Privacy policy

1. Who we are

Village Dental Studio is a dental practice at Salmon Bay House, 24 Compensation Beach Road, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, 4420. For the personal information described in this policy, Village Dental Studio is the responsible party under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

This policy relates to this website and enquiries made through its contact links. Patient records created in the course of dental care are also handled under applicable healthcare, professional and legal requirements.

2. Information we collect

This website does not currently have an online form, user accounts, analytics or advertising trackers. We may receive personal information when you choose to contact us by phone, email or WhatsApp, including:

• your name and contact details;
• the content of your enquiry and appointment preferences; and
• any other information you choose to provide.

Please avoid sending detailed or sensitive medical information by ordinary email or WhatsApp. Contact our rooms if you need to discuss private health information.

Like most websites, our hosting provider may automatically record limited technical information such as an IP address, browser type, requested page, date and time for security, reliability and troubleshooting.

3. How we use information

We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so, including to:

• respond to enquiries and arrange appointments;
• provide dental services and communicate about your care;
• manage and secure the practice and website;
• meet professional, regulatory and legal obligations; and
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

We do not sell personal information.

4. Sharing, storage and external services

We may share information with trusted service providers that help us operate the practice or website, professional advisers, medical schemes where authorised, or public authorities where the law requires it. We require personal information to be handled confidentially and only for the relevant purpose.

External links

The website includes links to WhatsApp, Google Maps and Nerd Nation. It also loads typefaces from Google Fonts. These services operate under their own privacy terms and may process technical information, such as your IP address, when used.

Retention and security

We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by healthcare, tax, professional or other laws. We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, but no internet transmission or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure.

5. Your privacy rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable law, you may ask whether we hold your personal information and request access to it. You may also ask us to correct, update or delete information, object to certain processing, or withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Some information may need to be retained where the law or professional obligations require it.

If you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully, you may lodge a complaint with South Africa’s Information Regulator. The Regulator lists general enquiries at enquiries@inforegulator.org.za and POPIA complaints at POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za.

6. Contact us about privacy

For a privacy request, question or complaint, contact Village Dental Studio:

Email: smile@villagedentalstudio.co.za
Telephone: 032 946 1955
Address: Salmon Bay House, 24 Compensation Beach Road, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, 4420

We may update this policy when our website or privacy practices change. The date at the top shows the latest revision.