A Hamilton man is searching for a new dentist after he says an attempt to help a hygienist use a touch screen ended with him being accused of "hacking."

Shawn Des Jardins said he's been going to Jackson Square Dental Centre for more than a decade and recently scheduled an appointment for a tooth extraction.

As he sat in the chair waiting for staff to view his X-rays, Des Jardins said he noticed them struggling to activate a touch screen.

When they left the room in search of a keyboard or someone who knew how to use it, Des Jardins figured he'd try to lend a hand.

He tried touching the screen just once, instead of repeatedly pressing it, and said it immediately offered him the option of entering a password.

Des Jardins called to the staff members, explaining what happened and asking for the password so the screen would stay open.

A staff member told him what to type in and he managed to log into the centre's patient system, he said.

Des Jardins then tried to search for his name, but said he wasn't met with any results because the dental centre spelled his last name as one word, not two.

When the staff members came back into the room, the patient said they thanked him for figuring the screen out and proceeded to take out the troublesome tooth.

That night, when Des Jardins was home, he messaged the centre on Facebook to explain what happened, including the issues with the screen and suggesting staff be better trained on their equipment and patient privacy.

"If me as a patient can get into the dental records of many patients [it's] not a good thing," he wrote in a series of messages CBC viewed.

Des Jardins maintains he did not search for or see any other patient's information while trying to look up his own name in the system.

"Hi Shawn, thank you for making us aware of this. It is greatly appreciated," reads a response from the centre's account, before asking how he's feeling after the extraction.

The exchange ends with Des Jardins complimenting the dentist.

"Doctor was very empathetic," he wrote. "I am happy with the outcome."

'Tantamount to Hacking'

Des Jardins thought that was the end of it, but then he received a message in the mail on the centre's letterhead.

"Our goal at the Jackson Square Dental Centre is to have successful Dentist/Patient ... relationship which is based on confidence, respect and trust," it reads.

"It is with regret that we have to advise you that your actions in our office on January 23rd 2020 were inappropriate and tantamount to 'Hacking.' Therefore we are of the view that you will be better served by another practitioner."

The letter, dated the 27th, is signed by a Ms Zhivko, but a woman who answered the phone at the centre said no one by that name worked there.

Following repeated calls and emails by CBC to the dental centre asking for their take on the letter and what led up to it, a manager named Jody briefly answered the phone.

"We have nothing to say so please do not contact us again," she said, hanging up as a reporter tried to ask a question.

Des Jardins said his call for an explanation also ended with someone hanging up.

'I was amazed they called me a hacker'

He added he doesn't have any specialized training or expertise around computers that could qualify him as a hacker.

The Hamilton man is stumped by the centre's response.

"I was amazed they called me a hacker," he said.

"I think their staff should be in trouble for giving someone a password. It's not like I forced it out or tricked it out. I just asked … and they gave me a password."

Des Jardins said like most people he doesn't love going to the dentist, but now he's wondering if the letter could mean his search for a new dental healthcare centre will be even more difficult.

"I don't know. Am I on a dentist black list now?" he asked with a laugh.