Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Hanlon Creek Dental (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information and personal health information when you visit guelphdentalclinic.ca, contact our office, request an appointment, or receive dental care from our team. This policy was last updated in August 2026.
Hanlon Creek Dental is located in Ontario and is committed to protecting privacy in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and related professional obligations that apply to dental practices.
Information We Collect
We may collect personal information that you provide directly to us, such as your name, email address, phone number, preferred appointment details, insurance or billing information, and message content when you contact us by phone, email, online form, or in person.
As a dental practice, we may also collect personal health information needed to provide care, such as dental and medical history, medications, allergies, examination findings, x-rays or images, diagnoses, treatment plans, clinical notes, consent forms, referrals, prescriptions, and payment records.
When you use our website, we may automatically collect limited technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referral source, and date and time of visit. This helps us maintain website security, understand site usage, and improve the website experience.
How We Use Information
We use personal information and personal health information only for reasonable purposes connected to operating our dental practice and providing patient care, including to:
- respond to inquiries and appointment requests;
- confirm identity and maintain accurate patient records;
- assess dental needs, provide treatment, and coordinate ongoing care;
- communicate with patients, guardians, referring providers, laboratories, insurers, or other authorized parties when needed;
- process billing, insurance claims, and payments;
- meet legal, regulatory, professional, audit, and record-keeping obligations; and
- maintain website functionality, security, analytics, and service quality.
Consent
We collect, use, and disclose personal health information with your consent or as otherwise permitted or required by law. Consent may be express or implied, depending on the circumstances and the sensitivity of the information. You may withdraw consent for certain uses or disclosures by contacting us, subject to legal, professional, contractual, and care-related limitations.
Disclosure of Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent patient information. We may disclose personal information or personal health information only where appropriate and permitted, including to dental or medical providers involved in your care, dental laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, payment processors, professional advisors, regulators, or service providers who support our practice operations.
We may also disclose information when required or authorized by law, such as for public health, safety, professional oversight, court orders, or other legal obligations.
Service Providers and Website Tools
We may use trusted third-party providers for website hosting, analytics, form processing, communications, scheduling support, payment processing, and other administrative services. These providers are expected to handle information only for the services they provide to us and to use appropriate privacy and security safeguards.
Some of these service providers, systems, or their subprocessors may process, transmit, or store personal information or personal health information outside Canada, including in the United States. When information is handled outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, including lawful access requests by courts, law enforcement, or government authorities. We take reasonable steps to use providers with appropriate contractual, technical, and organizational safeguards for the information they handle on our behalf.
Cookies and Analytics
Our website may use cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies to support site functionality, measure traffic, and understand how visitors use the website. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies, although some website features may not function as intended.
Security Safeguards
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information and personal health information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, disclosure, copying, alteration, or improper disposal. These safeguards may include access controls, staff confidentiality expectations, secure record systems, and reasonable technical protections.
No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. Please do not submit urgent concerns or highly sensitive health information through the website contact form. For urgent dental concerns, call our office directly.
Data Retention
We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to meet legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, tax, audit, and business record obligations.
- Clinical and personal health records: Dental records are retained in accordance with Ontario legal and professional obligations for dental practices. This generally means retaining patient records for at least 10 years from the date of the last entry, and for minors for at least 10 years after the patient reaches the age of majority, unless a longer period is required or appropriate.
- Website form submissions and inquiries: Information submitted through website forms, email, phone, or other inquiry channels may be retained for as long as needed to respond, manage appointments, document communications, support patient administration, and meet legal or business record obligations. If information from an inquiry becomes part of a patient record, it may be retained with that record.
- Log and analytics data: Website logs, analytics data, cookie data, and similar technical information are retained for limited periods based on operational, security, analytics, and service-provider settings, unless a longer period is needed to investigate security issues, maintain records, or comply with legal obligations.
Data Deletion and Disposal
When information is no longer needed and we are legally and professionally permitted to dispose of it, we take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, de-identify, or anonymize it. Disposal methods depend on the format and sensitivity of the information and may include secure deletion of electronic records, destruction of physical records, or de-identification where appropriate.
Some information cannot be deleted on request if we are required or permitted to keep it for clinical, legal, regulatory, insurance, tax, audit, dispute-resolution, or professional record-keeping reasons.
Your Rights: Access, Correction, and Deletion Requests
You may request access to, or correction of, personal information or personal health information held by Hanlon Creek Dental. You may also ask whether certain information can be deleted, de-identified, or no longer used, where legally and professionally permitted. We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before releasing, changing, or deleting records. In limited circumstances, access, correction, deletion, or disposal may be restricted where permitted or required by law.
Privacy Questions or Complaints
If you have a question, concern, access request, correction request, or privacy complaint, please contact our office. We will review privacy concerns and respond as appropriate. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, depending on the nature of the concern.
Links to Other Sites
Our website may contain links to websites that are not operated by Hanlon Creek Dental. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or security of third-party websites. Please review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.
Children and Substitute Decision-Makers
We provide dental care to patients of different ages, including children. Where required, we collect, use, or disclose a child’s information with consent from a parent, guardian, or other authorized substitute decision-maker, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised date. Continued use of our website after changes are posted means the updated policy applies to website use from that point forward.
Contact Hanlon Creek Dental
To contact us about this Privacy Policy or about your privacy rights, please use the contact details below:
- By email: [email protected]
- By phone: (548) 855-0283
- By mail: Hanlon Creek Dental, 649 Scottsdale Dr, Unit 3&4, Guelph, ON N1G 4T7