Privacy Policy

Introduction

Lincoln Smiles Family & Cosmetic Dentistry ("Lincoln Smiles Dental," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at lincolnsmilesdental.com (the "Site") or interact with our dental practice. Please read this policy carefully. By using our Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

When you interact with our Site or our office, we may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including but not limited to:

Your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you complete our appointment request form, contact form, or communicate with us directly. If you are a patient, we also collect dental and medical history, insurance information, and other health-related information necessary to provide you with dental care.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies. This includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, time spent on pages, and other usage data. We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to collect and analyze this data. Google Analytics uses cookies to help us understand how visitors use our Site. The information generated by these cookies is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google may use this data to evaluate your use of the Site, compile reports on website activity, and provide other services related to website and internet usage.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Third-Party Service Providers

Our appointment request form is provided by JotForm (jotform.com), a third-party form service. When you submit an appointment request through our Site, your information is processed by JotForm according to their privacy policy. We encourage you to review JotForm's privacy policy at jotform.com/privacy.

We may use other third-party services for email communication, payment processing, and practice management. Each of these providers is contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes: to schedule and manage your dental appointments; to provide, maintain, and improve our dental services; to communicate with you about your appointments, treatment plans, and account; to respond to your inquiries and requests; to send you information about our services, promotions, or events (you may opt out at any time); to comply with legal obligations and protect our legal rights; and to analyze and improve the performance and usability of our Site.

Protected Health Information and HIPAA

As a dental practice, we are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and its implementing regulations. HIPAA requires us to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information (PHI). Our use and disclosure of your PHI is governed by our separate Notice of Privacy Practices, which is available at our office and upon request.

We maintain appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect PHI in our possession. We limit access to PHI to those employees and contractors who need it to perform their job functions. Our business associates who handle PHI on our behalf are required to enter into Business Associate Agreements and to maintain appropriate safeguards.

Please note that information submitted through our website (such as appointment request forms) may not be protected by HIPAA in the same way as information in our patient records. We encourage you not to include sensitive health details in online form submissions. Instead, share detailed health information directly with our team during your visit or by phone.

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances: with service providers who perform functions on our behalf (such as form hosting, analytics, and payment processing); with your insurance company or other payers as necessary to process claims; when required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; to protect and defend the rights or property of Lincoln Smiles Dental; and with your consent or at your direction.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect usage data. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser. We use the following types of cookies:

Essential cookies are necessary for the Site to function properly. Analytics cookies (Google Analytics) help us understand how visitors interact with our Site so we can improve it. Third-party cookies may be set by embedded content such as Google Maps, JotForm forms, and social media widgets.

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of our Site.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Our Site uses HTTPS encryption to secure data transmitted between your browser and our server. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have certain rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights include the right to know what personal information we collect about you, the right to request deletion of your personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

We do not sell your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below. We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days.

Please note that HIPAA-protected health information is exempt from certain CCPA/CPRA requirements. For requests related to your dental or medical records, please refer to our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Children's Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our Site without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

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