Throughout my years of as a dentist people often ask, “Doc, how long should this last?” In our office we are proud of the dentistry that we provide for our patients and strive for perfection and satisfaction. The long term success of the dental treatment we provide for you depends upon your commitment to the home care of your teeth and gums, regular continuing care cleaning appointments, routine examinations , and the application of fluoride treatments or sealants, if indicated. You can prevent most or all disease if you spend 4 minutes in the morning and 4 minute in the evening brushing, flossing and doing any other special treatment we recommend, in combination with following the continuing care recommendations as outlined to you by our dental team. The frequency of your continuing care visits to the office may be every 2, 3, 4 or even 6 months depending on your oral health. If you maintain your regular 6-mon care visits we are happy to extend to you our warranty. This warranty will be null and void if we do not see you for at least these 6-mon continuing care visits.

1. When a tooth has a cavity the dentist removes the decay and fills the hole with a composite filling which is ideally no more that 50% of the tooth. The tooth is what supports the filling.

If the filling breaks we will replace or repair it for a period of up to 2 years.

2. Sometimes we place a composite filling thinking there is enough tooth to hold the filling when actually there is not. The tooth then starts to break away because the tooth can no longer support the filling. In this case the tooth would require a crown and we will credit the cost of the filling towards the cost of a crown and build-up.

3. This warranty will be null and void if the patient does not maintain his/her 6-month continuing care cleaning appointments.

With composite fillings sensitivity is usually present, but if it is, it usually is lasts a short period of time. However, 10% of all fillings will need a root canal at some time in the future. Because decay is soft and acts like insulation, your tooth might have been comfortable the day before the filling, but you may still need a root canal if the sensitivity persists longer than usual. If your tooth needs a root canal within 12 months of the time of the filling was placed, we will credit the cost of the filling towards a post, core build-up and crown.

1. Sealants are plastic coatings placed on the chewing surfaces of the teeth to prevent decay in the chewing surfaces and grooves of the teeth. We will repair or replace sealant for a period of three (3) years after original date of placement.

2. This warranty is null and void if the patient does not maintain his/her 6-mon continuing care cleaning appointments.

1. When a tooth has a cavity or a pre-existing failing restoration that takes up to 60% or more of the tooth, a crown is indicated. The dentist will remove the decay and /or failing restoration and fill the hole with a build-up composite material. The dentist will then prepare the tooth and the build-up for the proper contour which will support the crown.

2. For a period of 5 years from the date of service, we will refund the cost of a crown or bridge due to breakage, misfit or decay at no cost to the patient. This does not include crowns or bridges where decay has reoccurred due to poor oral hygiene or diet, or when the crown/bridge is damaged due to accidents or abuse that could also break normal healthy teeth.*

3. This warranty is null and void is the patient does not maintain his/her 6-mon continuing care cleaning appointments.

* Porcelain crowns or bridges can chip and break. Gold crown will not chip or break. Approximately one (1) out of every 100 porcelains crowns chip and need replacement. If there are signs of occlusal disease- considerable wear on the teeth- the porcelain crowns will be subjected to unhealthy forces and will break under these conditions and the warranty will be null and void. Under such circumstances a nightguard will be needed

Under normal conditions, if your porcelain crown chips in the first five (5) years we will repair it or replace it at no charge. However, if it chips after the 5 year period, you will be charged the regular fee for a new crown.

This should be taken into consideration when choosing between porcelain or a gold crown.

We will warranty partials and dentures for a period of 2 years. We will make repairs if a tooth chips or breaks, of if a flang breaks under normal use. This warranty does not cover accidents such as dropping the partial or denture. Full upper and lower denture must be seen at least every 12 months for this warranty to be valid.

Do root canals always work? No! A root canal is a therapy not a cure. Though the chances of failure are small – 4% failure rate- they do exist especially if a tooth is left unprotected after root canal therapy is completed. If your root canal therapy, complete with a protective restoration, fails within 3 years we will evaluate whether re-treatment is necessary and by whom. If we retreat the tooth, we will do so at no charge or provide credit of the original fee to an endodontist who performs the re-treatment procedure. In addition, if the tooth cannot be saved, the cost of the crown and buildup placed in our office will be credited toward replacing that tooth during the 3 year period. There are rare instances we will inform the patient that we cannot provide a warranty on tooth with a poor prognosis.

Do implants always work? No! Implants have a very high success rate, but their success is predicated on a host of conditions such as; quality of bone, location of the implant, biting forces on the implant, the immune system of the body, amount of surrounding bone, home care of the patient, etc. Implants may require additional treatment once placed in the mouth due to compromising situations and such treatment is not covered under this warranty. However, if implants placed in our office fail with a 5 year period of time we will replace the implant or the placement fee will be credited toward alternative therapy in our office.

1. This warranty will be null and void if the patient does not maintain his/her recommended professional re-care appointments (either 2, 3, 4, or 6 months).

2. If a tooth becomes sensitive after a dental treatment and requires a root canal therapy, this does not constitute failure, but a treatment complication. There are many reasons a tooth requires a root canal therapy that are beyond our control, such as deep cavities, fracture line and individual patient sensitivities. If the root canal is completed at our office, it carries a five year warranty just like a crown.

3. This warranty does not cover breakage due to occlusal disease, accident, or inappropriate us such as chewing on ice.