We aren’t the kind of people who bang our own drum, but you’ve probably noticed that what we offer is quite different to most dental clinics.
We can proudly hang our hat on the fact that you’ll get dentistry done right. Gently. At your pace. And without patchwork or shortcuts.
So if anything we do fails because of our planning, materials or methods then we’ll fix it or replace it.
After all, that’s what we’d expect if we were in your shoes.
That being said, what makes our dentistry out-live you is more often what you do (or maybe don’t do!) every single day. So this is true teamwork and does rely on mutual trust. Hence some Terms & Conditions do apply (but not the kind with thousands of lines of small-print):
What Is and What Isn’t Included:
Smile Stories and the teams of dental technicians who we collaborate with place a voluntary guarantee on our work. It protects you from technical failure for 5 years.
This guarantee commences from the first 3D Health Check visit you have after the treatment has been completed.
In a scenario involving more than one tooth this guarantee commences from the date of the Treatment Review visit or the subsequent treatment visit where the next priority tooth/ teeth may be treated but the previous work will be reviewed.
Review visits after dental treatment is completed are vital to ensure that all aspects have had time to settle and have been adjusted to everybody’s satisfaction. Fractions of a millimetre matter, so it is especially important that the client’s sensation and responses are no longer affected by local anaesthetic or sedation.
Technical failure must be diagnosed, photographed and/ or 3D scanned by the Smile Stories team, and if relevant the information will be shared with the dental technician responsible for any custom-made laboratory work fitted.
Technical failure does not encompass a subjectively unacceptable treatment from the viewpoint of the client or third party including their partner or spouse if the work is technically correct, and the client has accepted the fit of any custom-made laboratory work at the time of the appointment.
The Smile Stories Guarantee covers the following:
- Significant breakage of definitive restorations (such as Tooth-Coloured Rebuilds, Composite Bonding), except when it has been placed as a ‘core’ with the agreed intention to protect it with an overlay or crown.
- Significant breakage of definitively fitted or cemented laboratory work (crowns, veneers, bridges, dentures).
- Breakage of implantable medical devices such as dental implants or manufactured components for dental implants.
- Biological failure of bone grafts, soft tissue grafts or dental implants in clients except for:
- Smokers
- Clients taking bisphosphonate or other bone metabolism-influencing medications
- Clients with any condition influencing healing including but not limited to diabetes, high LDL cholesterol and low vitamin D levels.
The Smile Stories Guarantee does not cover:
- Minor wear, chipping or cracking of laboratory work from normal usage, wear and tear.
- Affected laboratory work where the underlying core material is not visibly exposed and where functionality and aesthetics has not been significantly affected.
- Breakage of acrylic or composite resin material which has been placed on implant bridges with metal frameworks.
- Breakage or wear of retention components for removable dentures, which do require periodic servicing.
- Repair or replacement of Provisional restorations (crowns, veneers, bridges etc.) if the definitive treatment has been delayed by more than 1 calendar month beyond the date advised or planned.
- Temporary emergency care treatments such as temporary fillings, temporary repair of breakages, treatment to alleviate an emergency.
- Re-cementation or repair of previous work not carried out at Smile Stories.
- Exempt Treatments which have been expressly discussed and explained at the beginning or during the client’s Smile Story.
- Any contribution to the cost of treatment at any other clinic, specialist clinician or practitioner, whether referred by Smile Stories or not.
- Any contribution to the cost of investigations such as blood tests which are required to validate the Guarantee if there is a suspected systemic medical cause of a biological failure.
The Smile Stories Guarantee can be exempt at our discretion if:
- The client has not attended all recommended 3D Health Check and Professional Hygiene visits at the correct interval at Smile Stories.
- There has been a lack of proper cleaning and preventive home care which has required additional ‘Detox’ Hygiene visits in addition to the normal interval.
- Failure of the treatment has happened due to new decay around its seam with the tooth structure.
- The aesthetic result changes due to gum recession arising from natural changes and ageing exposing edges of crowns or dental implants.
- A Root Canal Treatment has failed due to recurrent or persistent infection, including breakage or root fracture under a crown/ onlay or due to the delay of having a crown/ onlay placed to mechanically protect the tooth.
- The issue arose due to injury, trauma or inappropriate use.
Here’s how it works
Work is guaranteed as follows, on the condition that the treatment has deemed to have failed according to a stipulation above and without any exemption stipulated above:
Failure < 1 year
Work will be repaired or replaced free of charge, or the fee paid for the work will be deducted from future work whichever is applicable. Refunds will not be made.
Failure 1-2 years
Work will be repaired or replaced at 20% of the current fee, or 80% of the fee paid for the work will be deducted from future work whichever is applicable. Refunds will not be made.
Failure 2-3 years
Work will be repaired or replaced at 40% of the current fee, or 60% of the fee paid for the work will be deducted from future work whichever is applicable. Refunds will not be made.
Failure 3-4 years
Work will be repaired or replaced at 60% of the current fee, or 40% of the fee paid for the work will be deducted from future work whichever is applicable. Refunds will not be made.
Failure 4-5 years
Work will be repaired or replaced at 80% of the current fee, or 20% of the fee paid for the work will be deducted from future work whichever is applicable. Refunds will not be made.
Failure after 5 years
Work will be charged at the full fee, or a reduction from the current fee will be applied at the discretion of the Clinical Lead.
Last Updated: 22/01/2023
