Patient terms and conditions

These Terms and Conditions (Terms) apply to all dental services provided to you by this dental practice (the Practice, we, us, our), operated by Averra Dental Pty Ltd. By booking or attending an appointment, you agree to these Terms. They work together with our Privacy Policy, Appointment, Cancellation and Missed Appointment Policy, Fees, Payment and Informed Financial Consent Policy, and Patient Rights and Responsibilities Charter.

1. Our practitioners

All clinical care at the Practice is provided by dental practitioners registered with the Dental Board of Australia through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), supported by appropriately trained clinical and administrative staff. You can verify any practitioner's registration on the AHPRA public register at www.ahpra.gov.au. Our practitioners practise in accordance with the Dental Board of Australia's Code of Conduct and applicable clinical guidelines. Practitioners may be employees or independent contractors; in either case the Practice is responsible for the standard of service delivered to you.

2. Medical history and accurate information

Safe dental treatment depends on accurate information. You agree to complete a medical history form before your first appointment, to update it at least every 12 months and whenever your health or medications change, and to tell your practitioner about any condition, medication, allergy, pregnancy, previous reaction to anaesthetic or other matter that may affect your treatment. We are not responsible for complications that arise from information you did not disclose or disclosed inaccurately.

3. Examination, diagnosis and treatment plans

Treatment is provided only after a clinical examination by a registered practitioner. Your practitioner will explain their findings, the treatment options available (including the option of no treatment), the risks, benefits and likely outcomes of each option, the expected number of visits, and the estimated cost. Where treatment extends beyond a single visit, you will receive a written treatment plan with itemised fees. Treatment plans are based on the clinical situation at the time of examination; if something changes during treatment, your practitioner will explain the change and any effect on cost before proceeding wherever possible.

4. Informed consent

You have the right to decide what treatment you receive. Before any procedure, your practitioner will seek your informed consent, and for more complex, irreversible or higher-cost procedures (including extractions, root canal treatment, crowns, implants, orthodontics, sedation and cosmetic procedures) we will ask you to sign a written consent form. You may withdraw consent at any time before or during treatment, although withdrawing consent part way through a procedure may leave treatment incomplete and may affect the outcome and cost. A parent or legal guardian must consent on behalf of a child, and must attend with a child under 16 unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance.

5. Clinical outcomes

Dentistry is a health service, not a product. Your practitioner will use their skill, care and professional judgment, but biological factors, healing, oral hygiene, diet, smoking, grinding and the condition of existing teeth all affect results. We therefore cannot guarantee that any treatment will achieve a particular outcome or last for a particular time. Where we provide an expected lifespan for restorations or appliances, this is an estimate based on general clinical experience, not a warranty. This does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law described in section 11.

6. Dental laboratory work and appliances

Crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures, implants, splints, mouthguards, aligners and similar items are custom made for you, often by an external dental laboratory. Once fabrication has commenced, laboratory costs have been incurred and are payable even if you later decide not to proceed. Appliances remain our property until paid for in full. Minor adjustments to new dentures, splints and appliances are included for the period your practitioner tells you at fitting; adjustments due to changes in your mouth, loss or damage after that time are charged at our standard fees.

7. Remakes and remedial treatment

If a restoration or appliance fails because of a defect in materials or workmanship within the period we tell you at the time of treatment, and you have attended the recommended review appointments and followed the care instructions given, we will repair or replace it at no charge. This does not apply to failure caused by trauma, decay, gum disease, grinding without wearing a prescribed splint, poor oral hygiene, or changes in your medical condition, or to temporary restorations. Any remedial treatment must be carried out at the Practice; we do not reimburse treatment obtained elsewhere without prior written agreement.

8. Fees and payment

Fees are set out in our Fees, Payment and Informed Financial Consent Policy. In summary: you will receive a written estimate before treatment begins; payment is due on the day of treatment unless otherwise agreed in writing; health fund rebates are claimed on the spot where possible and any gap is payable by you; and deposits are required for laboratory work and extended appointments.

9. Appointments

Our Appointment, Cancellation and Missed Appointment Policy applies. In summary: we ask for the notice period set out in that policy to change or cancel an appointment, and a fee may apply for late cancellations and missed appointments.

10. Behaviour and safety

We are committed to a safe workplace for our team and other patients. Abusive, threatening, discriminatory or violent behaviour towards any team member or patient will not be tolerated, and we may refuse or discontinue treatment and ask you to leave the premises. Patients must not attend under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs; treatment will be rescheduled if your practitioner judges it unsafe to proceed. For sedation appointments, you must arrange a responsible adult to accompany you home and must not drive for 24 hours.

11. Australian Consumer Law

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law, including that services will be provided with due care and skill, will be fit for any purpose you have made known to us, and will be delivered within a reasonable time. Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies those guarantees. To the extent permitted by law, our liability for breach of a consumer guarantee in relation to services is limited, at our option, to supplying the services again or paying the cost of having them supplied again. This limitation does not apply to any liability for death, personal injury or clinical negligence.

12. Ending the practitioner-patient relationship

You may transfer your care to another practice at any time; we will provide a copy of your records on request as described in our Privacy Policy. We may end our relationship with you where there has been a serious breakdown of trust, repeated non-attendance, non-payment, behaviour described in section 10, or where we cannot safely provide the care you need. If we do, we will give you reasonable notice in writing, continue emergency care for a reasonable transition period, and assist you to find alternative care.

13. Records and photographs

We keep clinical records, including radiographs and photographs, as part of your dental record in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Clinical photographs are used for diagnosis, treatment planning and record keeping. We will never use your photographs for marketing, education or publication without your separate written consent, which you may withhold or withdraw at any time without affecting your care.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, please tell us. Our Feedback and Complaints Policy explains how to raise a concern and the external bodies you can contact.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms by publishing a revised version on this website with a new effective date. The version in force at the time you book or attend an appointment applies to that appointment and any treatment plan issued at it.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the state or territory in which the Practice is located and the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms: privacy@averradental.com.au, or speak to our reception team.