Practice POLICIES

Here at Smile Hub Dental Clinic, we continuously strive to deliver the highest quality service that we can. The following segment provides additional information to our practice Policies. If you have any enquiries regarding any our terms please call us on 01 5253888 or email us at hello@smilehub.ie. We’re a multi-award winning emergency and aesthetic dental clinic. Occasionally in the best interests of our patients our dental team may have to prioritise a patient experiencing a dental emergency. On these rare occasions if your appointment is delayed we sincerely thank you for understanding our duty of care. In relation to orthodontic treatment half of the full orthodontic balance will be due before orthodontic treatment begins. Then the remaining outstanding balance will be due before the final orthodontic clear brace wire is placed or the final set of Invisalign Aligners are given to the patient. Patients must pay a minimum of 500 euro off their outstanding orthodontic(Clear Braces or Invisalign Aligner) balance at each appointment. Waiting Times for Dental Emergency Appointments Cannot be Guaranteed. As an Emergency Dental Clinic, your dentist may sometimes have to prioritise an emergency patient’s treatment needs out of a ‘duty of care’. To ensure patient safety this may result in unavoidable waiting times or the need to reschedule your dental appointment to another time. Thank you for your understanding. Please be aware that any data provided through our site is provided for interest purposes only and does not constitute individual professional advice. Expert advice cannot be provided unless a patient has a clinical consultation with one of our dentists. For any professional dental guidance, we strongly recommend that you have a consultation with a dentist. In the interests of our patients health and safety clinical advice cannot be given over the phone, email or any social media platform by a member of the Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s team. Clinical advice can only be provided by your treating dental professional following a face-to-face clinical examination.

TREATMENT PLANNING

Once you have had a consultation with one of our dentists and a treatment plan has been agreed between both parties, we will provide a detailed plan which we ask that you read through thoroughly and sign that your treatment options and plan have been explained clearly to you. If your treatment plan has to be changed due to radiographic or clinical findings, we will notify you and discuss this with you. A treatment plan is valid for 30 days from the date of the consultation that the treatment was prescribed. If for any reason you have an inquiry regarding your treatment plan, we ask that you inform us before any scheduled appointment of this treatment plan.

CLINICAL ADVICE

Clinical advice may only be given to patients by their treating dentist at a face to face appointment in Smile Hub Dental Clinic. Prescriptions may only be emailed or posted directly to the patient themselves; not directly to a patient’s pharmacist/pharmacy.

CONSENT

Certain dental treatments need completion of a consent form which must be signed by the patient and/or legal guardian and the dentist. We work to strict procedures in order to guarantee that the patient and/or legal guardian is fully aware of the treatment, aftercare and any risk before the treatment is carried out.

FEES

Your dentist or dental professional may require pre-payment in advance of your treatment. At the halfway point through orthodontic treatment your dentist will require you to have paid half your outstanding balance. Similarly before you reach the final set of Invisalign Aligners or the final clear braces wire your dentist will require you to settle your outstanding orthodontic balance in full. If a patient cannot make this pre-payment they are welcome to reschedule their appointment. Your dentist or dental professional may require a deposit to secure your booking. If you cannot make this payment to secure your future booking you’re welcome to reschedule at another time when you can make the payment of this deposit. Smile Hub Dental Clinic has a number of financial options to suit our patients. Fees for treatment can be settled on the day on the appointment in the clinic by cash or card. Where treatment acquires a laboratory fee, the full fee for the treatment must be settled at the impression stage of the appointment. Fees for certain treatments like Dental Implants and Invisalign® can be taken on a pay as you go basis at each appointment. One of our excellent staff members will discuss and plan a schedule of payment for you. Here at Smile Hub Dental Clinic in Bayside Medical Centre our dentists are partners with HUMM Finance. HUMM allows you to pay for your dental treatment in monthly instalments. One of dentists will formulate a customised treatment plan to meet your clinical, personal and financial needs. An in-depth discussion of all your treatment options, the number of dental visits and the associated costs are provided for all our valued patients. A member of our dental team will help you select the HUMM plan that suits you and you can even pay the amount back early with no penalties. Patients registered to us with VHI Dental Pay Provider, Laya Dental Healthcare Provider, Garda Medical or DeCare Direct, must see their terms and conditions for treatments under contract. Insurance holders must pay for their treatment at the time of the appointment, then claim for reimbursement from their insurance provider. Please contact your insurance provider for further details of dental treatment coverage. Before attending your initial dental appointment please contact your dental insurance and get your policy cover details in writing and confirmation of your approval before attending your appointment.

SMILE HUB DENTAL CLINIC DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY PAYMENTS BY CHEQUE.

Please contact your insurance provider for further details of dental coverage. Before attending your initial dental appointment please contact your dental insurance and get your policy cover details in writing and confirmation of your approval before attending your appointment. Fees for treatment where intravenous sedation is involved should be settled before the appointment to avoid financial transactions and signatures while the patient is still under the influence of the sedative. Smile Hub Dental Clinic have the right to charge time-based deposits for booking future appointments. Deposits can be used as credit towards cost of treatment. Booking deposits are refundable provided that 48 hours notice is provided to Smile Hub that you need to cancel or change your appointment. The treating Dentist may request that a patient pays in advance of treatment. If the patient cannot pay in advance of the treatment they can reschedule their appointment.

LATE CANCELLATIONS OR FAILURE TO ATTEND

If for any reason you need to cancel an appointment that has been made with Smile Hub Dental Clinic, we ask that you please provide us with at least 24 hours’ notice. This will allow us to offer this appointment slot to another patient who may need it. Any appointment that is cancelled 24 hours prior, will not be subject to charge. If a patient fails to provide 24 hours notice of an appointment cancellation or if a patient fails to attend their appointment there will be an automatic 100 euro fee applied to the patient’s account which must be paid before the patient’s next appointment. This failed to attend fee must be paid in advance of booking another appointment. This payment can be made in the clinic by cash or card. Alternatively, this deposit can be paid by card over the phone. If this appointment is cancelled with more than 24 hours’ notice, this payment will be returned.

BEING LATE FOR APPOINTMENTS

Being late for appointments can sometimes be inevitable. Please contact us if you are going to be late but please also be conscious that if you are going to be more than 10 minutes late we may ask to reschedule your appointment. If you are more than 15 minutes late without informing us we may consider this as a failure of attendance, in which case you will not be entitled to a refund.

GUARANTEE

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic our permanent fillings, Ceramic Veneers, Ceramic crowns, Implant crowns are guaranteed for twelve months following treatment, provided that the following circumstances are met: All fees for the treatment have been settled with the practice and there is no outstanding balance with the patient An accident, trauma or excessive grinding have not damaged the Veneers, Crowns & Implant crowns The patient has followed the post treatment steps given by our dentist for maintaining the treatment No treatment is guaranteed for more than 12 months If a certain treatment is not guaranteed for 1 year, the patient will be informed by the dentist completing this treatment

PERSONAL DETAILS

It is vital that you give a detailed full medical history and a list of any medications that you take. We also ask that you always have the correct contact details on file. If any of these details change it is very important that you inform us. Even though we aim to update personal details on each routine visit, it is up to the patient to inform Smile Hub Dental Clinic of changes to personal details and/or their medical history. All records are kept in agreement with strict Data Protection guidelines. All requests for your patient records must be made in writing to hello@smilehub.ie.

DATA PROTECTION ACT

All patient files are kept on a secure computer system in accordance with the Data Protection Act. All clinical notes, radiographs, photographs, etc. remain the property of Smile Hub Dental Clinic. If a patient wishes to obtain a copy of notes, radiographs and photographs, a written request is required. All of our team undergo Data Protection training and understand the importance of information handling.

COPYRIGHT

All trademarks displayed on the Site are trademarks of Smile Hub. Nothing contained on the site should be construed as granting any license or right of use of any trademark displayed on the Site without the express written permission of Smile Hub or third-party owner.

USE OF IMAGES AND X-RAYS

Smile Hub Dental Clinic may use images and x-rays of your teeth only (for marketing and educational purposes) for our website, promotional and educational works. A patient’s identity will never be disclosed. We will always ask permission before to using images. If you do not want any image or radiograph used in this way, please be sure to inform us.

CONTACT

We always try our best to use the most convenient technology to provide our patients with reminders of future appointments via email or SMS. If you would rather not be contacted for these purposes, please be sure to inform us either in clinic or you can contact us at 01 525 3888 or email hello@smilehub.ie. We do not use your information for anything else and will not pass on your details to third parties.

COMPLAINTS

Here at Smile Hub Dental Clinic we take all complaints extremely serious and work under the strict guidelines set out according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure clear communication on pricing, treatment planning and patient care. Our complaints procedure are in line with the codes of conducts set by the Irish Dental Council. In the occasional occurrence something should go wrong, a patient can make a formal complaint in writing via post or email at hello@smilehub.ie. Complaints should be addressed to the attention of the senior nurse if by post or email. Any complaint will receive an email acknowledgement as soon as possible and the management will do everything in their power to resolve the complaint in a quick and timely manner. Complaints should usually be resolved in under 2 weeks. For our full complaints procedure and policy please ask a member of our reception team. If a complaint has regards to clinical care or associated charges it will normally be dealt with by the senior nurse and then referred to the dentist that completed treatment. Smile Hub Dental Clinic accepts no accountability on behalf of the treating dentist and will act as a liaison to facilitate communication between the patient and the treating dentist only. All complaints can be sent to senior nurse at hello@smilehub.ie. If you are not satisfied with the way that our practice handled your complaint internally you can forward your complaint to the Dental Complaints Resolution Service at mary@dentalcomplaints.ie.

COMPETITIONS AND SPECIAL OFFERS/PROMOTIONAL OFFERS/ DISCOUNTS

Promotional prices available to private paying patients only and cannot be used in conjunction with the PRSI subsidy or health insurance. Special offer/promotional pricing is non-refundable. Competition winning Patients must be 18 years old or over. One offer per eligible patient. Two or more offers cannot be combined. Offers are subject to appointment availability. No cash alternative is available for special offers or competition prizes. Smile Hub Dental Clinic reserves the right to amend or withdraw offers at any time. The competition winners will be announced on social media. The winning entries will be chosen at random. Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s decision on competition winners is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries that do not comply in full with the rules will be disqualified. If the patient is unsuitable for a prize or treatment, Smile Hub Dental Clinic have a duty of care to refuse the treatment or advise a suitable alternative treatment. Smile Hub Dental Clinic reserves the right to alter, amend or end any competition without prior notice in the event that circumstances make this unavoidable. Only one entry per person will be accepted. By entering a competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s terms and conditions. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by Irish law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ireland. The winners agree to the use of his/her name to be announced as a competition winner on Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s Social Media platform pages. Any personal data relating to the winners or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current Irish data protection legislation. Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s decision on the nature of the content and their inclusion is final. No Discount is applicable to aesthetic dentistry treatments including but not limited to teeth whitening, cosmetic/composite/edge bonding, porcelain veneers, orthodontic treatment such as clear braces or Invisalign aligners.

DISCLAIMER:

The information provided on this website does no, and is not intended to, constitute face to face clinical advice; instead all information, content and materials available on this site and used in public marketing/promotional material are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date clinical or other information.

PRIVACY POLICY

Here at Smile Hub Dental Clinic we take patients privacy very seriously. Any personally identifiable information a patient provides, will only be used to facilitate your treatment or to give you details of our services occasionally. We keep all your information securely and confidentially and in line with best data protection practices. If you receive any information from us you can choose to opt out of this by informing us. Please see terms and conditions. Any information regarding a patient’s treatment will only be shared with other professionals outside the practice with the patient’s permission. Your information will not be given, lent or sold to any other third party. This privacy policy sets out how we at Smile Hub Dental Clinic use and protect any personal information that you trust us to store. One of our main priorities is ensuring all patients privacy is protected. Patients information that we ask for to confirm identification will only be used in accordance with our privacy policy. This policy may change sometimes if we update this page. To ensure you are happy with any changes made, it is important that you check this page occasionally. This policy is effective from 1 January 2021.

Information Smile Hub Dental Clinic Collect

Name Job title Contact information such as phone number and email address Demographic details including postcode and interests Additional information related to customer surveys and/or offers

WHAT WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION

We need this information to recognize your needs and provide you with the best service for the following reasons:

INTERNAL RECORD KEEPING

To expand our services To send via email promotions, special offers, surveys and additional information which may interest patients Occasional market research purposes. We may communicate with patients by email, phone or post. We may use the information to develop the website to match patient’s interests

SECURITY

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic, we are dedicated to ensuring that your information is protected. To avoid unauthorised access or disclosure, we have appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to protect and secure the information we collect online.

HEALTHCARE TEAM

Our healthcare team have authorisation to enter treatment rooms whilst undertaking duties relating to their employment. Controlling Your Personal Information If a patient wants to limit the gathering or use of personal information, they can by opting out on the website by clicking the box that you do not want to share information for marketing purposes while filling out a web form. If you have agreed in the past to us using your personal information for marketing purposes and no longer agree, you can inform us at hello@smilehub.ie. Your information will not be given, lent or sold to any other third party unless you give permission or we are required to do so by law. Your personal information may be used with your permission to send you marketing information about third parties that we think my interest you. You may appeal for details of your personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please email us at hello@smilehub.ie. If you think that any of your information we have is incorrect or incomplete, please contact us as soon as possible at hello@smilehub.ie. We will promptly correct any information you update with us.

LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

Smile Hub’s Website may hold links to other websites of interest. However, once you clink these links and leave our website we have no control over these websites. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for the protection of your information while on these other websites. Please be cautious and ensure that you read the other websites privacy statement.

CCTV POLICY

Introduction CCTV cameras are in operation in Bayside Medical Centre for the protection of our patients and team members. The purpose of this policy is to regulate the use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and its associated technology when monitoring both the internal and external environment of the Smile Hub Dental Clinic premises. A copy of this CCTV Policy will be made available on the Smile Hub Dental Clinic website, provided to all Smile Hub Dental Clinic staff and a copy will be provided to visitors / patients on request.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all personnel in and visitors to Smile Hub Dental Clinic, Bayside Medical Centre, Sutton, Dublin 13. Moreover, it relates directly to the location and use of CCTV, and the monitoring, recording and subsequent use of such recorded material. This policy prohibits CCTV monitoring based on the characteristics and classifications contained in equality and other related legislation e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability etc. Furthermore, CCTV monitoring is limited to uses that do not violate the reasonable expectation to privacy as defined by law. The CCTV cameras will be used to: Protect Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s buildings and assets, both during and outside of operational hours (the system will be in operation 24 hours a day, every day); promote the health and safety of personnel and visitors; support the Gardaí in a bid to deter and detect crime; and assist identifying, apprehending and prosecuting offenders. The personal data recorded and stored by the CCTV system will be used only for the purposes outlined in this policy document. Collection, storage and use of CCTV footage shall be in compliance with Data Protection legislation.

DATA CONTROLLER

The data controller in respect of images recorded and stored by the CCTV system at Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s premises is Smile Hub Dental Clinic. The data processor is Smile Hub Dental Clinic. The Director or appropriate nominee(s) is responsible for monitoring the implementation and compliance of the CCTV policy within Smile Hub Dental Clinic.

FAIR OBTAINING

The fair obtaining principles inherent in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 require that those people whose images may be captured on camera are so informed. Accordingly, Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s Data Protection Officer will provide a copy of this CCTV Policy to staff and on request to visitors / patients to Smile Hub Dental Clinic. Adequate signage will be placed at each location in which CCTV cameras are situated to indicate that CCTV is in operation (locations listed in following section). The name and contact details of the data controller as well as the specific purpose for which the CCTV camera is in place in each location can be provided upon request

LOCATION OF CAMERAS

The CCTV network for Smile Hub Dental Clinic is located in the following areas: -All Dental Surgeries -Waiting Room -Decontamination Room -OPG X-ray Room and small adjoining corridor immediately outside of the OPG room There are 11 cameras in total with the objective of protecting the safety and wellbeing of the Smile Hub team and our patients. OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM The recording system is a Digital system which records video data. The system can only be accessed by the Director of Smile Hub Dental Clinic or an appropriate nominee(s).

DATA PROTECTION, STORAGE AND RETENTION

The data captured from the CCTV cameras is securely stored as electronic data in a designated area within the dental clinic. Typically, this data is recorded on a loop and will be retained for a short period until it is over written on the Hard Drive. However, data may be retained for longer periods where in the opinion of Smile Hub Dental Clinic the events captured may give rise to court proceedings. Unauthorised access to the CCTV data is not be permitted at any time. Access to the data is restricted to authorised personnel (see Section 6 for list). There is no access to the CCTV data other than with authorised personnel. The storage devices are password protected. Supervising the access and maintenance of the CCTV system is the responsibility of the Director or appropriate nominee(s). Unauthorised access will be viewed as a data breach. In such an event, Smile Hub Dental Clinic’s Data Breach Management Policy and Procedure must be followed.

ACCESS REQUESTS

Access to the CCTV system will be restricted to authorised personnel only (as indicated in Section 6). In relevant circumstances, CCTV footage may be accessed: By An Garda Síochána where Smile Hub Dental Clinic are required by law. Access requests can be made to: Dr Laura Fee (Director) Smile Hub Dental Clinic Bayside Medical Centre, Bayside Shopping Centre, Sutton, Dublin 13 laura@smilehub.ie

PROVIDING CCTV IMAGES TO AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA

With regard to requests from An Garda Síochána to download footage, the footage will only be released to An Garda Siochana and if requested by a Judge in a Court of Irish Law, the Data Protection Commissioner recommends that requests for copies of CCTV footage should only be granted when a formal written request is provided to Smile Hub Dental Clinic stating that An Garda Síochána is investigating a criminal matter. For practical purposes, and to expedite a request speedily in urgent situations, a verbal request may be sufficient to allow for the release of the footage sought. However, any such verbal request must be followed up with a formal written request. It is up to Smile Hub Dental Clinic to be satisfied that there is a genuine investigation underway. For practical purposes, a phone call to the requesting Garda’s station may be sufficient, provided that you speak to a member in the District Office, the station sergeant or a higher ranking officer, as all may be assumed to be acting with the authority of a District/Divisional officer in confirming that an investigation is authorised. A log of all An Garda Síochána requests will be maintained by Smile Hub Dental Clinic. Any such requests should be on An Garda Síochána headed paper, quote the details of the CCTV footage required and should also cite the legal basis for the request (i.e. Section 8(b) of the Acts). Prior to Smile Hub Dental Clinic issuing any CCTV images to An Garda Síochána, it will be discussed and agreed with the responsible Smile Hub Dental Clinic staff member. There is a distinction between a request by An Garda Síochána to view CCTV footage and to download copies of CCTV footage. In general, An Garda Síochána making a request to simply view footage on the premises of a data controller or processor would not raise any specific concerns from a data protection perspective.

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE CCTV POLICY

This policy will be reviewed and updated regularly to take into account changing Data Protection legislation or guidelines from the Data Protection Commissioner, An Garda Síochána, and relevant bodies. Revision Date Description Approved by A copy made available at reception for visitors.

APPENDIX: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

CCTV – Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. The images may then be recorded on video tape or DVD or other digital recording mechanism. The Data Protection Acts – The Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 and any future amendments that confer rights on individuals as well as responsibilities on those persons handling, processing, managing and controlling personal data. All staff must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Acts when collecting and storing personal information. This applies to personal information relating both to employees of the organisation and individuals who interact with the organisation. Data – information in a form that can be processed. It includes automated or electronic data (any information on computer or information recorded with the intention of putting it on computer) and manual data (information that is recorded as part of a relevant filing system or with the intention that it should form part of a relevant filing system). Personal Data – Data relating to a living individual who is or can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controller. Access Request – this is where a person makes a request to the organisation for the disclosure of their personal data under Section 3 and/or section 4 of the Data Protection Acts. Data Processing – performing any operation or set of operations on data, including: -Obtaining, recording or keeping the data, -Collecting, organising, storing, altering or adapting the data, -Retrieving, consulting or using the data, -Disclosing the data by transmitting, disseminating or otherwise making it available, -Aligning, combining, blocking, erasing or destroying the data. Data Subject – an individual who is the subject of personal data. Data Controller – a person who (either alone or with appropriate nominee(s) controls the contents and use of personal data. Data Processor – a person who processes personal information on behalf of a data controller, but does not include an employee of a data controller who processes such data in the course of their employment, for example, this might mean an employee of an organisation to which the data controller out-sources work. The Data Protection Acts place responsibilities on such entities in relation to their processing of the data.

CANCELLATION POLICY

If for any reason you need to cancel an appointment that has been made with Smile Hub Dental Clinic, we ask that you please provide us with at least 24 hours’ notice. This will allow us to offer this appointment slot to another patient who may need it. Any appointment that is cancelled 24 hours prior, will not be subject to charge. Please be aware that a if a patient fails to provide the clinic with 24 hours of a cancellation of their appointment a 100 euro fee will be applied to their account. This failed to attend fee must be paid in advance of booking another appointment. This payment can be made in the clinic by cash or card. Alternatively, this deposit can be paid by card over the phone. If this appointment is cancelled with more than 24 hours’ notice, this payment will be returned. If you need to cancel your appointment for any reason just give us a call on 01 525 3888.

DISCLAIMER

All information contained in this website is purely for general information purposes. It does not constitute professional or specific advice. You should always seek specific advice from your qualified dental professional. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, no liability can be taken for any omissions or errors.

GUIDANCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA USE

We want to encourage an enjoyable and engaging experience when using our social media channels however it is also very important that our social media channels offer a safe and respectful environment for everyone. To help with this, we’ve created some rules around interacting with us on social media.

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO

Ask for help with queries relating to our clinic Tell us when something’s wrong so that we can try to fix it Only post information you’re happy for everyone to see Share our posts with your friends or family Give us feedback Follow our social media accounts

BUT PLEASE DON’T

Post personal or confidential information, If you need to share this information with us, please do so in a private message or call the clinic. Be offensive, indecent or abusive Post anything that could be considered defamatory or embarrassing, or damaging to someone’s reputation Use our social media accounts in a way that might breach any laws and regulations including competition law Direct people to sites containing viruses or anything that might damage their computer Try to access the administrator features or functions of our social media accounts without permission Spam or troll our social media accounts

HOW WE MANAGE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Our social media accounts may be managed by our employees and/or third parties appointed by us. We can’t moderate what others post before it is posted, but we may (if we’re able) remove posts which breach our House Rules. We may also block users who repeatedly break them. If you find content on our social media accounts which you think is inappropriate or you’re concerned about, please contact us. Remember to also follow the social media platform’s (for example Facebook’s or Twitter’s) own rules and terms. If you don’t, they may hide your post or take other action and we don’t have control over this.

VIEWS AND OPINIONS

The comments and messages posted by others on our social media accounts are the views and opinions of the person posting and are not our views. Our social media accounts are hosted by independent providers (like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn) and we can’t control what they do. Having an account doesn’t mean that we endorse them.

CHANGES TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

We may change this social media policy at any time. Our social media accounts may sometimes be changed or temporarily unavailable, for example while we’re making improvements to them. We may also close our social media accounts without giving prior notice.

WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Most websites you go on will use cookies to improve your user experience by allowing the website to ‘remember’ your preferences and activities, either for the length of your visit which is known as a session cookie or for recurrent visits which is known as a persistent cookie. There are a number of reasons cookies are used, such as allowing you to navigate between pages proficiently, keeping your preferences stored and improving your overall experience of a website. Cookies make the website activities faster, simpler and sometimes possible for you. If cookies are not used, the website will assume you are new visitor whenever you change to a different page on the website. Cookies are also used on websites to enable them to analyses traffic through the site by observing at visitor activities and location, to improve the long-term visitor experience. This is known as a traffic cookie.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE COOKIES?

A cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie or browser cookie, is a simple text file that is sent from a website’s server to a user’s device while a user is browsing a website. It is stored on a user’s device for a specific period, which is dependent on the type of cookie. Only that server will be able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie and each cookie is unique to your web browser. It will contain some anonymous information such as a unique identifier and the site name and some digits and numbers. The website can then read the information on that cookie, allowing it to remember things like your preferences or what’s in your shopping basket. For more information on cookies and cookie legislation, please visit the following sites: www.allaboutcookies.org www.youronlinechoices.eu www.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie www.aboutcookies.org www.ico.gov.uk

WHAT DOES SMILE HUB DENTAL CLINIC USE COOKIES FOR?

Smile Hub Dental Clinic uses cookies to improve functionality, performance and enable social media communication for users, while using the Smile Hub website. The following paragraphs are other types of cookies that are used by Smile Hub Dental Clinic and why we use them.

FUNCTIONALITY COOKIES

These cookies permit users to modify how a website appears for them. They can save usernames, regions, language and local language preferences.

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

This type of cookie gathers data in collective visitor’s website activities, which permits us to progress its performance over time. Performance cookies only collect anonymous data, and allow us to: Monitor the performance of our website Gather information about visitors website usage so we can improve it Test new features on a small sample of users

SOCIAL MEDIA COOKIES

These cookies permit you to link with social media, so you can share and promote your Smile Hub activity within Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc.

COVID-19

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic, Bayside Medical Centre, Bayside Shopping Centre, Sutton, Dublin 13 we strictly follow government, HSE and the Irish Dental Council COVID-19 Guidelines. Our priority is the safety of our patients and dental team. In line with the most up-to-date guidance our dental team implement the following measures robustly: Appointments are lengthened to ensure enhanced cross-infection control procedures All patients have pre-appointment screening All patients and the dental team have temperature checked Personal protective equipment(PPE) is mandatory Treatments are performed to minimise aerosol production Advanced cross-infection prevention and control processes in place by all the dental team Perspex screens to protect our patients and dental team We look forward to seeing you again at Smile Hub Dental Clinic and we’re happy to answer any questions that you may have. Our strict cross-infection control policies help us prioritise the health and safety of our patients and dental team. We thank you for your co-operation and we look forward to helping you achieve and maintain optimum dental health.