Deposit & Cancellation Policy | Perfect Smile Dental Center

ROXDENT LTD trading as Perfect Smile Dental Centre
36 Crown Street, Acton, England, W3 8SB
Tel: 07490 565656 | Email: hello@twojdentysta.co.uk

1. Introduction

At Perfect Smile Dental Centre, we are committed to providing the best possible care for all our patients. Every booked appointment represents clinical time reserved exclusively for you. When appointments are missed or cancelled at short notice, other patients lose the opportunity to receive treatment.

Missed appointments are a significant problem across UK dentistry. According to NHS data, approximately 15 million medical appointments are missed each year, costing practices thousands of pounds in lost clinical time. Every empty hour in our surgery is time we could have spent helping someone in pain or in need of urgent treatment. It is also unfair to patients on our waiting list who could have taken that slot.

Our deposit system helps us maintain an efficient practice and reduce waiting times for everyone. This policy complies with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Section 62 (fairness of contract terms). All charges reflect the genuine losses incurred by the practice due to unused clinical time, and do not constitute a penalty.

All terms are clearly communicated before any payment is taken, in line with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The deposit is a condition of booking confirmation and is fully deducted from your treatment cost when you attend. We do not collect deposits as a source of additional revenue.

Please note that dental appointments booked in person at the practice are exempt from the 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, Regulation 36, as they constitute healthcare services agreed at the premises of the trader.

2. When a deposit is required

We require a deposit in the following situations:

New patients – at your first appointment with our practice
Specialist treatments – implants, veneers, crowns, root canal treatment, bridges
Appointments lasting longer than 30 minutes
Patients with a history of missed appointments (2 or more no-shows)
Weekend and evening appointments

For regular check-up appointments, patients with a positive attendance history may be exempt from the deposit requirement. This is at the Practice Manager’s discretion.

Before taking any deposit, we will provide you with a written treatment plan and cost estimate. You will have the opportunity to review the plan and ask questions before making any payment. This is in line with GDC standards on informed consent and transparent pricing.

3. Deposit amounts

We use a simple and transparent deposit system:

Standard deposit for all bookings: £70
Crown, bridge, veneer or implant preparations: 50% of treatment fee (minimum £70)

The exact deposit amount will be confirmed when you book your appointment. The deposit is fully deducted from your treatment cost. We do not charge any administrative fees in connection with deposits.

4. Cancellation notice periods

Standard appointments

Please give at least 24 hours’ notice before your scheduled appointment time.

Specialist or long procedures

Please give at least 48 hours’ notice before your scheduled appointment time. This applies to implant procedures, prosthetic work, surgical procedures and appointments lasting longer than 60 minutes.

Weekend and bank holiday appointments

Notice must be given by the end of the last working day before the required notice period begins.

Example: If you have a specialist appointment on Monday, you must cancel by Friday (end of business), as the required notice period is 48 hours.

Your cancellation will be confirmed by our team by phone or email. Until you receive confirmation, your appointment remains active.

5. What happens if you cancel late or do not attend

We operate a graduated system of consequences to be fair to all patients:

Late cancellation or first no-show – your £70 deposit will not be refunded. This amount reflects the cost of unused clinical time, including the clinician’s time, dental nurse costs and practice overheads
No-show without any notice – your deposit will not be refunded. You may also be charged the full missed appointment fee, in line with the terms agreed at booking
Second late cancellation or no-show – you will be required to pay the full treatment fee in advance for future bookings. This higher prepayment applies for 12 months from the date of the second incident. After 12 months without further incidents, you will return to the standard deposit amount
Third no-show within 12 months – the practice reserves the right to remove you from the active patient list with 14 days’ written notice. You will receive a letter explaining the decision and your right to appeal to the Practice Manager

The decision to remove a patient from the list is final after any appeal has been considered. You have 14 days to submit a written appeal from the date you receive the notification. Your appeal will be reviewed within 10 working days.

6. Deposit refunds

Appointment attended – your deposit is deducted from the total treatment cost on the day of your visit
Cancelled within the notice period – full refund within 14 working days to the original payment method. If you cancel by phone or email within the required timeframe, you will not incur any charges
Refund method – returned to the original payment method used. If your card has expired or your account has been closed, we will contact you to arrange an alternative refund method (for example, BACS bank transfer)
No processing fee – we do not charge any fee for processing deposit refunds
Refund confirmation – you will receive confirmation of your refund by email or SMS, along with the expected date the funds will reach your account

7. Changes to treatment plan

If your treatment plan changes after you have paid a deposit:

Your deposit is automatically transferred to the new treatment without requiring a further payment
If the new treatment costs more, the difference will be collected before or on the day of your appointment
If the new treatment costs less, the surplus will be refunded within 14 working days
If you decide to cancel treatment entirely, your deposit will be refunded in full, minus the cost of any work already carried out

Costs already incurred may include: laboratory orders placed, prosthetic materials ordered, impressions or scans taken. You will be informed in writing of any such costs, with a full breakdown of individual items. You have the right to raise a complaint about any charges applied.

8. Deposits for course of treatment

For treatments requiring multiple appointments (such as implants, orthodontics, multi-unit bridges, full-mouth rehabilitations):

A £70 deposit is taken for each appointment within the treatment plan
Each deposit is deducted from the cost of that particular stage of treatment on the day of the visit
If you discontinue treatment part-way through, you are responsible for the cost of work already completed and ordered (including laboratory orders, prosthetic materials, implant components)
Before starting a course of treatment, you will receive a written plan with a cost breakdown for each appointment and a schedule of deposit payments
If treatment must be interrupted for medical reasons (such as complications or a change in diagnosis), we will discuss next steps and any refunds with you

9. Exceptions for genuine emergencies

We understand that unexpected situations can arise. Your deposit may be refunded if you are unable to attend due to:

A medical emergency affecting you or an immediate family member
Bereavement – loss of a close family member
Sudden serious illness requiring urgent medical attention
A road traffic accident or other event preventing you from reaching the practice
Other exceptional circumstances, at the Practice Manager’s discretion

We may ask for supporting evidence (for example, a medical certificate, hospital discharge letter, death certificate in the case of bereavement, or police report in the case of an accident). Each case is reviewed individually with empathy and understanding.

A decision on whether to approve or decline the refund request will be made within 5 working days of receiving the documentation. If your request is declined, you will receive a written explanation and you have the right to appeal to the Practice Manager. Appeals must be submitted in writing within 14 days of receiving the decision.

10. Infectious illness

If you have symptoms of an infectious illness (such as COVID-19, influenza, chickenpox, or any other contagious condition), please do not attend the practice. Contact us to reschedule your appointment.

Cancellations due to infectious illness will be treated as an exception. Your deposit will be refunded in full, provided you notify us before your appointment time. We may ask you to confirm your illness by phone or email.

This protects other patients and our clinical team. Attending with a contagious illness may put vulnerable patients at risk.

11. Attendance where treatment cannot proceed

If you attend your appointment but treatment cannot go ahead for clinical reasons (for example, you have eaten before a sedation procedure, your blood pressure is too high, or you are taking a contraindicated medication), this will be recorded as attendance. Your deposit will be deducted from the rescheduled appointment.

If treatment cannot proceed due to a practice-side issue (such as equipment failure or clinician absence), your deposit will be refunded in full or transferred to the rescheduled appointment at your choice.

12. How to pay your deposit

Card payment over the phone
Online payment link (sent by email or SMS)
Bank transfer (BACS)
Card payment in person at reception
Cash payment at reception
Your deposit should be paid at the time of booking or by the date specified by the practice

On receipt of your deposit, we will issue a payment confirmation which you can keep as proof of payment.

13. How to cancel your appointment

By phone: 07490 565656 (during opening hours, Mon-Fri 9:00-20:00, Sat 9:00-18:00)
By email: hello@twojdentysta.co.uk (confirmation will be sent within 1 working day)
In person at reception
Voicemail messages left outside opening hours will be actioned on the next working day

Please note: Text messages and WhatsApp messages are NOT accepted as a formal cancellation method. This is because we cannot guarantee that these messages will be read in time.

14. Your right to raise concerns

If you have any concerns about this policy or the way your deposit has been handled:

Speak to the Practice Manager at the clinic or contact us by email
Submit a formal complaint – please see our Complaints Procedure page for details
For independent consumer advice: Citizens Advice Bureau (www.citizensadvice.org.uk)
For dental care standards: General Dental Council (www.gdc-uk.org)

15. Effective date and updates

This policy is effective from 6 March 2026.

We reserve the right to update this policy. Any changes will be communicated on our website and through notices displayed at reception, with at least 14 days’ advance notice.

Last updated: 6 March 2026

ROXDENT LTD trading as Perfect Smile Dental Centre, Company No. 08978156, registered in England and Wales