Patient Cancellation Policy

At Aspendale Gardens Dental Care, we value our patients and strive to provide exceptional dental care. We are a small, personable business dedicated to providing excellent quality at an affordable price. One of the ways we achieve this is by efficiently using appointment time and staff. A missed appointment or short notice cancellation represents a cost to us and creates scheduling problems for other patients looking to book in. We understand that there may be circumstances that require you to cancel or reschedule your dental appointment. However, in order to effectively manage our schedule and accommodate the needs of all our patients, we have implemented the following cancellation policy:

We Respect Your Time:

We kindly request that you give us a minimum of 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. We understand that unexpected circumstances arise, and we appreciate your efforts to inform us in advance.

Minimizing Inconvenience:

Late cancellations can disrupt our schedule and prevent other patients from receiving timely care. If you cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, a cancellation fee may be applicable starting from $50. We want to work together to minimize any inconvenience caused.

Considerate No-show Policy:

When you miss an appointment without notifying us, it affects our ability to serve other patients who may need immediate care. To ensure fairness, a no-show fee may be charged, starting from $50, or future appointments may require prepayment. We believe in providing timely care to all our patients and appreciate your understanding.

Appointment Booking Deposits:

For appointments that require extended time or complex treatment plans, as well as Saturday appointments, a deposit is required to secure your booking. This deposit amount is determined based on the length and complexity of the treatment and will be advised at the time of booking. The deposit will be credited towards your treatment cost.

Long Appointments: The deposit amount will be advised based on the length and complexity of the treatment plan.
Saturday Appointments: A $50 deposit is required to secure any Saturday appointment.

Appointment Confirmation:

Confirm your appointment at least 48 hours before the scheduled time. Failure to confirm may lead to cancellation and reallocation to another patient. SMS, email, and phone reminders are provided as a courtesy. Not receiving these reminders does not excuse a missed appointment.

How to Cancel Your Appointment:

To cancel, call us or reply back to your confirmation text during business hours. We can be contacted on 03 9580 3200. Voicemail messages will be returned as soon as possible.

Importance of Keeping Appointments:

We appreciate the time you take out of your day to come to see us, and we hope you can respect our time too. By not showing up to an appointment or cancelling late, we take away the opportunity to help another patient who could have used that slot. To minimize disruption and serve our patients to the best of our ability and time, we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation in respecting our time, which is why we are enforcing the above policies.

Emergencies and Unexpected Situations:

We understand that emergencies can happen, such as sudden illness or accidents. If you experience a genuine emergency that prevents you from keeping your appointment, please contact our office as soon as possible to inform us of the situation. We will consider emergency situations on a case-by-case basis, and no cancellation fee will be applied if the circumstances are deemed genuine emergencies.

Our cancellation policy is designed with your best interests in mind, allowing us to effectively manage our schedule and provide exceptional care to all our patients. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our policy, our friendly staff is here to assist you.

Thank you for choosing Aspendale Gardens Dental Care. We genuinely appreciate your trust, and we are committed to providing you with the best dental experience possible.