Terms and Conditions
The following Terms and Conditions shall apply to all trading between The Implant Lab (The Lab), registered office 6 Southern Street, Manchester M34NJ and the dentist, laboratory or any other customer with regards to custom made appliances (The Client). The dental patient is not considered a party to the agreement between The Implant Lab and the dental practice.
1. Delivery and Turnaround
1.1 Please allow 10 working days for restorations to be produced, excluding the collection and delivery date. Turnaround may, in certain circumstances, be longer due to the complexity of the case or the requirement to outsource. If this occurs, the Client will be notified as soon as possible.
1.2 The Lab endeavours to deliver work on time. However, if for any reason this is not possible, The Lab will not compensate dentist’s fees, consequential loss or expenses of any kind.
1.3 Please request a delivery date of 1 day prior to the patient’s appointment to ensure delivery on time.
1.4 The Lab reserves the right to charge Express turnaround fees for cases which they are requested to produce in less than 10 days.
2. Prices
2.1 The Lab reviews its prices in March every year, usually with one month’s notice and they reserve the right to increase prices in line with increases in production costs, overheads and inflation. However, they do reserve the right to change prices without notice if this is necessary.
3. Work and Remakes
3.1. Appliances are constructed to the specification prescribed on the laboratory work ticket but The Lab is not responsible for the suitability of that specification.
3.2. The Lab reserve the right to charge for the remaking of an appliance which has become necessary due to surgeon error.
3.3. Any products for remake must be returned to The Lab within 10 working days from the invoice date and The Lab will have 10 working days from receipt to remake the product. If after remake, the product still is not meeting guarantee standard, it must be returned within 10 working days from receipt by The Client and a refund will be made on its receipt by The Lab.
3.4. Any product returned for remake with a difference in shade will incur cost. However, this will not exceed the original cost of the order.
3.5. If the return contains precious, semi – precious alloy, The Lab will charge for 40% of the original alloy cost incurred. ( N.B. excluding the cost incurred due to the loss of product during the manufacturing process).
3.6. A dental appliance that fits the master model poured from the original impression supplied by the dentist and which is created to the specification of the prescription but subsequently has to be remade, is not considered a remake.
3.7. By fitting an appliance, the dentist accepts that The Lab has produced it to the specification and satisfaction of the dentist.
4. Guarantees
4.1. Dental products produced at The Lab carry a full guarantee and they are registered with DAMAS. This provides The Client with an assurance of high quality materials and production processes.
4.2. The guarantees for custom made devices are as follows:
Crowns and Bridges – 3 years
Veneers – 1 year
Full Contour Zirconia crowns – 10 years
If, within the guarantee period, the product proves defective in the circumstances of normal use, a replacement will be provided free of charge by The Lab.
4.3. Exclusions to the guarantee: The Lab cannot guarantee any dental appliance which is based on a faulty model. If, when casting the models, The Lab is of the opinion that the impression is not of sufficient quality to continue the work, they will inform The Client to discuss a solution. A new impression maybe required and if so, remakes as a result of carrying on with the work by The Client using the faulty impression, will result in new charges being applied. A charge of £10 for each inferior quality impression will be incurred, even if no product is produced.
4.4. The Lab will endeavour to interpret and follow the clients’ instructions correctly. However, if a mistake is made, The Lab will rectify the mistake free of charge as quickly as production processes allow but will not compensate dentists’ fees, consequential losses or expenses of any kind.
4.5. The Client is responsible for any additional costs or charges incurred through changing instructions or delivery dates after the work has been accepted by the Lab.
4.6. The Lab is not liable for any choking hazard caused by any manufactured dental appliance due to faulty prescription, poor fitting or misuse.
4.7. The guarantee will also become null and void also in the following circumstances:
- Physical trauma
- Failure to receive annual dental check-ups
- Oral health problems.
- Defects arising from fitting immediately after extraction.
4.8. The Lab is registered with the DLA’s “Bitemark Campaign” which aims to increase awareness of patients as to where their appliances have been made. They will provide a card with each restoration which guarantees that all work has been produced in the UK by GDC registered technicians that can be passed on to patients.
4.9. The Lab reserves the right to refuse a guarantee where they believe that the requested product may not last the guarantee period due to but its particular circumstances. If instructed to continue with the work, they will do so but if the requested work fails, will expect payment in full for the work supplied.
4.10. Guarantees cover the supplied appliance and not the dental treatment.
5. Payment Terms
5.1. Invoices must be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
5.2. Any account which becomes 60 days overdue may be suspended with prior warning, until full payment is made.
5.3. If accounts become over 1 month in arrears, interest may be charged on the amount overdue at a rate of 8.5% statutory interest rate (base rate plus 8%), in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Interest) Act 1998 as amended and supplemented by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002/2013.
5.4. Preferred method of payment is by BACS / bank transfer.
5.5. The person issuing the prescription is responsible for ensuring payment is received within 30 days of invoice date.
5.6. All items supplied remain the property of the Lab until payment is received.
5.7. The Lab reserves the right to check credit ratings of clients.
5.8. Once an order is accepted by The Lab, then it may not be cancelled without their prior written consent which they may, in their absolute discretion, withhold as they will have incurred costs and expenses.
5.9. All payments due to The Lab under these Terms and Conditions are to be made in pounds sterling and without the right of set-off or counterclaim and free and clear of any deduction or withholding whatsoever unless the same may be required by law.
5.10. Time for the making of payments to the Lab under these Terms and Conditions shall be of the essence.
6. Staged Cases
6.1. When the end product is built up in stages, fit is assessed after each production stage and consequently, it is The Clients’ responsibility to assess the fit of the separate products after each stage and not only at the end. A request for a remake after the acceptance of a product at any stage, will not be considered a remake and will be charged in full. Each stage will be billed separately and should be paid in full as per the terms of payment. The Lab cannot guarantee a product if steps are missed and therefore liability is limited.
6.2.Metal frame dentures and flexi dentures must have a secondary impression taken in a special tray which has been produced for the specific patient by The Lab.
7. Alloys
7.1. A loss and handling charge is added to the weight of gold and precious alloys used.
7.2. The Client will always be charged for any loss of precious or semi – precious alloy during the production process to a maximum of 25%. ( N.B. this is excluding the possible extra cost incurred in the case of a remake).
7.3. Gold will be charged at its gross weight. Alloy is charged at the rate on the day of casting.
8. Infection Control Policy
8.1. All impressions must be free from blood and disinfected before being sent to The Lab as per GDC, BDA, and CQC Good Practice guidelines.
8.2. The Lab has its own infection control procedures, copies of which are available on request.
8.3. All work is delivered non-sterile.
9. Liability /Exclusion of Warranties
9.1. Save as expressly set out in these Terms and Conditions, no warranty, condition or representation, express or implied, (including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or any representation as to performance quality or absence of hidden defects) has been or is given by The Lab, its servants or agents (with respect to or in respect of any dental products created by The Lab). All conditions and warranties which would otherwise be implied by statute, or under common law are hereby excluded to the fullest possible extent permitted by law.
9.2. The Lab shall under no circumstances be liable for:
Loss of profit, business, revenue, contracts or anticipated savings; or
For any special indirect or consequential damage of any nature whatsoever, howsoever arising, from breach or non-performance of any of its obligations under any agreement to supply dental products pursuant to these Terms and Conditions.
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall restrict The Lab’s liability to the extent such restriction is not permitted by law.
9.3. The Client undertakes that it is not a consumer and that any contract it enters into with The Lab is on its own behalf in the conduct of its business and that it is not acting as an agent for any third party.
10. Intellectual Property
10.1. All intellectual property rights in any dental products, whether or not created in connection with orders, supplied by The Lab shall remain the property of The Lab exclusively, (including but not limited to rights under patents, trademarks, copyright or design rights).
11. Jurisdiction
11.1 The construction, validity and performance of the contract into which these Terms and Conditions are incorporated, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and the parties irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.