Privacy Policy

Dental Care of Laurel Lakes (“Practice,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when visiting or interacting with our website.

This Privacy Policy explains the types of information we may collect, how we may use that information, when information may be disclosed, and the choices available to you.

By accessing or using this website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.



Information We May Collect

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

  • Request an appointment
  • Complete a website form
  • Contact our office
  • Request information about our services
  • Ask us to call, email, or text you
  • Submit insurance or financing inquiries
  • Register for an event, consultation, promotion, or service
  • Communicate with us through the website
  • Provide information through an online scheduling tool
  • Otherwise voluntarily provide information to us

Information you provide may include:

  • Your name
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Mailing address
  • Appointment preferences
  • Insurance information
  • Service or treatment interests
  • Information contained in messages or inquiries
  • Other information you choose to provide

Please do not submit highly sensitive medical, financial, or other confidential information through a general website contact form unless the form is specifically designed and identified for that purpose.



Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically through cookies, pixels, analytics technologies, server logs, and similar technologies.

Depending on the technologies used on the website, this information may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Approximate geographic location
  • Referring website or search engine
  • Pages visited
  • Links clicked
  • Time spent on pages
  • Date and time of visits
  • Website interactions
  • Advertising or campaign information
  • Other technical or usage information

We may use this information to operate and improve the website, understand how visitors interact with our content, troubleshoot technical problems, measure marketing effectiveness, and improve our services.



How We May Use Your Information

We may use information collected through this website to:

  • Respond to questions and inquiries
  • Process appointment requests
  • Contact you regarding an appointment
  • Provide information about services you requested
  • Assist with insurance, payment, or financing questions
  • Communicate with new and existing patients or clients
  • Send appointment-related communications
  • Provide information you requested
  • Improve our website and services
  • Analyze website performance and visitor behavior
  • Measure marketing and advertising performance
  • Maintain website security
  • Prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorized activity
  • Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, or professional obligations
  • Protect our rights, property, patients, staff, or others
  • Carry out other purposes disclosed at the time information is collected

We will not intentionally use personal information in a manner materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy without providing additional notice when required.



Appointment Requests

Submitting an appointment request through this website does not guarantee or confirm an appointment unless the website specifically states otherwise.

A member of our team may contact you by telephone, text message, or email using the contact information you provide in order to respond to your request, answer questions, or finalize scheduling.

If you are experiencing a medical or dental emergency, do not rely on a website form, email, or text message for emergency assistance.

Call 911 or seek appropriate emergency medical care when necessary.



Text Message Communications

If you provide your mobile telephone number and consent to receive text messages, we may send communications related to your inquiry, appointments, requested services, reminders, follow-up, or other communications permitted by your consent and applicable law.

Message frequency may vary.

Message and data rates may apply.

Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of purchasing products or services unless otherwise permitted by applicable law.

You may opt out of text communications at any time by replying STOP or using another reasonable opt-out method provided in the communication.

For assistance, you may reply HELP or contact the Practice directly.

Wireless carriers are not responsible for delayed or undelivered messages.

Mobile Information

We may share information with service providers that assist us in delivering communications, operating our systems, scheduling appointments, or providing requested services, subject to appropriate limitations and applicable law.



Email Communications

If you provide an email address, we may use it to:

  • Respond to your inquiry
  • Communicate about appointments
  • Provide requested information
  • Send administrative or service-related messages
  • Send other communications you have agreed to receive

You may unsubscribe from promotional email communications by following the unsubscribe instructions contained in the email, where applicable.

Administrative, transactional, appointment-related, or legally required communications may still be sent when appropriate.



Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, analytics tools, and similar technologies.

These technologies may help us:

  • Operate website functionality
  • Remember visitor preferences
  • Understand website traffic
  • Analyze how visitors use the website
  • Measure advertising effectiveness
  • Diagnose technical issues
  • Improve website performance and usability

Some technologies may be provided by third-party service providers.

Depending on your browser, device, location, and applicable law, you may be able to control or disable certain cookies through your browser settings or through a cookie-management tool available on the website.

Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.



Analytics and Advertising Technologies

We may use third-party analytics or advertising services to understand website traffic, evaluate the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and improve our marketing efforts.

These providers may receive limited technical information such as:

  • IP address
  • Device identifiers
  • Browser information
  • Pages visited
  • Advertising interactions
  • Referral information
  • General website activity

We do not intentionally provide the contents of patient communications, medical records, or information submitted through patient-specific forms to advertising companies for their independent advertising purposes.

Where applicable law provides a right to opt out of targeted advertising, cross-context behavioral advertising, sale, or sharing of personal information, visitors may exercise those rights as described in the Your Privacy Rights section below.



Third-Party Service Providers

We may use third-party companies to help operate our website and business.

Examples may include providers of:

  • Website hosting
  • Website development and maintenance
  • Customer relationship management systems
  • Online scheduling
  • Appointment-request forms
  • Telephone and text messaging
  • Email communications
  • Analytics
  • Advertising
  • Payment processing
  • Financing
  • Insurance verification
  • Patient communication platforms
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud storage
  • Maps and directions
  • Video hosting
  • Practice management software

These providers may receive information when reasonably necessary to perform services for us.

Third-party providers may maintain their own privacy policies, terms, and information-handling practices.



When We May Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information when reasonably necessary:

  • To provide requested services
  • To service providers acting on our behalf
  • To process appointment or scheduling requests
  • To communicate with you
  • To comply with a law, regulation, court order, subpoena, or lawful governmental request
  • To protect the safety, rights, or property of the Practice, our patients, our staff, or others
  • To investigate suspected fraud, misuse, security incidents, or unlawful activity
  • In connection with a merger, acquisition, sale, restructuring, or transfer of all or part of the Practice, subject to applicable law
  • With your authorization or at your direction
  • As otherwise permitted or required by law



Sale or Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration as part of our ordinary business operations.

Certain state privacy laws may define terms such as “sale,” “sharing,” “targeted advertising,” or “cross-context behavioral advertising” more broadly than an ordinary monetary sale.

For example, the use of certain analytics or advertising technologies may be treated as a form of sharing or targeted advertising under some state laws.

Where applicable law provides you with an opt-out right relating to those activities, you may contact us using the information below or use any privacy-control mechanism made available on the website.



Health Information and HIPAA

This Privacy Policy primarily describes information collected through our public-facing website.

If the Practice is subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), certain medical, dental, or other individually identifiable health information created, received, maintained, or transmitted in connection with patient care may be governed by HIPAA and other healthcare privacy laws.

Those practices are described separately in the Practice's Notice of Privacy Practices.

This website Privacy Policy is not intended to replace a HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Patients may contact the Practice to request a copy of its Notice of Privacy Practices when applicable.



Sensitive Information

We recognize that certain information may be particularly sensitive.

We encourage website visitors not to include unnecessary medical details, Social Security numbers, payment-card information, financial account information, passwords, or other highly sensitive information in general contact forms, text messages, or ordinary email communications.

When sensitive information is required for patient care, payment, or another legitimate purpose, the Practice may provide an appropriate secure method for submitting that information.



Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect information under our control from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no website, electronic communication, network, storage system, or method of internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

For that reason, we cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted electronically.



Data Retention

We may retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

  • Provide requested services
  • Maintain business and patient records
  • Fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy
  • Resolve disputes
  • Enforce agreements
  • Meet legal, regulatory, insurance, accounting, or professional obligations
  • Maintain security and prevent fraud

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and applicable legal requirements.



Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services, including:

  • Social media platforms
  • Financing providers
  • Insurance companies
  • Payment providers
  • Scheduling platforms
  • Patient portals
  • Mapping services
  • Educational resources
  • Other external websites

Once you leave our website, the privacy practices of the third-party website apply.

We are not responsible for the privacy, security, availability, accuracy, or content of third-party websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third-party services before providing personal information.



Social Media

Our website may contain links to or integrations with social media platforms.

When you interact with social media features, those platforms may collect information according to their own privacy policies.

Information you choose to make publicly available through social media may be visible to other users.



Children's Privacy

Our public website is generally intended for adults seeking information about the Practice and its services.

Although the Practice may provide healthcare services to children, parents or legal guardians should submit personal information and appointment requests on behalf of minors when appropriate.

We do not knowingly use the public website to solicit personal information directly from children under the age of 13 in a manner subject to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act without appropriate parental consent.

If you believe a child has submitted information through the website improperly, please contact us.



Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your state of residence and applicable law, you may have certain rights concerning your personal information.

These rights may include the right to:

  • Request access to personal information
  • Request information about how personal information is collected, used, or disclosed
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of certain personal information
  • Obtain a copy of certain information
  • Opt out of certain sales or sharing of personal information
  • Opt out of certain targeted advertising
  • Limit certain uses of sensitive personal information
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
  • Appeal certain decisions concerning a privacy request
  • Exercise privacy rights without unlawful discrimination

These rights are subject to applicable exceptions and limitations.

Not every right applies in every jurisdiction or circumstance.

To submit a privacy request, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this page.

We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.



Browser Privacy Signals

Where required by applicable law and technically supported, the website may recognize certain browser-based privacy preference signals or universal opt-out mechanisms.

The availability and effect of these signals may depend on your browser, device, website configuration, and applicable law.



California Privacy Rights

California residents may have additional rights under applicable California privacy laws.

Depending on whether those laws apply to the Practice and the information involved, California residents may have rights to request information regarding certain personal information collected, used, disclosed, sold, or shared; request correction or deletion; obtain certain information; and opt out of certain sharing or targeted advertising activities.

Healthcare information regulated by HIPAA and certain other information may be exempt from some state consumer privacy requirements.

California residents wishing to exercise an applicable privacy right may contact us using the information below.


Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:

  • Our website
  • Technologies we use
  • Services we provide
  • Business practices
  • Privacy requirements
  • Applicable laws or regulations

The current version of the Privacy Policy will be posted on this page.

Continued use of the website following an update constitutes acknowledgment of the revised policy to the extent permitted by law.



Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or a privacy request, please contact:

Dental Care of Laurel Lakes

Address:
13940 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20707, United States

Phone:
(301) 369-0000

Email:
Info@smilewithdcll.com

For questions specifically involving medical or dental records, protected health information, or HIPAA rights, please contact the Practice directly using the information above.