A Kirkland, Washington dental practice has confirmed that the personal and protected health information of nearly 21,000 patients may have been exposed in a cybersecurity incident. If you received a notification letter from Bridle Trails Family Dentistry, here is what happened, what was exposed, and what steps you can take to protect yourself.<\/p>\n
Bridle Trails Family Dentistry, a general and family dental practice serving the Kirkland and Bellevue areas, notified 20,976 current and former patients<\/strong> of a data security incident involving an employee email account.<\/p>\n According to the practice’s official notice, an unauthorized individual accessed an employee’s email account between November 19 and November 25, 2024<\/strong>. The practice launched an investigation, and on March 12, 2026<\/strong>, confirmed that the compromised account contained a limited amount of personal and health information.<\/p>\n Notification letters to affected individuals were dated April 10, 2026<\/strong>. The incident was reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights on May 14, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n At the time notices were issued, Bridle Trails Family Dentistry said it was not aware of any misuse of patient data tied to the incident, and stated it has taken steps to safeguard the information in its possession.<\/p>\n The data involved varied from person to person, but according to the breach notice it may have included:<\/p>\nWhat Information Was Exposed?<\/h2>\n