Privacy

Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective from September 18, 2026 Last revised September 18, 2026 Versions English · español

1 · Who this notice applies to

It applies to Estelar Dental, at 8740 N Kendall Dr, Unit 214, Miami, FL 33176, and to everyone who works here: doctors, hygienists, assistants, front-desk and billing staff, and anyone training under our supervision.

We are a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). That means federal law requires us to protect your health information and to explain how we use it.

2 · What your health information is

It is any detail that identifies you and relates to your health or to paying for your care. In a dental practice, that usually includes:

• Your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email
• The dates you came in and who saw you
• Your medical history, the medicines you take and your allergies
• X-rays, 3D scans, intraoral photographs and models
• The diagnosis, the treatment plan and what was done
• Your insurance, what we billed and what was paid

3 · Our obligations

The law requires us to keep your health information private, to give you this notice, to abide by its terms while it is in effect, and to notify you if a breach affects your unsecured information.

4 · How we use and disclose your information without asking permission

There are three purposes for which the law lets us use your information without your written authorization, because without them we could not treat you:

• Treatment. The doctor reviews your X-rays. We send your measurements to the lab that makes your crown. We refer you to an oral surgeon or to your primary care physician if your case calls for it.
• Payment. We submit the claim to your dental insurer or your Medicare Advantage plan with the treatment code. We verify your coverage before the appointment. We handle collection of whatever is left for you to pay.
• Practice operations. We review records to check the quality of our work, train staff, prepare appointments and run the administration.

We may also use your information to remind you of an appointment, to discuss treatment alternatives with you, and to tell you about services or benefits that may be of interest.

5 · Uses that do require your written authorization

Beyond the above, we need you to sign an authorization. In particular:

• Marketing that is not a direct communication about your own treatment
• The sale of your health information, which in practice we do not do
• Before-and-after photographs that are going to appear on this site, on social media or in any practice material
• Any other purpose not described in this notice

You can withdraw that authorization whenever you want, in writing. Withdrawing it does not affect what was already done while it was in force.

6 · Disclosures the law permits or requires without your authorization

There are situations where the law permits us — or requires us — to disclose information without asking your permission. They are narrow exceptions, not an open door:

• When federal, state or local law requires it
• Public health activities: reportable diseases, adverse reactions to medications or medical products
• Suspected abuse, neglect or domestic violence, on the terms Florida law sets
• Health oversight: audits, inspections or investigations by the competent authorities
• Judicial or administrative proceedings, with a court order, subpoena or valid request
• Law enforcement, in the specific circumstances the rule lists
• Coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors
• Organ and tissue donation
• Workers' compensation, if your injury is covered
• To avert a serious and imminent threat to your health or someone else's
• Specific government functions, including national security
• Research, always with the approval of an ethics board or with the information de-identified

7 · HIV test results and other specially protected information

Florida law protects HIV test results more strictly than the general rule and sharply limits who they can be given to. If that information is in your medical history, we handle it under that heightened protection.

The same goes for information about alcohol or substance use treatment from a federal program, and for psychotherapy notes: they have their own rules and, as a general rule, require a separate authorization.

8 · Your information and this website

The appointment form on this site does not ask you for medical information and should not be used to send it. It asks for your name, your phone, your email, the general reason for the visit and whether you have insurance. Nothing more. If you need to tell us something clinical, do it by phone or at the practice, where we can protect it properly.

Your rights over your information

They are yours, and using them does not cost you your standing with the practice. We are not going to treat you worse for exercising them.

How to exercise them

In writing, to the practice's privacy officer. You can ask for the form at the front desk, call (305) 509-6337 or write to privacidad@estelardental.com.

Your dental record is kept for as long as Florida's rules for dentists require. When it is destroyed, it is destroyed securely.

Complaints and contact

If you believe we have violated your privacy, you can complain in two places at once. You do not have to choose, and there can be no retaliation for doing so.

Changes to this notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this notice and to make the revised notice apply to all health information we already hold, as well as to what we receive from then on. When it changes, we will post the new version on this page with its date, and paper copies will be available at the front desk.

Website privacy policy

This is different from the above. The HIPAA notice is about your medical information; this is about what happens when you use this page.

What this site collects

• What you type into the appointment form: first name, last name, date of birth, phone, email, the general reason for the visit, whether you have insurance and the time you pick. You are not asked for medical information.
• Technical data that your browser sends to any site: IP address, browser type and pages visited.
• Your preferences, stored in your own browser: the language you chose and whether you prefer the light or dark theme. They never leave your device and you can clear them by clearing the site data.
• Visit measurement: we use Google Analytics to count visits and learn which pages are viewed. It stores cookies in your browser and sends Google technical data: the pages you view, your type of device and your approximate location. What you write in the appointment form is not sent to Google Analytics.

Where what you send goes

When you press send, those details go straight into the practice's schedule — the same system that holds your record — and the appointment is booked. The date of birth is used to find your file if you are already a patient, and to open one if you are not. They do not pass through any third party for advertising.

What we use it for

To call you back and settle your appointment, to verify your insurance if you ask us to, and to understand which parts of the site are useful. Nothing more.

What we do not do

• We do not sell or rent your data to anyone
• We do not share it with advertisers
• We do not send you advertising you did not ask for

Cookies and Google Analytics

Google Analytics cookies only serve to tell one visit from another; they do not tell us who you are and we do not use them for advertising. You can refuse them by blocking cookies in your browser or by installing the Google Analytics opt-out add-on. The site works the same without them.

Calls, texts and emails

We contact you by whichever means you tell us, and only to manage your appointment, because that is what you authorize when you send the form. You can ask us to stop at any time, and saying it once is enough.

Minors

This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data. For a patient who is a minor, the form is filled in by their parent or guardian.

Security

The site is encrypted and access to patient information is limited to the staff who need it for their work. No system is foolproof, which is why the form does not ask for clinical details.

Links to other sites

Videos play from this site. If you press “Watch on YouTube”, or if a video fails to load and the YouTube copy opens instead, YouTube (Google) may record the playback under its own policy. When you press “Directions” you leave for Google Maps, which also has its own. We do not control what other sites do with your data.

Questions

Write to privacidad@estelardental.com or call (305) 509-6337, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

If you have difficulty reading these documents, say so and we will go through them with you by phone or in person, in English or Spanish. See also our accessibility statement.