Privacy Policy.

World Smiles Prosthodontics ('we,' 'our,' or 'the practice') is a dental specialty practice located in Brooklyn, New York. This policy applies to information collected through our website at worldsmilesnyc.com, through phone calls, emails, and any other interactions with the practice.

If you are a current or prospective patient, your health information (also called 'protected health information' or 'PHI') is governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, provided to you when you become a patient, describes how we handle PHI specifically. This online Privacy Policy covers information we collect through our website and general practice contact.

By using our website or contacting the practice, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

We collect information in three ways: information you provide to us directly, information collected automatically when you visit our website, and information from third parties in limited circumstances.

Information you provide to us

When you contact us through our website form, by phone, by email, or in person, you may share:

• Contact details — your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address
• Information about why you're reaching out — the service or treatment you're inquiring about, your prior dental history, and any specific questions or concerns
• Insurance information, if you choose to share it with us for benefits verification
• Health information, if you become a patient — this is protected health information under HIPAA and is governed by our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect:

• Technical information such as your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device type
• Usage information such as which pages you visit, how long you spend on each, the links you click, and the website that referred you
• Approximate geographic location, generally at the city or region level, derived from your IP address

Information from third parties

In limited circumstances, we receive information about you from third parties. For example:

• Reviews you post publicly on Google, Zocdoc, or similar platforms
• Insurance benefit information from your insurer, with your authorization
• Referral information from another healthcare provider, with your authorization

We use the information we collect for legitimate practice purposes — primarily to respond to your inquiries, schedule and provide treatment, communicate with you about your care, and operate the practice. Specifically:

• To respond to messages and inquiries you send us
• To schedule appointments and send appointment reminders
• To provide dental treatment and the related services you've requested
• To process payments and handle insurance claims
• To comply with our legal and professional obligations
• To improve our website and our services over time
• With your separate authorization, to send you occasional updates about the practice (you can opt out at any time)

What we don't do

We share information only in the limited circumstances described below. In every case, our goal is to share the minimum information necessary for the purpose.

• Service providers. We share information with companies and individuals who help us operate the practice — for example, dental laboratories that fabricate restorations, payment processors, billing services, IT and software vendors, and our website hosting provider. These service providers are bound by contractual obligations (including HIPAA Business Associate Agreements where applicable) to handle your information securely and only for the purpose we've authorized.
• Insurance companies. With your authorization, we share information with your dental insurance provider for benefits verification, claims processing, and reimbursement.
• Other healthcare providers. As part of your treatment, and with your authorization, we may share information with other providers involved in your care — for example, your general dentist, a specialist you've been referred to, or an oral surgeon.
• Legal compliance. We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or government regulation, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.
• Business transfers. If the practice is ever sold, merged, or reorganized, your information may be transferred to the new entity, which would be bound by the terms of this policy or by a successor policy with substantially similar protections.

Text messages (SMS)

If you provide your mobile number and consent to receive text messages, World Smiles Prosthodontics may send you appointment confirmations, reminders, and replies to your inquiries. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information you share with us for text messaging, including your mobile number and your consent, is used only to communicate with you and is not sold, rented, or shared with any third party for their own marketing.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. Reply HELP for assistance, or call us at 347-378-7827.

Depending on your relationship with the practice and where you live, you have various rights regarding your information.

Rights of patients under HIPAA

If you are a current or former patient, HIPAA provides you with specific rights regarding your protected health information, including:

• The right to access your medical records
• The right to request corrections to your records
• The right to an accounting of certain disclosures of your information
• The right to request restrictions on how your information is used or shared
• The right to request that we communicate with you in a specific way (for example, by mail only, not by phone)
• The right to file a complaint without retaliation

Our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, provided when you become a patient, contains complete information about these rights and how to exercise them.

Rights of website visitors

If you've contacted us through the website but are not (yet) a patient, you can:

• Browse our website without providing any personal information
• Request that we delete any information you've provided through our contact form by emailing us at info@worldsmilesnyc.com
• Opt out of non-essential cookies through your browser settings (see Section 06)

Additional state-specific rights

Residents of certain states — including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia — have additional rights under state privacy laws, including the right to know what information we have, the right to delete it, and the right to opt out of certain uses. To exercise these rights, contact us at info@worldsmilesnyc.com with your specific request.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies — small files stored on your device — to provide basic functionality, understand how visitors use the site, and improve the experience over time.

Types of cookies we use

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function (for example, remembering your form input as you navigate the site). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors find and use our website so we can improve it. [OPERATOR: specify analytics tools you use — e.g., Google Analytics, Vercel Analytics, Plausible. If you don't use any, state that.]
• Advertising cookies — [OPERATOR: only include this bullet if you run digital advertising. If yes, specify: 'used to measure the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns. [List specific tools, e.g., Google Ads conversion tracking, Meta Pixel.]'. If no, remove this bullet entirely.]

Your choices

You can disable cookies through your browser settings, though some site features may not work properly. Most browsers also offer a 'Do Not Track' option, which we honor for non-essential tracking.

We take reasonable technical and physical safeguards to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

• Encrypted data transmission via HTTPS for everything you send through our website
• Access controls that restrict who in the practice can view what information
• A HIPAA-compliant electronic health records system for patient health information
• Regular review of our security practices and the security practices of our service providers

Despite these precautions, no system is ever perfectly secure. If we ever discover a breach affecting your information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.

Our practice primarily serves adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through our website. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information about your child, please contact us at info@worldsmilesnyc.com and we will delete the information promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our website, or applicable law. When we do, we'll update the 'Last Updated' date at the top of this page.

If we make changes that materially affect how we collect, use, or share your information, we'll communicate those changes more prominently — for example, by posting a notice on our homepage or contacting you directly. Your continued use of our website after a policy update constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

Questions about this policy, requests to exercise your privacy rights, or concerns about how we've handled your information should be directed to:

For complaints specifically about how we handle protected health information under HIPAA, you may also contact the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights at hhs.gov/ocr/privacy. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.