Privacy Policy
Last Modified: September 1, 2026
NOTICE: We do not engage in sensitive or biometric personal data sales.
INTRODUCTION
The Bluff Orthodontics, LLC (“Company”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy sets forth Company’s policy with respect to the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit www.theblufforthodontics.com (“the Website”), including any content, services, functionality, mobile applications, downloadable materials, and courses; when you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites, if those advertising include links to this policy (“the Services”).
This policy does not apply to any information collected by any other means, including information collected by third-parties or affiliates, including through any application or content that may be accessible or linked from the Website.
If you do not agree with our Privacy Policy, your choice is to not use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use found here: theblufforthodontics.com/websitetermsofuse. This Privacy Policy may change from time to time and your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes.
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13
Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. All website users must be at least 13 years of age. If we learn we have received information from a child under 13 we will delete the information. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 13 has provided Personal Data to us through the Website or Services, please contact us and we will endeavor to delete the information from our database. If you have reason to believe that a user is under 13 years of age, notify the Company at hello@thebluffortho.com. Residents of certain states under 13, 16, or 18 years of age may have additional rights regarding the collection and sale of their personal information.
WHEN WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM YOU
We collect data and process data when you access our Website, fill out forms on our Website, register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey, surf the Website, or use or view our Website via your browser’s cookies. Our Company may also receive your data indirectly from referring offices.
WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT FROM YOU
A. Voluntary Information
When you visit our Website or use our Services we collect certain types of information from you. This includes your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information, age, sex, marital status, race, nationality, or other information you provide to us including health history and insurance. When you provide information to us, we collect certain information from you, such as information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website, copies of your correspondence, or any other types of information the user may provide.
B. Automatic Data Collectio
We also collect information automatically through cookies and other tracking technologies such as information about your internet connection, your IP address, traffic and location data, logs and other information. The information we automatically collect helps us to improve our Website and deliver a better service.
C. The categories of consumer data we have collected within the past 12 months include name and e-mail address.
HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM YOU
The data controller is The Bluff Orthodontics, LLC. The technologies we use for automatic data collection may include “Cookies.” Cookies are small files placed on the hard drive of your computer that enables the website or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and remember certain information. We use functionality cookies to recognize you on our website and remember your previously selected preferences. These could include what language you prefer and location you are in. We use advertising cookies to collect information about your visit to our website, the content you viewed, the links you followed and information about your browser, device, and your IP address. Our Company sometimes shares some limited aspects of this data with third parties for advertising purposes. We may also share online data collected through cookies with our advertising partners. This means that when you visit another website, you may be shown advertising based on your browsing patterns on our Website.
Web Beacons. Pages of our Website may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the company to access certain website statistics.
Meta Pixels. Pages of our Website may contain Meta Pixels. A Meta Pixel is an invisible code snippet that website owners may use to track user actions, gather insights, and target advertisements. It's used to identify website visitors and serve them ads when logged on to Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram. By using the Website, you consent to Company’s use of Meta Pixels.
You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting in your browser, but if you do, you may not be able to access certain parts of our Website or Services. We also use flash cookies or web beacons for automatic data collection. You may also provide information that is public or displayed on public areas of the Website, or transmitted to other users of the Website or third parties (“User Content”). Your User Content is transmitted to others at your own risk.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
Processing of your information is necessary for the purpose of legitimate interests and does not infringe on any fundamental rights and freedoms. Some of those legitimate interests include: direct marketing, processing of client data, ensuring network and information security, and fraud prevention. We use your information to understand and store information about visitor’s preferences, to compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interactions, to provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us or that we think you may like, to provide you with notices about your account, to carry out billing and collection, for customer support, for marketing purposes, and in any other way we describe when you provide information to us. We do not use automated decision-making in processing your personal information for some services and products. You can request a manual review of the accuracy of an automatic decision-making process if you are unhappy with it. We do not sell personal information or consumer data for monetary gain or valuable consideration.
THIRD PARTY DISCLOSURES
Some content or applications on the Website are served by third parties, such as advertisements. We do not control third parties’ tracking technologies. You should consult the privacy policies of any such third party for more detailed information on their practices. Our Website contains links to other websites. Our Privacy Policy applies only to our Website, so if you click on a link to another website, you should read their privacy policy.
HOW WE DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION
A. We may disclose aggregated information about our users and information that does not identify any individual without restriction.
B. We do not disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this Privacy Policy to third parties.
C. We may also disclose your personal information to comply with any court order, law, or legal process.
D. We use your provided data to prevent fraudulent purchases by sharing your data with credit reference agencies.
E. We will release information when it is appropriate to comply with the law or enforce our site policies.
F. Do Not Track Policy: Our site honors Do Not Track (“DNT”) browser settings. We do not track your online browsing activity on any other online service.
G. We do not transfer personal data collected from you to third party processors located internationally. Please be aware that such countries may not have the same level of data protection; however, our collection, storage and use of your personal data will continue to be governed by this Privacy Policy.
HOW WE STORE AND PROTECT USER INFORMATION
Company has implemented measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and unauthorized access, use and disclosure. These security measures include:
A. All payment information is encrypted.
B. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers behind firewalls.
C. We use regular Malware Scanning.
D. No transmission over the internet or email is completely secure or error free. Please keep this in mind when disclosing personal information over the internet.
We will keep your data for 5 years. Once this time period has expired, we will delete your data.
YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
A. If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with additional rights regarding our use of your personal information. To learn more about your California privacy rights, visit https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa
B. Under the CCPA, California residents have the right to opt-out of the sale of personal information about them or their household, such as their name, postal or email address, and other personal identifying information. The right is subject to certain exceptions. For example, it does not apply to information that we share with certain third-party service providers so they can perform business functions for us or on our behalf. You may opt out by emailing hello@thebluffortho.com
C. In the preceding twelve months, we have not sold personal information. Our policy is that we do not and will not sell your personal information, unless you give us your consent or direct us to do so.
YOUR STATE PRIVACY RIGHTS
State consumer privacy laws may provide their residents with additional rights regarding our use of their personal information. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas Utah, and Virginia provide their state residents with rights to:
A. Confirm whether we process their personal information;
B. Access and delete certain personal information;
C. Correct inaccuracies in their personal information;
D. Data portability
E. Opt-out of personal data processing or limit or require consent to process sensitive personal data
F. The exact scope of these rights may vary by state. To exercise any of these rights, please contact South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA).
RIGHT TO OPT OUT
You have agreed to receive marketing material from the Company. Mobile information will not be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. If you wish to be removed from receiving future SMS communications, you can opt out by texting STOP. If you no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, please contact hello@thebluffortho.com.
YOUR DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS
A. The Right to be Informed: This means anyone processing your personal data must make clear what they are processing, why, and who else the data may be passed to.
B. The Right to Access: This is your right to see what data is held about you by a Data Controller.
C. The Right to Rectification: You have the right to have your data corrected and amended if what is held is incorrect in some way. You can request that we correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or request that we complete information that you believe is incomplete.
D. The Right to Erasure: Under certain circumstances, you can ask for your personal data to be deleted. This is also called “The Right to be Forgotten.” This would apply if the personal data is no longer required for the purposes it was collected for, or your consent for the processing of that data has been withdrawn, or the personal data has been unlawfully processed.
E. The Right to Restrict Processing: This gives you the right to ask for a temporary halt to processing of personal data, such as in the case where a dispute or legal case has to be concluded, or the data is being corrected.
F. The Right of Portability: You have the right to ask for any data supplied directly to the Data Controller by you, to be provided in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. You may request copies of your personal data from us. You may request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions. We may charge a small fee for this service or for any copies requested.
G. The Right to Object: You have the right to object to further processing of your data which is inconsistent with the primary purpose for which it was collected, including profiling, automation, and direct marketing.
H. Rights in Relation to Automated Decision-Making and Profiling: You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing.
I. Right Not to be Subject to Discrimination for the Exercise of Rights: The Company will not refuse goods or services to individuals who exercise their consumer rights.
If you would like to exercise these rights, please contact us at hello@thebluffortho.com
CHANGES TO PRIVACY POLICY
The date the Privacy Policy was last revised is identified on the first page of the Privacy Policy. We reserve to update this policy and if we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email. You are responsible for periodically visiting our Website and Privacy Policy to check for any changes.
CONTACT
You may send us an email to inquire about our Privacy Policy or to request access to, correct or delete any personal information that you have provided to us at:
The Bluff Orthodontics, LLC
Morgan Herrington
107 Persimmon Street, #105
Bluffton, SC 29910
hello@thebluffortho.com
You may reach our Data Protection Officer by sending an email to hello@thebluffortho.com
Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: September 1, 2026
This Notice describes how health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
The Bluff Orthodontics, LLC ("we," "us," or "the Practice") is committed to protecting the privacy of your health information. As a HIPAA-covered health care provider, we are required by law to: maintain the privacy of your protected health information ("PHI"); provide you with this Notice describing our legal duties and privacy practices; and follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
PHI is information about you, including demographic data, that may identify you and that relates to your past, present, or future physical health or condition, the provision of health care to you, or the payment for the provision of health care. PHI exists in paper, electronic, and oral formats.
How We May Use and Disclose Your Health Information
The following categories describe the ways we may use and disclose your PHI. We will only use or disclose the minimum amount of information necessary to accomplish each purpose.
For Treatment We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your orthodontic care and related services. For example, we may share information with your general dentist, oral surgeon, or other treating providers to coordinate your care. When speaking with another health care provider involved in your treatment, our staff may fully discuss your care as necessary.
For Payment We may use and disclose your PHI so that treatment and services you receive may be billed and payment collected from you, your insurance company, or a third party. This may include obtaining prior authorization or determining eligibility for coverage.
For Health Care Operations We may use and disclose your PHI in connection with our health care operations, including quality assessment, staff training, business planning, and general administrative activities necessary to run our practice.
Appointment Reminders We may contact you to remind you of a scheduled appointment or to follow up after treatment. We may contact you by phone, text, or email at the contact information you have provided. When leaving a voicemail, we will only state your name, the Practice's name, and the time of your appointment. We will not leave clinical details in a message without your prior authorization. Text message reminders are limited to your name, the Practice's name, and appointment time; no clinical details are included. You may opt out of text reminders at any time by notifying our office, and we will accommodate your preferred method of contact.
Treatment Alternatives and Health-Related Information We may use and disclose your PHI to tell you about possible treatment options or alternatives, or to provide information about health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Business Associates Some services are provided through contracts with business associates (e.g., billing services, IT vendors, records management). We require all business associates to sign a Business Associate Agreement and to appropriately safeguard your PHI in accordance with HIPAA before any information is shared with them.
As Required by Law We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law, including complying with court orders or legal proceedings.
Public Health Activities We may disclose your PHI to public health authorities for activities such as preventing or controlling disease, reporting births and deaths, or reporting to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the quality, safety, or effectiveness of a product.
Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence We may disclose your PHI to authorized government authorities if we believe a patient has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, as required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities We may disclose your PHI to health oversight agencies for audits, investigations, inspections, licensure, and other activities authorized by law.
Serious Threats to Health or Safety We may use and disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious threat to your health or safety, or to the health or safety of the public or another person.
Workers' Compensation and Government Programs We may release your PHI for workers' compensation programs, military and veterans' affairs, and other government-authorized purposes as required by applicable law.
Uses and Disclosures Requiring Your Written Authorization
Other uses and disclosures of your PHI not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke your written authorization at any time by notifying us in writing, except to the extent we have already relied upon it. We will never use or disclose the following without your written authorization:
Marketing communications
Sale of your PHI
Use of your photographs or images for any purpose other than your direct treatment
Any other use or disclosure for which applicable law requires your specific authorization
Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information
You have the following rights regarding your PHI. To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer at the contact information listed at the end of this Notice.
Right to Inspect and Copy You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI contained in our records. To request a copy, please complete a Medical Records Request form and provide a copy of your photo ID. We may charge a reasonable cost-based fee for providing copies.
Right to an Electronic Copy If your PHI is maintained in an electronic health record, you have the right to request an electronic copy of your information.
Right to Request an Amendment If you believe the PHI we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to amend it. We may deny your request if it is not submitted in writing with a reason, if the information was not created by us, or if the information is accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures of your PHI that we have made. This accounting will not include disclosures for treatment, payment, or health care operations. We will respond to your request within 60 days.
Right to Request Restrictions You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on how we use or disclose your PHI. We are not required to agree to your request in most cases; however, if you pay out-of-pocket in full for a service, you may request that we not share information about that service with your health insurer, and we are required to honor that request.
Right to Request Confidential Communications You have the right to request that we communicate with you about your care in a specific way or at a specific location (for example, only by email or only at a certain phone number). We will accommodate all reasonable requests.
Right to a Paper Copy of This Notice You have the right to a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have received it electronically. You may request a copy at our office or ask that one be mailed to you.
Right to Be Notified of a Breach You have the right to be notified if we (or one of our business associates) discover a breach of your unsecured PHI. We will notify you without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days following discovery of the breach, as required by law.
How We Protect Your Information
The Bluff Orthodontics has implemented the following safeguards to protect your PHI from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure:
System access is password-protected; each employee has unique login credentials
Hardware and electronic devices are encrypted in accordance with the HIPAA Security Rule
PHI sent outside the Practice is transmitted only via secure, encrypted methods
Text message reminders are limited to non-clinical appointment information (name, practice name, appointment time); all other PHI is transmitted only via secure, encrypted channels
Paper documents containing PHI are stored in locked files and shredded in locked destruction containers before disposal
Computer screens are set to lock automatically after 10 minutes of inactivity
All business associates are required to sign Business Associate Agreements before receiving any PHI
Regular security evaluations are conducted to ensure systems meet or exceed HIPAA requirements
All employees receive HIPAA training and are required to acknowledge this Policy
Changes to This Notice
We reserve the right to change this Notice and to make the revised Notice effective for PHI we already have about you as well as any information we receive in the future. A copy of the current Notice is posted in our office and on our website at theblufforthodontics.com. The Notice will contain the effective date on the first page. You are entitled to a paper copy of the Notice currently in effect at any time.
How to File a Complaint
If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with our Privacy Officer or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
To file a complaint with HHS, write to: Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201; call 1-877-696-6775; or visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints.
Contact Us / Privacy Officer
For questions about this Notice, to exercise your rights, or to report a privacy concern, please contact:
The Bluff Orthodontics, LLC Attn: Dr. Morgan Herrington, Privacy Officer 107 Persimmon Street, Units 105 & 106, Bluffton, SC 29910 Email: hello@thebluffortho.com Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Friday 8:00 - 12:30 PM
