Privacy Policy

About this policy

D’Amico Dental Care (“D’Amico Dental Care,” “we,” “us” or “our”) provides dental care from offices at 241 Boston Post Rd, Wayland, Massachusetts, and 359 Main St, Watertown, Massachusetts.

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information we collect:

• through our website at damicodentalcare.com (the “Website”);
• through our pages and advertisements on Facebook, Instagram and other online services, including any form you complete in one of our ads; and
• when you contact us by phone, email or text message to ask about becoming a patient.

If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Website.

Health information and our Notice of Privacy Practices

Information about your dental care, such as your health history, examination findings, treatment and billing records, is handled under our Notice of Privacy Practices, federal privacy law (HIPAA) and Massachusetts law. If this Privacy Policy and our Notice of Privacy Practices ever differ about your health records, the Notice of Privacy Practices controls.

Information you send us before you become a patient, such as your name, phone number and email address, is used to respond to you. If you become a patient, we may add that information to your record, and from then on it is protected by our Notice of Privacy Practices.

We do not disclose your health records or patient lists to advertising platforms, including Meta, for advertising purposes without your written authorization.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Website forms. Our contact form collects your name, phone number, email address, subject and message. Our consultation request form collects your full name, phone number, email address and message.
• Ad forms. If you complete a lead form in a Facebook or Instagram ad, we receive the contact details you choose to submit (for example your name, phone number and email address) and your answers to any questions on the form.
• Communications. When you call, email, text or message us, we keep a record of your contact details and the content of your message.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Website, we and our service providers automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, language, the website or ad that referred you, the pages you view and for how long, your approximate location (derived from your IP address), and how you interact with pages, for example clicks, taps and scrolling. This is collected using cookies and similar technologies described below.

Information from other sources

Advertising and analytics providers such as Google and Meta send us reports about how our ads and Website perform, usually in aggregated form. If you submit a form in one of our Facebook or Instagram ads, Meta passes the information you entered to us.

We do not knowingly ask for Social Security numbers, payment card numbers or detailed medical information through the Website. Please do not submit them.

How we use information

We use personal information to:

• respond to your questions and requests, and schedule and confirm appointments;
• communicate with you about your inquiry, your appointments and our services;
• operate, secure, maintain and improve the Website;
• understand how visitors use the Website and measure the results of our advertising;
• advertise our practice to people who may be interested in dental care, without using your health information for that purpose;
• comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and protect the rights, safety and property of our patients, our team and others; and
• for any other purpose you agree to at the time you give us the information.

Cookies, analytics and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored on your device. We and our providers also use similar technologies, such as pixels, tags and software development kits, to remember your settings, keep the Website secure, measure how it is used, and measure and improve our advertising. The main tools on the Website are listed below.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of the Website may not work properly if you do. Our Website does not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals.

Advertising and Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

We advertise on Facebook and Instagram, which are services of Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”). To measure and improve those ads we use the Meta Pixel, a small piece of code on the Website. Together with cookies in your browser, it lets Meta receive information about your visit, such as the pages you view and your device and browser information. We may also use Meta’s Conversions API, which sends similar information from our systems to Meta.

Meta and other third parties use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your activity on our Website and on other websites and apps, in order to measure ads, personalize and target ads, and provide analytics. Meta handles that information under its own privacy policy. We may also advertise on Google and other platforms, which work in similar ways.

What we do not do

• We configure our advertising tools so they do not receive the text you type into our forms.
• We do not use advertising tools to send Meta or other advertising platforms information about your dental conditions, treatment or health records.
• We do not upload patient lists to advertising platforms without your written authorization.

Lead ads

When you submit a form inside a Facebook or Instagram ad, the information you enter is shared with us by Meta. We use it only to contact you about your inquiry and to manage our advertising. Please do not include health information in these forms.

Your advertising choices

• Manage the ads you see on Facebook and Instagram through the ad preferences in your Meta account settings.
• Opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies at aboutads.info/choices.
• Adjust cookie and ad-tracking settings in your browser or mobile device.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share personal information in these situations:

• Service providers that work for us, such as website hosting and security, IT support, email and patient-communication tools, form processing, analytics and advertising services. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
• Advertising and analytics partners, as described in the sections above.
• Professional advisers, such as our attorneys, accountants and insurers.
• Legal and safety reasons, when we believe disclosure is required by law, court order or legal process, or is needed to protect the rights, safety or property of our patients, our team or others.
• Business changes, if our practice is involved in a sale, merger or transfer of assets.
• With your consent or at your direction.

Health information is shared only as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Your choices

• Marketing messages. You can opt out of marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link, or by telling us at the contact details below. You may still receive messages about your appointments and care.
• Access, correction and deletion. To ask us to access, correct or delete personal information you sent us through the Website, contact us. We will respond as required by applicable law. We may need to keep some information, for example where the law requires us to keep records.
• Health records. To request a copy of your dental records or an amendment to them, follow the process in our Notice of Privacy Practices.
• Cookies and advertising. See the choices described above.

If you give us your mobile number, we may send appointment reminders and messages about your care by text message. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of non-urgent text messages.

How long we keep information

We keep website inquiries and communications for as long as needed to respond to you and to maintain our business records, and then delete or de-identify them. Analytics and advertising data is kept for the periods set by the providers described above.

Dental records are kept for the period required by Massachusetts dental board regulations, currently at least seven years after your last treatment and longer for patients who are minors.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, and we follow Massachusetts data security and breach-notification requirements (201 CMR 17.00 and M.G.L. c. 93H) where they apply. No website or internet transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s privacy

The Website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Website. Parents and guardians may arrange dental care for their children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us through the Website, please contact us and we will delete it.

Third-party websites and services

The Website links to and embeds services operated by others, such as Google Maps, YouTube and social media platforms. We do not control those services and are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please read their privacy policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page with a new effective date. If we make a material change, we will take reasonable steps to make it clear on the Website.

Contact us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or requests about your personal information, can be sent to our Privacy Officer at either office or by email.

Email: [email protected]. Please do not include health information in email.