Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 5th, 2026

This Policy applies to the use, collection, and disclosure of personal information of third parties in Canada by Stars Orthodontics, its affiliates, operators, and representatives (collectively referred to as “Stars Orthodontics”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

The purpose of this Policy is to inform our patients, prospective patients, website visitors, and other individuals we deal with (“you” or “your”) as to how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, as more particularly described under applicable privacy legislation.

1. Personal Information We Collect

Stars Orthodontics collects personal information to deliver orthodontic, dental, and related services to our patients and prospective patients. We collect this information directly from you, from authorized individuals acting on your behalf, through our website, and during other professional interactions with our clinic.

Personal information we collect includes:

Contact and Identity Information: Name, home and email address, telephone number, date of birth, and emergency contact details;
Financial and Billing Information: Insurance coverage details, credit card numbers, payment history, and other financial data necessary for processing payments;
Demographic Data: Age, gender, and other relevant demographic information;
Inquiries and Feedback: Information regarding your preferences, questions, and feedback on our orthodontic care and clinic services; and
Other Information: Such other information we may collect with your consent, or as required or permitted by law.

If you are a patient, we may also collect “personal health information” (a sub-category of personal information, as defined and described under applicable privacy legislation) directly from you or from the person acting on your behalf in order to provide orthodontic and dental services. Occasionally, we may also collect personal information about patients from other sources, such as a referring dentist or insurance company, if we have obtained the patient’s consent to do so or if the law permits.

2. Use of Personal Information

Stars Orthodontics generally uses personal information for the following purposes:

Clinical Care and Communication

To deliver orthodontic and dental care to patients, including health assessments and treatment planning;
To respond to your specific inquiries or concerns;
To establish and maintain communication with patients and prospective patients, including booking appointments, following up on care, and distributing health information;
To communicate with other healthcare providers, including referring specialists and general dentists;

Clinic Administration and Billing

To complete and submit orthodontic and health service claims for third-party adjudication, pre-approval, and payment;
To manage patient accounts, including invoicing, processing credit card payments, and collecting unpaid accounts;
To analyze, develop, and improve our clinical and administrative operations, including the use of aggregate data to better understand our patient base;

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

To comply with dental regulatory requirements, including the delivery of patient charts and records to the relevant dental regulatory college when required;
To maintain business records for reasonable periods, and generally manage and administer our business, including defending and bringing legal actions;
To meet legal, regulatory, insurance, security, and processing requirements; and
Otherwise with your consent, or as required or permitted by law.

Stars Orthodontics may use personal information for additional purposes that may be identified at or before the time that the information is collected, or as required or permitted by law. Stars Orthodontics will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, or as required or permitted by law.

3. Disclosure of Your Personal Information

Stars Orthodontics clinic, operated by Dr. Sharaf, may share your personal information with our practice management software provider, Cloud9 DDS, which we use to manage practice administration, billing and collection, record management, marketing and other practice management support services for Stars Orthodontics, as well as with other non-affiliated service providers. Sharing of personal information with these service providers is strictly for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Stars Orthodontics may also disclose personal information:

to other health care providers, insurance carriers, third party collection agencies and regulatory authorities to deliver dental and orthodontic services, ensure patient safety and appropriate treatment, process and submit claims for reimbursement or payment, and comply with health regulatory requirements;
to our affiliates (including outside of Canada) for internal audit, management, billing or administrative purposes including defending and bringing legal actions;
to legal, financial, insurance and other advisors in connection with the sale, reorganization or management of all or part of its business or operations;
as consented to by an individual from time to time, including to fulfill any other purposes that are identified when the personal information is collected; and
as necessary to meet other legal, regulatory, insurance, audit and security requirements, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Stars Orthodontics will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with an individual’s consent or as required or permitted by law.

Stars Orthodontics may transfer personal information to outside agents or service providers, including affiliates of Stars Orthodontics acting in this capacity, that perform services on our behalf, for example information technology services, data hosting/processing, business analysis, or similar services, or otherwise to collect, use, disclose, store or process personal information on our behalf for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Some of these service providers or affiliates may be located outside of Canada, including in the United States, and your personal information may be collected, used, disclosed, stored and processed in the United States or elsewhere outside of Canada for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and will become subject to legal requirements of these jurisdictions, for example lawful requirements to disclose personal information to government authorities in those countries.

4. Our Website

Stars Orthodontics collects certain information automatically through our website, which is hosted and managed by Wix. We use Wix to collect information such as the IP address associated with the computer or device you used to access our website, the dates and times of access, how long you stayed on a certain page, the type of operating system your computer or device has, the search term you entered or link you clicked to bring you to our website, and the websites you went to when you left our website. We also use third-party analytics tools (including those provided by Wix) and targeted advertising to help us measure website traffic and usage trends. This information is used to administer our website, track user movements, and gather demographic information for internal use such as statistical assessments, website improvement and improving user experience.

We also use cookies to remember information about your activities and preferences on our website. We use this information to make your visits more enjoyable and valuable to you by providing a customized experience and recognizing your preferences when you visit our website. Cookies are small bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may configure your browser settings to block cookies or to notify you when a cookie is set. If you’ve chosen to block cookies, some of the functionality of our website may be lost.

We have included links on this website to third party sites, including third party social media sites, for your use and reference. These third party sites are not subject to this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for, and have no control over, the personal information handling practices of these websites.

5. Your Consent

Consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be given in various ways. Consent can be express (for example, orally, electronically, or on a signed form describing the intended uses) or implied (for example, when you provide information necessary for a requested service). Consent may also be given by your authorized representative (such as a legal guardian or a person having a power of attorney). Generally, by providing us with personal information, we will assume that you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of such information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or otherwise at the time of collection. Because many of our orthodontic patients are minors, we generally require the consent of a parent or legal guardian to collect, use, and disclose the personal health information of a child, except as required or permitted by law.

You may withdraw your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of personal information at any time, subject to contractual and legal restrictions and reasonable notice. Note that if you withdraw your consent to certain uses of your personal information, we may no longer be able to provide certain of our products or services. Note also that Your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information is intended to be ongoing and continuous. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to contractual and legal restrictions and reasonable notice. Note that if you withdraw your consent to certain uses of your personal information, we may no longer be able to provide certain orthodontic or dental services to you. Furthermore, where we have provided services to you, you may not be permitted to withdraw consent for certain necessary business and legal purposes. These include, but are not limited to, maintaining reasonable patient and business records, fulfilling disclosures to government entities as required by law, and reporting on credit information after credit has been granted.

Stars Orthodontics collects, uses, and discloses your personal information with your consent, except as permitted or required by law. We may be required or permitted under statute or regulation to collect, use, or disclose personal information without your consent. Examples include complying with a court order, complying with local or federal regulations or a legally permitted inquiry by a government agency, or to collect a debt owed to us.

6. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information using physical, electronic, and administrative security measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information in our custody or control. These measures include safeguards to protect against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. Authorized employees of Stars Orthodontics who require access to your personal information in order to fulfill their job requirements will have access to your personal information.

However, we would caution you that providing personal information will always contain some risk, and internet communications are vulnerable to interception, use, or alteration by persons other than the intended recipient. While Stars Orthodontics has implemented safeguards to reduce this risk, internet transmissions to and from our clinic are still vulnerable. A data breach or other unintentional disclosure of personal information may result in significant harm. If you choose to communicate personal information with us via the internet, you do so at your sole risk.

Access, Correction and Contacting Us

An individual may contact the Privacy Officer using the contact information provided below to modify or correct any of his or her personal information or to request access to that information. An individual may also direct a written complaint regarding compliance with this Privacy Policy to the Privacy Officer. Your right to access or correct your personal information is subject to applicable legal restrictions and we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact the Privacy Officer as follows:

Dr. Khaled A. Sharaf

239B Argyle Ave

Ottawa, ON K2P 1B8

info@starsortho.ca

If you are dissatisfied with the manner in which we have addressed your request for access or correction, or if you have general concerns about our privacy practices, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).

This Privacy Policy may be revised from time to time. If you are concerned about how your personal information is used, you should contact us as described above or checking at our website periodically at https://www.starsortho.ca to obtain a current copy of this Policy. Your continued provision of Personal Information or use of our services following any changes to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of any such changes.