Steele Creek Smiles (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates https://www.steelecreeksmiles.com/. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our website, how we use it, and the choices you have. It covers our website only. Our handling of protected health information as a healthcare provider is described separately in our Notice of Privacy Practices .

1. Information you give us

We collect information you submit directly, such as when you request an appointment, complete a contact or new-patient form, subscribe to updates, or contact us by phone, email, or text. This may include your name, phone number, email address, mailing address, preferred appointment times, insurance information, and any details you choose to include in a message.

Please do not submit detailed medical or dental history through general website forms. Use the secure channels we provide, or contact the office directly.

2. Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by us and by the third-party services described in Section 3. This may include your IP address, device and browser type, operating system, referring website, pages viewed, links clicked, approximate general location, and the dates and times of your visits. This information is collected using cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies, described in Section 7.

3. Third-party services we use

Analytics and website measurement

• Google Analytics 4 – measures website traffic and how visitors navigate the site.
• Google Search Console – reports how our site performs in Google Search using aggregated data. It does not identify individual visitors.
• Microsoft Clarity – captures behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay so we can see how visitors interact with our pages. Session replay on our site is configured to mask text and form input.

Advertising

• Google Ads – delivers and measures our search and display advertising, including conversion measurement and, where enabled, remarketing.
• Microsoft Advertising – delivers and measures our advertising on Bing and partner networks.
• Meta Ads (Facebook) – delivers and measures our social advertising and, where enabled, builds advertising audiences.

Business listings and maps

• Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Apple Business Connect – host our practice listings, directions, hours, photos, and patient reviews. Interactions with those listings occur on Google’s, Microsoft’s, and Apple’s platforms and are governed by their privacy policies.

These providers may set first- and third-party cookies and may combine information about your visit with information they hold from other sites and services. For more information, see the Google Privacy Policy , the Microsoft Privacy Statement, the Meta Privacy Policy, and the Apple Privacy Policy .

4. Protected health information is not collected through these tools

We do not send protected health information to our analytics or advertising providers. These technologies collect website usage and device information as described above. They are configured not to capture the contents of form fields, and they are disabled on patient portal, intake, and other pages where health information is submitted. We do not build advertising audiences that identify individuals by medical or dental condition.

5. How we use information

• To respond to appointment requests, questions, and other enquiries.
• To provide, operate, maintain, and improve our website.
• To measure and improve our marketing and advertising.
• To detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security issues.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

6. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information with service providers who perform functions on our behalf — website hosting, scheduling, communications, analytics, and advertising – and only as needed to perform those functions. Where a service provider handles protected health information on our behalf, we require a Business Associate Agreement. We may also disclose information where required by law or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Steele Creek Smiles, our patients, or others.

7. Cookies and tracking technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. We also use related technologies including pixels, tags managed through a tag management system, and local storage. We refer to all of these together as “cookies” below.

Categories we use

• Strictly necessary – required for the site to function, including security and remembering your cookie preferences. These cannot be switched off.
• Analytics and performance – Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity, which help us understand how the site is used.
• Advertising and marketing – Google Ads and Meta Ads used to deliver and measure our advertising and, where enabled, to show our ads to people who have visited our site.
• Functional – remember your preferences, such as language or previously entered form details.

Session replay

Microsoft Clarity records a reconstruction of your visit, including mouse movement, scrolling, and clicks, so we can identify usability problems. Our Clarity configuration masks text and form input, so the contents of anything you type into a form are not visible in these recordings, and recording is disabled on pages where health information is submitted.

8. Your choices

• Cookies: you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may break parts of the site.
• Google Analytics: opt out with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Google advertising: manage ad personalization at Google Ad Settings .
• Microsoft advertising: manage preferences at Microsoft ad settings.
• Meta advertising: adjust ad preferences in your Facebook or Instagram settings.
• Email and text: unsubscribe using the link in any email, or reply STOP to any text message. See our SMS Terms .
• Universal opt-out: where required by applicable law, we honor browser-based opt-out signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC).

9. Social media and online communication

Steele Creek Smiles maintains profiles on social media and business listing platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Apple Maps. Please do not post personal health information, treatment questions, or appointment details in a public comment, review, or direct message – these channels are not secure and are not monitored for urgent matters.
Call (704) 587-1010 for anything relating to your care, and call 911 in an emergency.

If you contact us through a social platform, that platform collects and processes your message according to its own privacy policy. We will not discuss your treatment or confirm that you are a patient in any public channel.

10. Data security and retention

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we hold. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We retain information for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy and as required by applicable law and our records-retention obligations.

11. Children’s privacy

Our website is directed to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without parental consent. Parents and guardians submit information on behalf of minor patients. If you believe a child has provided us information through the website, contact us, and we will delete it.

12. Your privacy choices

This section applies to residents of North Carolina and describes rights available under applicable state privacy law. It does not apply to protected health information governed by HIPAA, which is addressed in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

• Know and access – request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy.
• Correct – request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Delete – request deletion of personal data we hold about you.
• Portability – obtain a copy in a portable, readily usable format.
• Opt out – opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and profiling producing legal or similarly significant effects.
• Non-discrimination – we will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different level of service because you exercised a privacy right.
• Appeal – if we decline your request, you may appeal, and we will respond in writing with our reasoning.

Submit a request by emailing patient_care@steelecreeksmiles.com, calling (704) 587-1010 , or writing to Steele Creek Smiles,
13739 Steele Creek Rd #100, Charlotte, NC 28273. We will verify your identity before acting on a request and will respond within the time required by applicable law. An authorized agent may submit a request on your behalf with proof of authorization.

We use advertising cookies and pixels from Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta Ads,  that may constitute targeted advertising or sharing under applicable state law. You can opt out using the controls in Section 7 and Section 8 , or by enabling a universal opt-out signal such as Global Privacy Control (GPC) in your browser. We honor GPC signals where required by law. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal data for targeted advertising, and we do not sell sensitive personal data.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date above indicates when it was last revised. Material changes will be posted on this page.

14. Contact us

Steele Creek Smiles
Attention: Privacy Officer
13739 Steele Creek Rd #100, Charlotte, NC 28273
Phone: (704) 587-1010 
Email: patient_care@steelecreeksmiles.com

Please do not include sensitive health information, Social Security numbers, or financial account details in an unencrypted email.