Warranty commitments

As a general rule, warranty periods and service-life terms are set for dental-care work (services) provided by Raffa Private Unitary Enterprise.

For each patient, the dentist sets the warranty period and service life for completed dental services depending on:

• the clinical situation in the patient’s oral cavity;
• the presence or absence of concomitant diseases that directly or indirectly cause changes in teeth and surrounding tissues;
• how completely the patient follows the treatment plan recommended by the dentist.

A warranty is issued for treatment considered complete: for caries, after a permanent filling is placed; for prosthetics, after permanent fixation of the finished restoration or delivery of a removable restoration and completion of a warranty card.

Taking these circumstances into account, warranty periods and service-life terms may be adjusted, decreased or increased from the average within the terms set by Raffa; the treating dentist records this in the warranty card.

If the patient discovers defects during the established warranty period or service life, the patient must contact Raffa by telephone or in person, state the nature of the concern and book an appointment with the treating dentist. If the dentist establishes that the defects are not connected with a breach of warranty or operating conditions previously communicated to the patient, they are corrected or the work is repeated without additional payment.

Patient requirements

Warranty commitments apply when the patient meets the following requirements:

• completes the entire agreed treatment plan;
• has correction or any additional intervention in the completed work performed only at Raffa;
• has professional oral hygiene performed regularly at the interval stated by the dentist in the outpatient record, but not less than twice a year and only at Raffa.

Warranty commitments cease if, during the warranty period, new or existing diseases develop, harmful external effects occur, including long-term medication for other diseases; the patient is pregnant; mandatory check-ups are missed (once every 6 months, or once every 3 months for implant-supported prosthetics); oral-care recommendations or operating conditions are not followed.

Cases not covered

Raffa has no warranty obligations where teeth previously received endodontic treatment; diagnostic, measuring or control X-rays cannot be taken or are refused; a patient requests a non-optimal alternative treatment; the patient does not accept the rational prosthetic plan; allergy or intolerance to authorised medicines or dental materials occurs; a prosthesis was not made or acquired at Raffa; a removable prosthesis made elsewhere is repaired; treatment is stopped other than on Raffa’s initiative; complications arise through the patient’s fault; or force-majeure circumstances affect treatment results.

The warranty does not apply to fixation of decorative tooth jewellery, periodontal treatment and professional oral hygiene, teeth whitening, treatment of primary teeth or orthodontic appliances.

* Depends on following all hygiene rules and the frequency of examination and oral care. With compliance and no chronic diseases accelerating tooth-tissue destruction, it has been practically and clinically established that metal-free ceramic restorations can function properly for 20 years or more.

Limited warranty. No warranty.

Because medical services depend substantially on physiological and biological characteristics and a treatment outcome cannot always be predicted precisely, a limited warranty may be provided. A 3-month warranty is provided for treatment of a tooth with direct indications for further prosthetics (coverage with an orthopaedic crown). No warranty is provided for repeat root-canal treatment where patency is impossible, removal of hidden instrument fragments or closure of root-canal perforation after treatment elsewhere, or a filling where more than one half of the tooth is destroyed. A check-up overdue by more than one month terminates the warranty.

Service-life and warranty terms cannot be set for root-canal treatment where full patency and permanent gutta-percha filling are impossible, professional cleaning, temporary dressings, outpatient surgery other than implantation, periodontal-disease treatment and whitening. Root-canal treatment needed after a filling for deep caries is paid for by the patient. The positive result in root-canal treatment is about 80% of cases.

No warranty is provided for permanent prosthetic work if artificial teeth fall out of dentures, denture plastic fractures, or micro-locks and clasps break. Temporary prosthetic restorations must be replaced with permanent ones within the period specified by the treating dentist; otherwise the warranty ends and Raffa is not responsible for the treatment result.

Implant and orthodontic treatment

• 1 year for dental-implant treatment work, subject to following all recommendations and scheduled visits;
• 2 years for metal-free transocclusally fixed prosthetics after implantation, subject to recommendations and denture-care rules;
• 1 year for metal-ceramic cement-retained prosthetics after implantation.

Approximate implant service life: the implant itself — 10 years; implant-supported all-metal crowns — 3 years; metal-ceramic crowns — 3 years; zirconium-oxide crowns — 10 years; ceramic crowns — 7 years; removable dentures — 3 years. These periods are approximate and may vary depending on lifestyle and implant care.

For orthodontic treatment, specific timeframes for correction of dentofacial anomalies and exact results cannot be guaranteed. Raffa undertakes diagnostics, identification of causes, selection of optimal orthodontic equipment and improvement of the aesthetics and functions of the dentofacial system. Warranty starts when retention appliances are placed in the patient’s mouth. It is not issued or is cancelled where scheduled preventive and hygiene visits or operating conditions are not followed, other Raffa dentists are not visited in time when additional treatment is needed, or retention recommendations are not followed after active treatment.