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Frequently Asked Questions

Are you accepting new patients?

  • You are welcome to join our PRIVATE Patients List for Independent Dental Care. 

  • We do not have the capacity to take on new NHS patients. You have to look for a different dentist who is taking on new NHS patients, or be seen privately.

  • You have to fill in a registration form at your first visit, which is just to add you to our patient database. But that does not mean you have guaranteed access to an NHS dental appointment in the future.

  • You do not have to register with a dentist in the same way as with a GP to receive NHS treatment.

  • We are self-employed and can provide a mix of NHS and private dentistry. 

  • Please Note: A patient can receive NHS treatment from any dentist because there is no system of registration for dentistry, unlike for general practice. This means that once a patient has finished their course of treatment, they are not guaranteed access to the same dentist again in the future.

How can I book an appointment?

  • Please use telephone or call in to the surgery to book an appointment.

  • Please bear with us as phone lines can get very busy at times.

What is your appointment cancellation policy?

  • We understand things happen and schedules do change, but missed appointments/late cancellations prevent other patients benefitting from essential dental care.

  • Please give as much notice as possible (at least 24 hours) if you have to cancel or change an appointment. Less then 24 hours is classed as Short Notice Cancellation.

  • We do NOT charge you for missed NHS appointments, but if you continue to miss appointments (especially if 2 or more consecutively missed appointments and or short notice cancellations.) We may decide not to offer you further appointments and/or remove you from our list.

  • Any appeals about removal following missed/cancelled appointments should be made in writing to the practice manager.

Do I have to pay for NHS dental treatment?

  • Yes, Dentistry is one of the few NHS services where you have to pay a contribution towards the cost of your care, unless you hold a valid NHS Charges Exemption Certificate.

  • People dishonestly claiming that they are exempt from charges (when they are not), are engaging in unlawful activity and denying the NHS of vital revenue.

  • Please note non-payment (falsely claiming exemption) will lead to NHS Counter Fraud Services taking action against you and serving you a penalty notice.

  • Check that you are entitled to claim an exemption from an NHS charge before ticking any exemption box.

  • You will be required to sign a declaration form confirming you understand your entitlement.

  • If you were entitled to exemption in the past and your financial circumstances change, it is your responsibility to check whether you remain entitled to continue to claim for free treatment or services.

  • for further information, please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/dentists/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/

How do I pay for my dental treatment?

  • You can pay by card or cash at reception.

  • We can accept card payments over phone.

  • We prefer card payment and accept all major credit/debit cards except American Express.

  • If you wish to pay by cash, please bring the exact change.

What to expect when I visit Perfect Smiles Dental Surgery for a face to face appointment?

  • Face to Face appointments are strictly by prior booking only. Please note there is no walk in service.

  • Please ring the doorbell on your arrival & report to the reception.

  • Please attend wearing a face mask if possible or be prepared to wear one.

  • ​Please expect to find our team wearing appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

  • You should attend the practice alone, unless you are a child or have a disability/special needs, .

  • Please use hand sanitiser before entering and after leaving the surgery room.

  • We take NHS band 1 payment at initial consultation. Please pay by card (contactless preferred) and if bringing cash please bring exact amount.

  • Please bring a proof of exemption from NHS charges if you have one.​

  • Please neither expect nor insist the dentist to finish treatment / procedure on first appointment.

  • Further appointments are booked by the dentist after Triage/ Treatment Planning  on an individual basis. 

How do I get my prescription?

  • If you need a prescription, you will be asked to attend the practice with ID proof to collect prescriptions as currently we are not able to send prescription to pharmacies/patients.

  • Reception staff will greet you at the door and provide you with your prescription only after checking your ID.

What if myself or my family members develop COVID or similar symptoms?

  • Please call the surgery and reschedule your appointment

  • Please follow government advice on self isolation and/or treatment. 

  • If we have a reason to believe that you seem unwell or are displaying any of the COVID related signs/symptoms, it may result in cancellation of your appointment as it is our duty to protect you and our team.

How do I make a complaint?

  • Our Complaints Policy is in line with NHS regulations.

  • We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, at the time they arise and with the person concerned. 

  • We hope that you never have a cause for complaint but if you have any issues/problem that cannot be sorted in this way and you wish to make a complaint, please contact the Practice Manager.

  • Please ask the reception for a copy of our complaints procedure.

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  • Code of practice for handling patient complaints 

  • We want our service to meet your expectations. If you have a concern or complaint about any aspect of our service, we want to know what mistakes we made and identify how we can improve to ensure that we meet your expectations in future. Our aim is to learn from any feedback we receive and improve the service we provide to our patients. 

  • We will deal with complaints courteously and promptly and aim to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. 

  • Making a complaint

  • If you wish to make a complaint or simply let us know how we could have done better, please contact our Complaints’ Manager Dawn Cluley

  • By telephone on 0121 777 2217

  • By email at perfectsmiles2020@gmail.com

  • By letter to Perfect smiles dental, 1381 Stratford Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9HS

  • In person.

  • The Complaints’ Manager usually works at the practice on weekdays and will endeavour to be available during these times. You may find it more convenient to make an appointment with Complaints’ Manager to ensure that they can dedicate sufficient time to meet with you.

  • If you contact the practice to make a complaint and the Complaints’ Manager is not available, we will arrange a convenient time for them to contact you. We will ask you for brief details of your complaint so that the Complaints’ Manager can gather any useful information before contacting you. You will be given a copy of the notes made for the Complaints’ Manager. 

  • If the matter requires a more immediate response, we will arrange for a senior member of the dental team to deal with it.

  • If your complaint is about your dental treatment or the fee charged, we will usually ask the dentist concerned to contact you, unless you do not want this.

  • We acknowledge all complaints in writing and enclose a copy of this code of practice as soon as possible, normally within 3 working days.

  • Investigating a complaint

  • We will offer to discuss the complaint with you and will ask how you would like to be kept informed of developments – by telephone, letters or e-mail or by face-to-face meetings. We will let you know how we will deal with your complaint and the likely time that the investigation will take to complete. If you do not wish to discuss the complaint further, we will still let you know the expected timescale for completing the investigation.

  • We will investigate your complaint within 6 months and, as far as reasonably practicable, will let you know how our investigation is progressing. 

  • When we have completed our investigation, we will provide you with a full written report, unless you have told us that you do not wish for further communication. The report will explain how we considered the complaint, the conclusions we reached for each part of your complaint, details of any remedial action we have taken and whether further action is needed. 

  • Records 

  • We keep proper and comprehensive records of any complaints that we receive and the action we have taken following investigation.  We review these records regularly to ensure that we recognise our mistakes and take every opportunity to improve our service.

  • If you are not satisfied

  • If your complaint was about your dental treatment and you are not satisfied with the result of our investigation, you can take up the matter with a relevant external organisation.

  • Complaining to NHS England

  • NHS England welcomes concerns, compliments and complaints as valuable feedback that will help us learn from your experiences and make improvements to services, we commission.

  • You can complain or give feedback:

  • By post to:

  • NHS England
    PO Box 16738
    Redditch
    B97 9PT

  • By email to: england.contactus@nhs.net

  • If you are making a complaint please state: ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line.

  • By telephone: 0300 311 22 33

  • opening hours are: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesdays when we open at the later time of 9.30am. Closed on bank holidays

  • Please issue your complaint to either the Practice or the area team, you cannot complain to both.

  • For complaints about private treatment:

  • Dental Complaints Service, Stephenson House, 2 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon CR0 6BA 

  • (020 8253 0800).

  • If you feel your complaint was not resolved you can contact:

  • Complaints to the ombudsman:

  • Parliamentary and Healthcare Complaints

  • Millbank Tower

  • 30 Millbank

  • Westminster

  • London

  • SW1P 4QP

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