Patient Privacy Notice
Treetops Dental Practice | How we use your personal information | October 2026
This notice explains how Treetops Dental Practice uses your personal information when you are our patient. If anything isn’t clear, please ask at reception and we’ll be happy to explain.
Who we are
Treetops Dental Practice is run by Treetops Dental Practice Limited (company number 06694553), which also runs Norwich Dental Implant Centre from the same premises. Treetops Dental Practice Limited is owned by Norwich Dental Implant Centre Limited (company number 06694555).
The two companies are jointly responsible for your information as “joint data controllers”. You can contact either of them through the practice, and we will deal with your request whichever company you contact.
We are part of DV Dental Group, a group of five dental practices across Norfolk under the same ownership: Treetops Dental Practice, Norwich Dental Implant Centre, Golden Triangle Dental Practice, Grovefield Dental Surgery and North Norfolk Dental Implant Centre. Each practice is its own business. The group’s back-office company, De Villiers Group Limited (company number 17149733), provides shared services such as marketing to each practice, on that practice’s behalf.
Our Data Protection Lead is Dr Robbie de Villiers. You’ll find contact details at the end of this notice.
What information we hold
- your name, address, date of birth, phone number and email address
- your medical history, medicines and any allergies
- your dental records, including notes, X-rays, scans, photographs, models or digital scans of your teeth, treatment plans and consent forms
- details of appointments, payments, deposits and any dental plan, such as Denplan
- details of your next of kin, emergency contact, or parent or guardian
- letters and reports to and from other dentists, doctors and hospitals
- anything you tell us when you contact us, including complaints
- recordings of your appointment conversation, if your dentist uses AI note-taking (see below)
- video, and sometimes sound, recorded by the video doorbell at our entrance when you visit
Information about your health has extra protection in law. Only staff who need it for their job can see it.
Why we use it
Data protection law says we need a legal reason (a “lawful basis”) for each way we use your information. The table below sets out what we do and why we are allowed to do it.
| What we do | Our lawful basis |
| Assess, plan and provide your dental care, including referrals | For NHS care, our public task. For private care, our contract with you. For health information, providing health care. |
| Book appointments, send reminders and invite you for check-ups and hygiene visits | As above. These messages are part of your care. |
| Take payments and deposits, and manage dental plans | Our contract with you |
| Keep accurate records and meet NHS, CQC, GDC and other legal duties | Legal obligation |
| Check the quality and safety of our care, for example through audits, training and investigating incidents or complaints | Our legitimate interests in running a safe practice, and providing health care |
| Protect children and vulnerable adults, or prevent serious harm or crime | Legal obligation, or a recognised legitimate interest such as safeguarding |
| Deal with insurance and legal claims | Our legitimate interests, and making or defending legal claims |
| Use AI note-taking to help your dentist write your clinical notes | Providing health care, and our public task or contract with you |
| Share relevant information with other DV Dental Group practices when there is a genuine need, such as your care, staff cover, complaints, audits and running the practices | Providing health care, and our legitimate interests in running our practices safely and efficiently as a group |
| Record who comes to our door on our video doorbell | Our legitimate interests in keeping patients, staff and the building safe and secure |
| Send you news and offers about our own services | Our legitimate interests. You can opt out at any time |
Agreeing to dental treatment is not the same as agreeing to us using your data. We don’t need your consent to keep records of your care, but we always ask for it before showing your photographs publicly.
Who we share it with
We only share what is needed, and only when there is a good reason. This may include:
- other dentists, specialists, doctors and hospitals involved in your care
- dental laboratories that make crowns, dentures, aligners, implant parts and similar items. We only send what they need, such as your name, scans or impressions, and the dentist’s instructions
- NHS organisations, if you have NHS treatment. For example, we send treatment details to the NHS Business Services Authority so we can be paid, and they may check claims or ask you about your care
- Denplan or another dental plan provider, and insurers if you are making a claim
- companies that provide services to us, such as our patient records and appointment systems, IT support, email and text-message services and payment providers. They can only use your information on our instructions, under a written contract
- regulators and authorities where the law requires it, such as the CQC, the General Dental Council, safeguarding teams, the police or a court
- our professional advisers and indemnity providers if there is a complaint or claim
We never sell your information. We don’t share it for research or NHS planning. If that ever changes, we will apply the NHS national data opt-out.
Sharing within DV Dental Group
Our practices work together. Some dentists and staff work at more than one practice, and some managers support all of them. When there is a genuine need, such as your care, a referral, covering staff absence, handling a complaint, clinical audits or managing the practices, authorised people from other DV Dental Group practices may see the parts of your record they need. Our practices have an agreement in place that sets out how this sharing works. Access depends on their job role and is recorded on our systems. We won’t use this to market other practices to you.
Contacting you
We will contact you by phone, text, email or post about your appointments, check-up and hygiene reminders, treatment and payments. These messages are part of your care, so they are not marketing. If you would prefer a particular method, just let us know.
We may also send you news and offers by email or text about services at Treetops Dental Practice and Norwich Dental Implant Centre, such as treatments, appointment availability, dental plans like Denplan, and practice updates. Our marketing is sent by us, by DV Dental Group’s back-office company De Villiers Group Limited, or by a marketing company we contract to act on our behalf. We will only send you news from other DV Dental Group practices if you tell us you’d like it, and we never pass your details to other companies for their own marketing.
You can opt out of emails, texts or both at any time by contacting the practice, or by using the unsubscribe link or instructions in any message. Opting out won’t affect your care or your appointment messages.
Children, and people acting for someone else
When we treat a child, we also hold information about their parent or guardian. Young people who understand their treatment can make their own decisions and can ask us to keep things confidential. We will respect this whenever it is safe to do so.
If someone asks to see another person’s records or act for them, we will check they have the right to before we share anything.
Photographs, testimonials and reviews
Clinical photographs are part of your records. We will only use a photo that could identify you, or your story, on our website, on social media or in adverts if you have given us written permission. You can say no or change your mind at any time. It won’t affect your care.
If you leave us a review, we will never discuss your treatment, or confirm you are a patient, in a public reply.
AI note-taking
Some of our dentists use AI note-taking software during appointments. With the software switched on, it records the conversation between you and the dental team and uses it to draft your clinical notes. This means your dentist can focus on you rather than typing, and helps keep your notes complete and accurate.
Your dentist always checks and corrects the draft before it is saved to your record. The recording is deleted once the note has been completed. The software provider can only use your information on our instructions, under a written contract, and must keep it secure.
Your dentist will let you know when the software is being used. If you would rather it wasn’t used during your appointment, just say so. Your dentist will write your notes in the usual way, and it won’t affect your care.
Video doorbells
We use video doorbells at our entrance so we can see who is at the door and keep the building secure. They record video, and may record sound, when someone comes to the door. A sign at the entrance tells you this.
Recordings are stored securely by the doorbell provider on our behalf. Only authorised staff can view them, and we only look at them if there is a reason to, such as a security incident. We don’t use them to monitor patients or staff. You can ask for a copy of a recording of you, in the same way as any other information.
How long we keep it
| Type of record | How long we keep it |
| Dental records, including X-rays, scans, photographs and models of your teeth | Adults: 11 years after your last treatment. Children: until your 25th birthday, or 11 years after your last treatment if that is later. |
| Payment and accounting records | 6 years after the end of the financial year |
| Complaints | 10 years after the complaint is closed |
| Recordings from AI note-taking | Deleted once your dentist has completed your clinical note |
| Video doorbell recordings | 30 days, unless we need a recording to deal with an incident |
After that, we securely delete or destroy it. We may keep records for longer if there is an ongoing complaint, claim or investigation.
Keeping it safe
Your records are kept on secure, password-protected systems, and access depends on each person’s job. Our team is trained in confidentiality and data protection and follows the General Dental Council’s professional standards. If any of our suppliers handle information outside the UK, we make sure the safeguards required by UK law are in place.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- get a copy of the information we hold about you, including your dental records. This is usually free
- ask us to correct anything that is wrong. We can’t delete an accurate clinical note, but we can add your comments to it
- ask us to delete your information, limit how we use it, or object to how we use it. We will usually still need to keep dental records for the periods set out in this notice
- ask us to send information you have given us to another organisation
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it
- tell us to stop marketing to you at any time
To make a request, contact the practice. You can ask in writing, by email or in person. We may need to check your identity first. We will reply within one month. If your request is complicated we may need up to two more months, and we will let you know if so.
Concerns and complaints
If you’re unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and keep you updated while we look into it.
If you’re still not happy, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113.
If you have a complaint about your dental care, please use our practice complaints procedure. You can get a copy from reception. It also explains who else you can go to.
Contact us
| Data Protection Lead | Dr Robbie de Villiers |
| Write to | Dr Robbie de Villiers, Treetops Dental Practice, Suite 1, 11 Pottergate, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1DS |
| Phone | 01603 660090 |
| info@treetopsdental.com | |
| Data Protection Officer | Alexa de Villiers, alexa.devilliers@dvdental.co.uk, or write to her at the practice address |
Changes to this notice
We review this notice at least once a year. You can find the latest version on our website or ask for a copy at reception. Last updated: October 2026.