Privacy Policy

Duneside Dental, PLLC ("Duneside Dental," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit dunesidedental.com, request an appointment, or receive text messages from our office, and how we use and protect that information.

About your dental records: This policy covers our website and text messaging only. How we use and disclose your protected health information as a patient is described in our separate Notice of Privacy Practices, which is available at our office or by calling us at (231) 759-0855.

Information we collect

Information you give us

Appointment requests. When you use the form on our Contact page, we collect your name, phone number, email address, the reason for your visit, and any message you include.
Calls and emails. Information you share when you call or email our office.
Mobile number and text messaging consent. If you opt in to text messages, we keep your mobile number and a record of your consent.

Please do not include health details, insurance information, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive information in our website form. Call us instead to discuss your care.

Information collected automatically

Website usage. Through Google Analytics we collect the pages you view, how long you stay, the site that referred you, your device type, browser, operating system, screen size, and approximate location (city or region). See Google Analytics below.
Server logs. Our hosting provider automatically records technical details such as IP address, browser type, and the time of each request, which are used to operate and secure the website.
Spam protection. Our contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA, which collects device and browser information to tell people apart from automated bots.

How we use your information

To respond to appointment requests and questions.
To schedule, confirm, and remind you of appointments.
To send the text messages you have agreed to receive.
To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it.
To protect our website and form from spam, fraud, and abuse.
To comply with applicable laws and professional obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors find and use our website, such as which pages are most helpful and whether people can easily find our phone number, hours, and directions. We use this information in aggregate and do not use it to identify individual visitors.

Google Analytics uses first-party cookies (named _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID) to distinguish visits and sessions.
Google Analytics 4 does not log or store full IP addresses. Google uses the IP address only briefly to estimate your general location.
We do not send names, email addresses, phone numbers, form contents, or any health information to Google Analytics.

Google processes this data under its own policies. You can learn more in How Google uses information from sites that use its services (opens in new tab) and the Google Privacy Policy (opens in new tab). To opt out, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (opens in new tab) or block or delete cookies in your browser settings.

Text messaging (Dental Intelligence)

We use Dental Intelligence, a patient communication platform built for dental practices, to send and receive text messages. With your consent, we may text you about:

Appointment reminders and confirmations.
Scheduling, recall, and follow-up reminders.
Two-way conversations with our office team.
If you choose to receive them, occasional office news and promotional messages.

To send these messages, Dental Intelligence and its wireless carriers process your mobile number, your name, message content, delivery status, and your opt-in and opt-out history, solely so that we can communicate with you.

We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number or text messaging opt-in data and consent with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP, or reply HELP for help. Full program terms are in our Terms of Service.

We share personal information only with service providers that help us run our website and office, and only as needed for them to do that work:

Vercel, which hosts our website.
SendGrid (Twilio), which delivers appointment requests from our website form to our office email.
Google, for Google Analytics, reCAPTCHA spam protection, and the embedded map on our Contact page.
Dental Intelligence, for appointment reminders and text messaging.

If you apply for CareCredit through our Financing page, you provide your information directly to Synchrony Bank, which handles it under the CareCredit privacy policy rather than ours.

We may also disclose information when required by law, to respond to legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of our patients, our practice, or others.

Cookies and your choices

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking cookies will not stop you from using our website. Embedded services such as Google Maps, reCAPTCHA, and the CareCredit application may set their own cookies, governed by those providers' policies. Our website does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.

Data security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, and our website is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. No website, email, or text message transmission is completely secure, which is why we ask you not to send sensitive health or financial details through our form, email, or text messages.

Data retention

We keep website form submissions and text messaging records only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Patient records are retained as required by Michigan law.

Children's privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. Parents and guardians are welcome to request appointments for their children. You must be at least 18 years old, or have permission from the account holder, to enroll in our text messaging program.

Your choices and rights

Ask to see, correct, or delete information you submitted through our website by contacting us using the details below.
Stop text messages at any time by replying STOP.
Opt out of Google Analytics as described above.

Your rights regarding your dental and health records are described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version on this page and change the effective date above.

Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us:

Duneside Dental, PLLC
1590 West Sherman Blvd
Muskegon, MI 49441
Phone: (231) 759-0855
Email: office@dunesidedental.com