancel is given.

Payment

In line with bank security advice, and to keep our patients safe from fraud, we ask for payment via BACS for all payments over £300. If this is not possible, please contact us at least 24 hours before your appointment so that alternative arrangements can be made.

  • All BACS payments must be made in advance of your appointment to secure it.
  • Deposits must be paid by noon the day after booking
  • Full payment for treatment must be received before you are taken in for your appointment.
  • Failure to make payment will result in your appointment slot being released, and/or treatment being delayed. If payment is not received for treatment and the treatment cannot be carried out then late cancellation fees will be applicable as per our cancellation policy.

Please note, requests for payment by credit card must be agreed in advance and might be subject to fees. No payments over £300 can be accepted over the phone and such payments must be made in person using chip and PIN.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Deposit & Prepayment Policy

New patient consultations/recalls/emergency/hygiene/imaging appointments:

Full payment must be made in advance to secure the appointment. If you miss the appointment, you will lose the full treatment fee.

Filling/extraction appointments:

£100 per hour booked must be paid as a non-refundable deposit to secure the appointment. For appointments longer than 3 hours, a deposit of £380 per hour must be paid. If you miss the appointment and wish to rebook, you must pay another non-refundable deposit. The full balance must be paid before you enter the surgery for your treatment.

Crown/bridge appointments:

A £100 per hour deposit will be taken when booking your appointment. 50% of the treatment fee will then be taken at the initial tooth preparation appointment. If you miss the appointment, you will lose £100 per hour missed and if you wish to rebook the appointment, you will need to pay this missed appointment fee. The remainder of the balance must be paid before you enter the surgery at the fit stage.

Dentures:

50% of the treatment fee must be paid at the impression stage. If you miss the initial appointment, you will lose £100 per hour missed. If you wish to rebook the appointment, you will need to pay this missed appointment fee. A £50 non-refundable deposit must be paid to book each subsequent appointment. The remainder of the balance must be paid before you enter the surgery at the fit stage.

Implants:

£100 per hour booked must be paid as a non-refundable deposit to secure the implant placement appointment. For appointments longer than 3 hours, a deposit of £380 per hour must be paid. If you miss the appointment, you will lose £100 per hour missed, and if you wish to rebook the appointment, you will need to pay this missed appointment fee. For appointments longer than 3 hours, you will lose £380 per hour missed. When you attend for the implant placement, you must pay the remaining balance before going into the surgery.

 

In certain other cases we may ask for some of, or the full amount of an appointment as a deposit. This includes but is not exclusive to: Oral Surgery, Root Canal Treatment, Surgical Consultations, Second Opinions, and if any clinician is being brought in specifically to treat you.

Providing the appropriate amount of notice is given, any refundable deposit made can be refunded to you. It can also be left on your account as credit to be used towards any future treatment.

Changing Your Mind

We understand that sometimes patients may change their mind about treatment.

Should you change your mind before any treatment has begun/before any third parties e.g. laboratories have been instructed, and within the cancellation time period for any time booked, no fees will be payable, and any refundable deposits can be returned to you.

Where a change of mind arises from the time of consent has been given, during treatment, or after treatment has commenced, then all time allocated/relating to your treatment will be charged based on clinician/surgery time. Where third parties are involved in your treatment, for example laboratories, materials etc, all fees will remain payable in full and/or where fees have already been paid, will not be refundable.

Where treatment finance has been obtained and is sought to be refunded in full or in part, we will refund such monies less finance fees payable based on the amount to be refunded.

Appointment Reminders

We send automatic confirmation emails upon booking. Please ensure we have your correct email address. Our team also attempts to call you the day before to confirm your attendance and conduct any necessary pre-appointment checks. We may also send texts, emails, or leave voicemails if needed.

These reminders are a courtesy. We are not responsible for missed appointments due to undelivered messages. Patients should ensure their contact details are correct and keep track of their appointments independently.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. If you have any questions, please contact us at 029 22 679 999 or [email protected].