Patient Care
Privacy Policy
We strongly believe an uncompromised safekeeping and protection of personal data is a basic element of our service to our patients, who can expect us to keep all personal information completely safe. This self-evident part of our work shall be explained in more detail below.
In providing your dental care and treatment, we will ask for personal and medical information. Occasionally, we may request and/or receive information from other providers such as a medical specialist or GP who have been looking after your health. This privacy notice describes the type of individual/personal information we hold, why we hold it and what we do with it.
This is the Data Processing Notice (also known as a Privacy Policy) of the Guernsey Smile Centre Ltd. It is issued in compliance with the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2017, the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the guidelines issued by the Information Commissioner and the guidelines by our professional regulator.
About our practice
We are the Guernsey Smile Centre Dental Practice operating at La Tourgand House, Lower Pollet, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 1WL (Guernsey Smile Centre Limited, Guernsey Registry Number 69452). Dr Alexander Kottenhahn is responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold. Those at the practice who have access to your information include dentists, hygienists, dental nurses, reception staff and a dedicated IT-contractor.
Information that we hold
We can only keep and use information for specific reasons set out in the law. If we want to keep and use information about your health, we can only do so in particular circumstances.
Contact details
We hold personal information about you including your name, date of birth, States insurance number/GY number, address, telephone number and email address. This information allows us to fulfil our contract with you to provide appointments. We will also use the contact information to send you reminders and recall appointments to ensure your continuing care.
Dental records
We hold information about your dental and general health, including
– Clinical records made by dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment
– X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth, and study models
– Medical and dental histories
– Treatment plans and consent forms
– Notes of conversations with you about your care
– Dates of your appointments
– Details of any complaints you have made and how these complaints were dealt with
– Correspondence with you and other health professionals or institutions.
We collect and use this information to allow us to fulfil our contract with you to inform you about your treatment options and provide dental care that meets your needs. We also use this information for the legitimate interest of ensuring the quality of the treatment we provide.
Financial information
We hold information about the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment details (no credit card details). This information forms part of our contractual obligation to you to provide dental care and allows us to meet legal financial requirements.
How we use your information
To provide you with the dental care and treatment that you need, we require up-to-date and accurate information about you. Where necessary for the funding of your treatment we will share your information with Social Security (The States of Guernsey) or your nominated dental/medical insurance provider in connection with your dental treatment.
We may contact you to follow up treatment or to find out if you are happy with the treatment you received for quality control purposes.
We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your dental care. Our usual methods are telephone, email or letter by post.
Sharing information
Your information is normally used only by those working at the practice but there may be
instances where we need to share it – for example, with:
Your doctor
The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you
Specialist dental or medical services to which we may refer you
The States of Guernsey Social Security Department, if you are claiming exemption or
remission from private dental charges
Dental laboratories
Debt collection agencies
Private dental schemes of which you are a member.
We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information that we share to the minimum necessary. We will let you know in advance if we send your medical information to another medical provider and we will give you the details of that provider at that time.
In certain circumstances or if required by law, we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected with your health care, including law enforcement or government agencies.
Keeping your information safe
We store your personal information securely on our practice computer system (and very few in a manual filing system). Your information cannot be accessed by those who do not work at the practice; only those working at the practice have access to your information. They understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this.
We take precautions to ensure security of the practice premises, the practice filing systems and computers.
We use high-quality specialist dental software to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail and we back-up information routinely. We keep your records for 15 years after the date of your last visit to the practice. At your request, we will delete non essential information (for example some contact details) at anytime before the end of this period.
Access to your information and other rights
You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information; if we pass on a charge, we will explain the reasons.
You can also request us to
Correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change.
Erase some of the information we hold. For legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment). However, we can, if you ask us to, delete some contact details and other non-clinical information.
Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service. Even if you have given us consent to send you marketing information, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
Stop using information if you believe the information is inaccurate or you believe we are using your information illegally.
Supply your information electronically to another dentist.
If we are relying on your consent to use your personal information for a particular purpose, you may withdraw your consent at any time and we will stop using your information for that purpose. All requests should be made by email to Dr Alexander Kottenhahn or the practice manager Zoe Pinchmain at practicemanager@nullguernseysmile.com.
If you do not agree
If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.
If you feel that your personal data has been handled incorrectly or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection regulator – The Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA). You can contact them for advice by writing to:
The Office of the Data Protection Authority, Block A, Lefebvre Court, Lefebvre Street, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2JP, by telephoning (01481) 742074, or by email to info@nullopda.gg.
Your Future Dental Health
There is no doubt that prevention is better than the cure: Whilst dentistry has come a long way in the 21st century, and we benefit from a wide range of modern techniques and materials to restore and save teeth, at the end of the day nothing is as good as “the original”: healthy teeth.
It’s our job to work with you in order to offer the best advice on maintaining your long-term dental health and therefore avoiding or at least minimising any intervention you may need from a dentist.
Your Treatment Options
At the Guernsey Smile Centre we offer a wide range of dental treatments.
- Examinations/consultations
- Specialist consultations and treatment for oral surgery
- Dental hygienist services
- Intraoral and panoramic x-rays
- Fillings
- Root canal treatments
- Crowns and bridges
- Veneers
- Tooth whitening
- Dental implants and implant-borne crowns
- Tooth extractions
- Dentures
You can find out more about these treatments below and on our fee guide.
Should you have any questions about any of the services we offer at the Guernsey Smile Centre, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Fillings: You probably have one or more (and if not, we will do everything to help you keep it that way). If you have one, but you don’t see it or feel it, that’s exactly the kind of filling we do! With modern tooth-coloured filling materials we can achieve the perfect balance between function, stability and appearance.
Root Canal Treatment: When a tooth is damaged deeply either by tooth decay or trauma, it may become necessary to treat the nerve inside this tooth to prevent an infection. Root canal treatment aims to preserve the tooth so that it will not be lost: The treatment usually requires two visits, and the entire process is pain free. At the end of the treatment the root canal (where the nerve used to be) will be sealed with a root filling to prevent the entry of any infection in the future. With great care, the latest techniques and trusted materials we can expect a long-lasting outcome.
Crowns: When the working (chewing) surfaces of a tooth are severely weakened, a fracture can damage the tooth even further. In such case a filling may not be enough to stabilise the remaining substance long term, and a crown or partial crown is required to secure the tooth. Crowns are stronger than our natural tooth substance and prevent further fractures; they are usually made from a porcelain material in an individualised tooth shade and are sculptured to look very natural.
Bridges: For generations a bridge has been the traditional approach to replacing a tooth: As the name implies, it bridges the gap between two teeth with a realistic-looking and functioning tooth (the pontic) which is attached to a crown on the tooth either side. A significant disadvantage of this concept is the relatively invasive treatment (preparation) of these neighbouring teeth, something we can usually avoid by opting for the alternative: an implant.
Veneers: Given the possibilities of modern dental ceramic techniques and materials, a number of cosmetic flaws in our natural teeth can be corrected. Veneers can cover and thereby mask the shape and/or shade of front teeth with minimal invasiveness. Veneers preserve the natural tooth substance to a great extent as they do not require the preparation of the entire tooth as a full crown does.
Tooth Whitening: Tooth shades can vary considerably, and we all want ours to be a bright and healthy shade of white. It is possible to achieve a whiter shade of a natural tooth in a safe and comfortable way by applying an active whitening gel, which the dentist can prescribe. This gel is placed in a custom-made lightweight and transparent mouth tray that fits snugly over your teeth for this gradual home whitening technique. For a kickstart with instant results we can arrange an appointment for a more powerful and monitored whitening process in the surgery, which is then followed by the home whitening system to secure and enhance these immediate whitening results.
Dental implants: Dental implants are one of the great blessings of modern dentistry and allow us to replace a lost tooth without compromising adjacent teeth: They serve as substitutes for the root portion of a lost natural tooth and thereby as an anchor for a tooth replacement. This can be to replace one single or several missing teeth. In many cases a denture can be avoided by placing one or more implants.
Once this artificial root, the titanium implant, has been placed, it takes three to six months for the bone to fully heal and stabilise around the implant. Then it can be loaded with a crown of a natural tooth appearance.
The cost of implant treatment can be rather high, but given the advantages of implants and their superior prognosis over the usual alternatives (bridges or dentures), they usually are still the better deal over the years.
Dental implants are made by a number of manufacturers, and it is important to chose a system that is proven and well established.
Not everyone is suitable for implants, and we will thoroughly assess every case individually to give our patients the best advice. Many of our patients develop a genuine interest in this fascinating part of dental technology and are quite the experts themselves by the time their treatment is completed!
Extractions: We do everything in our power to help you avoid this treatment, but an extraction may become advisable if a tooth is damaged to an extent that puts you at risk. Depending on the position and shape of the tooth this may require surgical techniques and specialist expertise. As a specialist clinic for oral surgery we are best equipped for surgical extractions, including the removal of impacted wisdom teeth. The majority of these procedures are conducted under local anaesthesia, but we also cooperate with the Medical Specialist Group and the Princess Elizabeth Hospital for treatments under general anaesthesia, should this be required.
Dentures: There are many different designs and concepts for dentures should a number of teeth have been lost. What these dentures all have in common is that they are a compromise, and we make it our mission to make this as small a compromise as possible: With high-tech materials and the right dental laboratory to cooperate with us, we achieve an optimum of function, appearance and comfort. Dentures can also be stabilised by implants, which hold attachments to securely click the denture into place.
Your Examination
Your first appointment as a new patient at the Guernsey Smile Centre will usually be an examination. Sometimes radiographs (x-rays) are required and can be taken during the same appointment.
There will be no rush, and we will work to give you a complete view of your current oral health. Should we find any issues that might need to be addressed, we will thoroughly and clearly explain your treatment options.
You can expect to leave your initial consultation with:
- A clear understanding of any dental work you might require
- A written treatment plan which outlines any necessary procedures (and possible alternatives)
- A transparent summary of the costs that would be involved
Afterwards our reception staff will be helpful in finding a time that suits you best for a follow up appointment should one be required.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your first visit – please don’t hesitate to contact us.