Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 27, 2026. Hanover Dental Sedation (“we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of patients, referral partners and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain and protect personal information and personal health information.

As an Ontario dental practice, we handle personal health information in accordance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (“PHIPA”). Where applicable, we also handle personal information in accordance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and other applicable privacy laws.

Information we collect

We collect only the information reasonably needed to provide dental care, respond to inquiries, manage appointments and referrals, communicate with you, process billing and insurance matters, maintain required records and operate our website. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

• Identity and contact details such as your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address.
• Appointment, referral and treatment-related information, including information provided by you, your guardian, another health-care provider or a referring dental office.
• Medical and dental history, medications, allergies, health-card or insurance information where needed for care, claims or payment processing.
• Website and form information such as messages you send through our contact, appointment-request or referral forms, plus technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information and pages visited.

How we use your information

We use personal information and personal health information for purposes connected to your care and our practice operations, including to:

• Assess, plan, provide and follow up on dental, sedation and anesthesia-related care.
• Schedule appointments, respond to questions, process referrals and send appointment or care-related communications.
• Coordinate care with dentists, physicians, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers or other providers involved in your care, when permitted by law.
• Process payments, insurance claims, predeterminations and administrative records.
• Meet legal, regulatory, College, infection-prevention, quality-assurance and risk-management obligations.
• Maintain and improve our website, forms, security and patient communications.

Consent and your choices

We collect, use and disclose your information with your consent, where consent may be express or implied by the circumstances, or as otherwise permitted or required by law. You may withdraw consent for optional uses at any time, subject to legal or professional obligations that require us to keep or use certain information. Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide care or communicate with you.

Disclosure of information

We do not sell patient information. We may share information only as permitted or required by law, including with health-care providers involved in your care, authorized representatives, insurers or payment processors, service providers who support our practice or website, regulatory bodies, or where disclosure is required to comply with a legal duty, court order, investigation, public-health requirement or safety concern.

When we use service providers, we take reasonable steps to require them to protect information and use it only for the services they provide to us. Some technology providers, including U.S.-based providers or providers that use U.S. subprocessors, may process, store or access personal information and personal health information in the United States or other countries outside Ontario or Canada. In those cases, information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where it is processed, stored or accessed.

Website, cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies, analytics tools, embedded maps, social links, form tools and security technologies to operate the site, understand general website use and respond to inquiries. These tools may collect technical information such as your IP address, browser, device, referring page and pages visited. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies, although some website features may not work as intended.

Please do not include urgent medical concerns or highly sensitive details in a website form. Online forms and email are useful for administrative communication, but they may not be appropriate for emergencies or detailed clinical advice. If you have an urgent concern, call our office or seek emergency care.

Safeguards

We use administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including access limits, confidentiality expectations, secure record-handling procedures and reasonable technology safeguards. No website, email system or electronic storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we work to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

Data retention

We retain personal information and personal health information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this Policy, to provide and document care, and to meet legal, regulatory, College, insurance, tax, accounting and business requirements. In general:

• Clinical and personal health records are retained in accordance with Ontario dental record-keeping requirements, including RCDSO guidance. Dental records are generally kept for at least 10 years from the date of the last entry; for minors, records are generally kept for at least 10 years after the patient reaches the age of majority, or longer where required by law or professional obligations.
• Website form submissions, appointment requests, referral inquiries and related communications are kept for as long as needed to respond to the inquiry, manage scheduling, support administrative follow-up, meet legal or business requirements, and, where appropriate, may be transferred into the patient or referral record.
• Website log, cookie and analytics information is kept for as long as needed to operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve the website, subject to the retention settings and practices of the tools and service providers we use.

Data deletion and disposal

When personal information or personal health information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected and no longer has to be retained for legal, regulatory, professional or legitimate business reasons, we securely delete, destroy or de-identify it. Paper records are disposed of securely, and electronic records are deleted, archived or de-identified using reasonable safeguards appropriate to the record type and system involved. Backup copies and service-provider records may remain for a limited period under normal retention, backup and security processes before they are deleted or overwritten.

Your rights: access, correction and deletion requests

You may ask to access or correct your personal information or personal health information, subject to limited exceptions under applicable law. You may also ask that we delete information where deletion is legally and professionally permitted; however, clinical records and certain administrative records may need to be retained even if you ask us to delete them. We may need to verify your identity before responding. If you believe information in your record is inaccurate or incomplete, or you have an access, correction or deletion request, please contact us so we can review the request.

Questions or privacy concerns

If you have a privacy question, request or concern, please contact Hanover Dental Sedation at admin@hanoverdentalsedation.com, call (226) 257-8888, or write to Hanover Dental Sedation, 488 20th Ave., Hanover, ON N4N 3B4.

If your concern is not resolved, you may be able to contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario regarding PHIPA matters or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding PIPEDA matters.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.