Cancellations Policy
Cancellations, Missed and Failed Appointments Policy
At Marlow Dental Centre, we are committed to providing our patients with the highest level of service. To help us achieve this, we kindly ask for your cooperation with our appointment scheduling policies. We understand that life events and emergencies can sometimes prevent you from attending your scheduled appointment. We request that patients give as much notice as possible if they need to cancel or reschedule their appointment, so that we can offer the time to another patient who may need it.
Non-Attendance and Late Cancellations
When patients fail to attend or cancel at short notice without a valid reason, it results in wasted appointments and reduces the availability of care for others. Many appointments each month are not attended, which could have been used by other patients.
First Missed Appointment:
If you fail to attend a scheduled appointment, you will receive a reminder letter or email informing you of our policy and the importance of cancelling in advance if you are unable to attend.
Second Missed Appointment:
If you miss a second appointment, we will send a follow-up letter/email notifying you that a charge of £35 per 15-minute block will be applied for each missed appointment. Additionally, we will require payment in advance for any future appointments to secure your booking.
What Constitutes a Broken Appointment?
An appointment is considered "broken" under the following circumstances:
- Failure to show up for the scheduled appointment.
- Arriving more than 20 minutes late.
- Cancelling with less than 24 hours' notice (unless due to illness or emergency).
Cancellation Notice
To avoid a broken appointment, we request that you notify us of any cancellations at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. Cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice will be considered a broken appointment.
Cold Sore Policy
Cold sores are a common viral infection that are highly contagious, especially during the initial outbreak and healing phase. At Marlow Dental Centre, we request that if you have a cold sore and it is within the first two weeks of the outbreak, you reschedule any non-emergency dental or hygienist appointments until the contagious period has passed. This precaution is to prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure your comfort during treatment, as cold sores may cause discomfort or bleeding during dental procedures.
If urgent treatment is necessary and you have a cold sore, our dentists will take precautions by using a cold sore plaster to minimize the risk of cross-infection during emergency care.
Rescheduling Due to Cold Sores
If you develop a cold sore before your appointment, please contact us as early as possible to reschedule your non-emergency treatment. You will not be charged a cancellation fee if the appointment is cancelled due to a cold sore, evidence may be required of this.