Your Privacy Matters

1. Information We Collect

Depending on your relationship with our Clinic, we may collect personal information and personal health information.

Personal Information

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Date of birth
• Emergency contact information
• Preferred communication method
• Insurance information
• Payment and billing information

Personal Health Information

• Dental and medical history
• Current health conditions
• Allergies
• Medications
• Dental examinations and assessments
• Diagnoses and treatment plans
• Clinical notes
• X-rays and other diagnostic images
• Photographs related to dental treatment
• Treatment history
• Prescriptions
• Referrals and specialist reports
• Laboratory information
• Insurance and benefit information related to treatment
• Communications concerning your dental care

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for providing care, operating our practice, meeting legal or professional requirements, or other purposes permitted by law.

2. How We Collect Information

We may collect information directly from you when you:

• Register as a patient
• Complete patient or medical history forms
• Request an appointment
• Visit our Clinic
• Contact us by telephone, email, text message, or through our website
• Communicate with members of our dental team
• Receive treatment
• Make a payment
• Submit insurance information

Where permitted by law, we may also receive information from other health care providers, specialists, dental laboratories, pharmacies, insurance companies, family members, substitute decision-makers, or other persons involved in your care.

3. Why We Collect and Use Your Information

We may collect and use personal information and personal health information for purposes including:

• Providing dental examinations, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care
• Creating and maintaining your dental record
• Scheduling and confirming appointments
• Communicating with you regarding your care
• Coordinating treatment with dentists, dental specialists, physicians, laboratories, pharmacies, or other health care providers
• Processing dental insurance claims
• Billing and collecting payment for services
• Providing estimates and treatment plans
• Responding to your questions and requests
• Managing referrals
• Maintaining clinical and administrative records
• Improving the quality and safety of our services
• Managing our dental practice
• Meeting regulatory, legal, accounting, insurance, and professional requirements
• Responding to legal requirements, court orders, regulatory authorities, or other disclosures permitted or required by law

We will not collect, use, or disclose personal health information for purposes unrelated to your care or our legitimate operations unless we have appropriate consent or are otherwise permitted or required to do so by law.

4. Consent

We obtain consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information as required by applicable law. Depending on the circumstances and purpose, consent may be express or implied.

For example, when you provide information to us for the purpose of obtaining dental treatment, we may rely on your consent to use that information for providing your care and, where legally permitted, to share necessary information with other health care providers involved in your treatment.

You may withdraw or limit your consent in certain circumstances by contacting our Privacy Officer. Any withdrawal or limitation of consent is subject to legal, professional, and clinical requirements and may affect our ability to provide certain services.

5. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

Your personal health information is treated as confidential. We may share information with persons or organizations involved in providing or supporting your care, where permitted by law, including:

• Dentists and dental specialists
• Dental hygienists and dental assistants
• Physicians and other health care professionals
• Dental laboratories
• Pharmacies
• Diagnostic service providers
• Insurance and benefit providers
• Authorized members of our Clinic staff
• Technology and service providers acting on our behalf
• Professional advisers, auditors, or regulatory authorities where permitted or required by law

We require service providers who may have access to confidential information to appropriately protect that information and use it only for authorized purposes.

We do not sell patient personal information or personal health information.

6. Dental Insurance and Billing

When requested or authorized, we may submit information to your insurance company or benefits provider in order to:

• Verify coverage
• Obtain treatment estimates
• Submit claims
• Coordinate benefits
• Respond to requests related to a claim
• Process payment

Information provided to an insurance company will be limited to information reasonably necessary for the applicable purpose or as otherwise authorized or required.

7. Protecting Your Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal and personal health information against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, loss, theft, or disposal.

• Access controls and user permissions
• Password protection
• Secure computer systems
• Network and cybersecurity protections
• Encryption where appropriate
• Secure backups
• Physical access restrictions
• Confidentiality obligations for employees and contractors
• Staff privacy and security training
• Secure disposal of paper and electronic records
• Monitoring and auditing where appropriate
• Procedures for responding to privacy and cybersecurity incidents

Access to patient information is limited to individuals who require the information to perform authorized duties. No electronic system or method of communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We continually review our safeguards and take reasonable measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we maintain.

8. Retention and Destruction of Records

We retain dental and other patient records for the periods required by applicable laws, professional standards, regulatory requirements, and legitimate clinical or business purposes.

When records are no longer required, we use appropriate methods to securely destroy or permanently de-identify them. Paper records may be securely shredded, and electronic information may be securely deleted or otherwise rendered inaccessible using appropriate methods.

9. Our Website

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Pages visited
• Date and time of visits
• Referring website
• General website usage information

We may use this information to operate, secure, maintain, understand, and improve our website. Website usage information is generally not intended to form part of your clinical dental record unless it is submitted or otherwise collected in connection with your care.

10. Cookies and Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to provide website functionality, remember preferences, measure website performance, maintain security, and understand how visitors use our website.

We may use third-party website or analytics service providers. You may be able to control or disable certain cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality. Where required, we will obtain appropriate consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

11. Online Appointment Requests and Contact Forms

Our website may allow you to:

• Request an appointment
• Ask a general question
• Request that we contact you
• Submit registration information
• Provide information related to your care

Information submitted through these services will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy. Please avoid sending highly sensitive or unnecessary health information through general website contact forms unless the form is specifically intended for secure collection of that information.

An online appointment request is not confirmed until you receive confirmation from our Clinic.

Our website, contact forms, email, and text messaging should not be used for dental or medical emergencies.

12. Email and Text Messaging

If you provide us with an email address or mobile telephone number, we may communicate with you regarding matters such as:

• Appointment confirmations
• Appointment reminders
• Follow-up instructions
• Treatment-related communications
• Account or administrative matters
• Other communications you have requested or consented to receive

Electronic communications such as regular email and SMS text messaging may have privacy and security risks. We take reasonable precautions but cannot guarantee the security of information while it is being transmitted through standard email or text messaging systems.

You may ask us to change your communication preferences by contacting the Clinic.

13. Marketing Communications

Where we send promotional or marketing communications, we will obtain consent where required by applicable law.

You may withdraw your consent to receive marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe method provided or by contacting us. Withdrawal from marketing communications will not prevent us from sending communications that are necessary for your dental care, appointments, account, safety, legal obligations, or other permitted purposes.

14. Third-Party Services

We may use third-party companies to provide services such as:

• Practice management software
• Electronic dental records
• Appointment scheduling
• Appointment reminders
• Secure data storage and backups
• Payment processing
• Insurance claim processing
• Email or communication services
• Website hosting
• Website analytics
• Cybersecurity
• IT support

Where these organizations process information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to ensure that information is appropriately protected.

Some service providers may process or store information in jurisdictions outside Ontario or Canada. Where this occurs, information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is processed or stored.

15. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of external websites before providing them with personal information.

16. Accessing Your Dental Records

Subject to limited exceptions permitted by law, you have the right to request access to records of personal health information about you that are under our custody or control.

Requests should be submitted to our Privacy Officer. We may need to verify your identity before providing access. Where permitted, reasonable fees may apply for responding to an access request. If a fee applies, information about the fee will be provided in accordance with applicable requirements.

17. Correcting Your Information

You may request a correction to personal health information contained in your records if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. We will review correction requests in accordance with PHIPA and other applicable requirements.

Certain professional opinions, observations, or records that were not originally created by our Clinic may not be subject to correction in the same way as factual information.

18. Privacy Restrictions and Consent Directives

You may ask us to restrict certain uses or disclosures of your personal health information. Such requests will be considered and handled in accordance with PHIPA and our professional obligations. There may be circumstances where we are legally permitted or required to use or disclose information despite a restriction.

19. Children, Minors, and Substitute Decision-Makers

Consent regarding personal health information is handled in accordance with applicable Ontario law. Where a patient is capable of making decisions concerning their personal health information, their consent and privacy rights will be respected as required by law.

Where a person is not capable of providing consent for a particular decision, an authorized substitute decision-maker may make decisions on their behalf in accordance with applicable law.

20. Privacy and Security Incidents

If personal health information is lost, stolen, accessed, used, or disclosed without authorization, we will investigate the incident and take appropriate steps to contain the situation and reduce potential harm.

Where required by PHIPA or other applicable law, we will notify affected individuals and report the incident to the appropriate regulatory authority, including the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario where required.

• Securing affected systems
• Changing access credentials
• Reviewing access logs
• Recovering information
• Investigating the cause
• Improving safeguards
• Providing additional staff training
• Notifying other authorities where required

21. Questions or Privacy Complaints

We encourage you to contact us if you have questions about how we handle your information or if you believe your privacy rights have not been respected.

Our Privacy Officer is responsible for responding to privacy questions and complaints, handling access and correction requests, supporting the Clinic's privacy obligations, and responding to privacy incidents.

We will review privacy complaints and attempt to resolve them appropriately. You also have the right to make a complaint regarding personal health information to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).

22. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, information practices, technology, security practices, or legal and regulatory requirements.

The current version will be posted on our website with the date of the most recent update. Continued use of our website or services after an update does not replace any consent that may be required by applicable law.