Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Smile Vancouver Dental Clinic (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care, transparency, and respect. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or interact with our clinic.

We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Personal Information Protection Act (BC PIPA), and all applicable privacy regulations governing dental practices in British Columbia.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

Information you provide to us:

• Full name and preferred name
• Phone number (including mobile)
• Email address
• Preferred clinic location and dentist
• Messages or notes submitted through our booking or contact forms

Information collected automatically:

• Browser type, operating system, and device type
• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs
• Cookie identifiers (see our Cookie Policy)

Health and clinical information (collected in-clinic only) is handled separately under strict clinical confidentiality protocols and is not collected through this website.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to appointment requests and contact you to confirm your booking
• To send appointment-related SMS or email communications
• To improve and personalize your experience on our website
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• To protect against fraudulent or unauthorized use of our services
• To analyze website usage and improve our online services

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. SMS Communications

When you submit an appointment request, you may receive an automated SMS confirmation to the phone number you provided. This is sent as a courtesy notification regarding your booking status.

By providing your mobile number and submitting a booking request, you consent to receiving this transactional SMS. Standard messaging and data rates from your carrier may apply. You may opt out of future SMS communications by replying STOP to any message or by contacting our clinic directly.

SMS messages are processed through Twilio Inc., a third-party communications platform. Twilio acts as a data processor on our behalf and is bound by appropriate data processing agreements.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not disclose your personal information except in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use trusted third-party providers to operate our website and communications (e.g., Supabase for secure data storage, Twilio for SMS). These providers are contractually required to protect your information and may only use it on our behalf.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of clinic assets, patient information may be transferred subject to applicable privacy law requirements and patient notification.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information submitted through our website only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law.

• Appointment requests and contact form submissions are retained for up to 2 years for administrative and follow-up purposes.
• Website usage data collected via cookies is retained for up to 12 months.

Clinical patient records are retained in accordance with the requirements of the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia (a minimum of 10 years for adult patients).

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS), secure cloud infrastructure, and access controls limiting who can view patient submissions.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

8. Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw consent to certain uses of your information (note: some uses are required to provide services)
• Request deletion of information we hold, subject to legal retention obligations
• File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer (see Section 11).

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will reflect any revisions. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Our Privacy Officer

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us:

• Privacy Officer: Smile Vancouver Dental Clinic Administration
• Email: smilewestvan@gmail.com
• Phone: (604) 925-4116
• Address: 105 – 1061 Marine Dr., North Vancouver, BC V7P 1S6

We will respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days as required by applicable law.