Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Agoura Hills Dental Designs ("we," "us," "our," or the "Practice") operates this website at agourahillsdentaldesigns.com and provides general, cosmetic, and restorative dental care at 28632 Roadside Drive, Suite 270B, Agoura Hills, California 91301. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and safeguard information obtained through the website.

Health information you share with us in connection with dental treatment is further protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). Those protections are detailed separately in our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which is provided to every patient at their first visit and available at our office on request.

2. Information We Collect on the Website

We collect three categories of information:

Information you voluntarily provide

• Your name, phone number, email address, and any message text you submit when you call us, email us, or use a contact or booking link on this site.
• Appointment details you enter into our online booking widget. Our online booking is powered by a third-party Dentrix Ascend widget; information you enter in that widget is transmitted directly to Dentrix and stored under its own privacy practices.
• Messages you send to our on-site chatbot. The chatbot is intended for general, non-sensitive questions. Please do not enter Social Security numbers, insurance policy numbers, detailed medical histories, or payment card information into the chatbot.

Information collected automatically

• Standard server log data: your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, and date/time of visit.
• Cookies and pixel tags used by Google Ads (measurement ID AW-1313632759) to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to report conversion events, such as when a visitor books an appointment.
• Aggregate usage data collected by our hosting provider, Vercel, and our media-delivery provider, Cloudflare R2, for performance and security purposes.

Information we receive from third parties

• Advertising performance metrics from Google Ads.
• Appointment status updates from Dentrix Ascend.

3. How We Use Information

• To schedule appointments, confirm visits, and communicate with patients about their care.
• To respond to questions submitted through the website, email, phone, or chatbot.
• To operate, secure, and improve the website.
• To measure the effectiveness of our advertising and reach prospective patients in our service area.
• To comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations that apply to a California dental practice.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use personal information for any purpose materially different from the purposes described above without separately notifying you.

4. HIPAA & Your Health Information

The Practice is a HIPAA-covered entity. Any individually identifiable health information ("PHI") that you share with us in connection with your dental care — whether in our office, over the phone, through patient portals, or through this website — is protected by HIPAA and CMIA. Our Notice of Privacy Practices (provided to patients in the office and available by calling (818) 706-6077) describes in detail how we may use and disclose PHI and the rights you have with respect to it, including your rights to inspect, copy, amend, and request restrictions on your records.

General website submissions (for example, a website contact form or a chatbot exchange) are not treated as PHI until they become part of a treatment relationship. To protect your privacy, we recommend that you do not include detailed medical information in general website submissions.

5. Service Providers We Use

We share limited information with service providers that help us operate the Practice and the website. Each is bound by its own privacy commitments and, where PHI is involved, by a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement:

• Dentrix Ascend — online booking and patient management.
• Google (Google Ads, Google Tag Manager) — advertising measurement and conversion tracking.
• Vercel — website hosting and server logs.
• Cloudflare R2 — image and video asset delivery.
• Our chatbot provider — processing visitor messages to power on-site support.
• Payment processors — when payment is made in the office. We do not store full payment card numbers on our own systems or this website.

6. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working and to measure ad performance. You can disable cookies through your browser's settings. If you do, some features of the website may not work as expected. We do not use third-party advertising cookies to sell your data.

7. Security

We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we collect, consistent with HIPAA's Security Rule for patient health information and with industry practice for general website data. No internet transmission is perfectly secure, so please avoid sending highly sensitive information (such as Social Security numbers, full medical history, or credit card numbers) through general website submissions.

8. Retention

We retain patient records for the period required by California dental regulations and professional standards, and general website inquiry data for the time reasonably needed to respond to the inquiry and maintain our records. HIPAA and California law impose specific minimum retention periods for dental records; those rules take precedence.

9. Children's Privacy

This website is intended for adults and for parents or guardians acting on behalf of minor patients. We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal information directly from children under 13 through the website. If you believe we have received such information, please contact us using the details in Section 13 so we may delete it.

10. Your Choices

• Opt out of marketing communications. Call us at (818) 706-6077, reply STOP to any text message, or use the unsubscribe link in any email we send.
• Access or correct your information. Patients of the Practice may contact the office to request access to, correction of, or a copy of their dental records, subject to HIPAA and CMIA procedures.
• Adjust cookie preferences through your browser.

11. External Links

Our website links to third-party services, including Dentrix Ascend (online booking), Cherry, LendingClub, Alphaeon Credit, and CareCredit (financing partners), and Google (search and advertising). When you follow one of those links, the destination's own privacy practices apply. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Effective" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

13. Contact Us

For HIPAA-specific questions or to request a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices, please call the office directly.