What’s The Difference Between Warrantying and Guaranteeing Your Dental Work?

February 18,2014
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Recently on the Crown Council discussion forum, a private practice dentist observed that corporate group Aspen Dental has been heavily marketing their dentures with both a warranty and a guarantee.  His question to a group of 1000 dentists was, "What's the difference?"

And, we might add, "Which is right for your practice?"  Whether or not you are competing with Aspen, here are 7 things you should know about guarantees and warranties as you stand behind your work in dentistry:

1. What's the difference? A "guarantee" is a promise made by the seller.  The buyer has to take the seller's word that they will honor the guarantee.   A "warranty" is legally binding agreement. 

2. How do you honor a warranty or guarantee? Honoring a guarantee usually means returning the patient's money if they aren't satisfied with your work.  Honoring a warranty means providing a repair or replacement for a defect in materials or workmanship. 

3. What does the dental board say?  Don't guarantee the success or effectiveness of the treatment, for example, "I guarantee this crown will never break," or "Our root canals are guaranteed to stop pain."  This is prohibited by basically every state dental board. 

4. What about a lifetime guarantee? Don't give a lifetime guarantee.  It confuses patients and will complicate the sale of your practice. 

5. How can I provide a legal warranty? Legally, every warranty should include or not include very specific features regulated by Federal law.  Use Dental Warranty Corp's warranty program or work with an attorney to make sure your documents are legal. 

6. Do patients want a warranty?  There is real patient demand for stronger warranties in dentistry.  On average, 35% of dental patients in the practices we work with choose to purchase an extended protection plan.  For every person who asks you "how do you stand behind your work," there are 10 who think of it without saying anything. 

7. Do warranties affect patient retention?  Giving a written warranty increases the chance of a patient returning for hygiene by 25%.

For more information, schedule a 15 minute demo of Dental Warranty or download this 1 page guide to see the 10 characteristics of a winning warranty and how you match up.

How do you stand behind your work? 

 

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