Privacy Policy

Simply Orthodontics (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to
protecting it through our compliance with this Privacy Policy (“Policy”).

This Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you visit our website located at soirvine.com and any related pages, features, or content (collectively, the “Site”), and when you interact with us by phone, text message, email, or in
person.

By using the Site or providing information to us, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

1.1 Information You Provide Directly
– Contact information – such as your name, email address, phone number, mailing address.
– Appointment information – preferred dates/times, reason for visit, insurance details, and other scheduling information.
– Account and communication information – if you contact us via forms, chat, SMS, phone, or email, we collect the information you choose to share.
– Employment applications – if you apply for a job, we may collect your resume, work history, and other information you submit.

1.2 Information Related to Dental/Orthodontic Care
In connection with providing orthodontic services, we may collect health-related information as part of your patient record. This information may be protected under federal and state health privacy laws (such as HIPAA in the United States).

When applicable, our use and disclosure of such protected health information (“PHI”) is governed by our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which will be provided to you as a patient and is separate from this Site focused Policy.

1.3 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit or interact with the Site, we may automatically collect certain information,
such as:
– Device and usage information – IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, and the dates/times of access.
– Analytics data – using cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to understand how visitors use our Site.

This information is generally used in aggregated form and does not directly identify you, but it may be linked with other information we hold.

1.4 Cookies and Similar Technologies
We may use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar technologies to:
– Remember your settings and preferences,
– Understand how you use our Site,
– Improve performance and user experience,
– Support marketing and advertising efforts.

You can usually adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable cookies, some features of the Site may not function properly.

2. How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect for the following purposes:

– To provide services – scheduling and managing appointments, sending reminders, coordinating treatment, and communicating with you about your care.
– To operate and improve the Site – including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, and
enhancing the user experience.
– To communicate with you – responding to inquiries, sending administrative messages,
appointment confirmations, updates about our services, and important notices.
– For marketing and outreach – sending information about services, promotions, or events
we think may be of interest, in accordance with applicable law and your communication
preferences.
– To comply with legal obligations – such as regulatory requirements, court orders, legal
processes, or to respond to lawful requests from authorities.
– To protect our rights – detecting, preventing, and responding to fraud, security incidents,
or misuse of our Site or services.

Where required by law, we rely on your consent or other recognized legal bases (such as performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, or our legitimate interests) to process your information.

3. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following
situations:

3.1 Service Providers and Business Partners
We may share information with trusted third parties who perform services on our behalf,
such as:
– Website hosting and maintenance,
– Scheduling and practice management platforms,
– Call answering or messaging platforms (including AI-supported services),
– Payment processors,
– Analytics, marketing, or customer communication tools.

These third parties are allowed to use your information only as needed to provide services for us and are expected to protect it.

3.2 Healthcare Providers and Insurers
For patient care purposes, we may share health-related information with:
– Other dentists, specialists, or healthcare providers involved in your treatment,
– Dental or medical insurance carriers and their agents,
– Laboratories or other vendors that support your treatment.

Such activities may be governed by HIPAA and other applicable healthcare privacy laws

3.3 Legal and Safety Obligations
We may disclose information:
– If required by law or legal process,
– In response to requests by public authorities,
– To protect the safety, rights, or property of our patients, staff, or the public,
– To enforce our policies or defend against legal claims.

3.4 Business Transfers
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, asset sale, or similar transaction,
your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

4. AI, Phone, and Messaging Services
We may use automated and AI-supported systems to help:
– Answer after-hours calls,
– Provide information about our services,
– Assist with scheduling or rescheduling appointments,
– Respond to common questions via website chat or SMS.

These systems may capture and process the content of your calls, messages, and
interactions. We use reasonable safeguards and trusted vendors to help ensure your information is handled securely and in compliance with applicable law. Where required, we
will obtain your consent to use these tools.

Please do not share highly sensitive information (such as full medical history, payment card numbers, or social security numbers) via SMS or online chat unless we specifically request it through a secure form.

4.1 Mobile Information & SMS Text Messaging
If you provide us with a mobile phone number, we may use it to:
– Send appointment confirmations and reminders,
– Respond to your inquiries,
– Provide updates related to your treatment or our services,
– Send other service-related communications consistent with your preferences and applicable law.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. This includes, but is not limited to, your mobile number, consent status, and any text messaging history associated with our practice. Any sharing of mobile information with service providers is solely for the purpose of delivering our services (such as sending appointment reminders) and not for those providers’ own marketing.

We strive to ensure that this Privacy Policy is accessible to end-users and that our practices meet applicable compliance standards for the collection and use of mobile phone numbers for messaging.

5. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, such as:
– Access: Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
– Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
– Deletion: Request that we delete certain personal information, subject to legal and medical record retention obligations.
– Restriction/Objection: Request that we restrict or stop certain processing.
– Communication preferences: Opt out of marketing emails or texts by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages or by contacting us.

Some information, especially health records, may be retained as required by healthcare and record-keeping laws. For access to or questions about your orthodontic treatment records,
please contact our office directly using the information below.

6. Additional Rights for California Residents

If you are a resident of California, you may have additional privacy rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), and other California laws. Subject to certain exceptions, California residents may have the right to:

– Know the categories of personal information we collect, the categories of sources, the purposes for which we use it, and the categories of third parties to whom we disclose it.
– Access specific pieces of personal information that we maintain about you.
– Request deletion of personal information that we collected from you, subject to legal and medical record retention requirements and other exceptions.
– Correct inaccurate personal information that we maintain about you.
– Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information, where applicable.
– Not be discriminated against for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.

We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA.

You or your authorized agent may exercise your California privacy rights by contacting us using the information in the Contact Us section below. We may need to verify your identity
(or the authority of your agent) before fulfilling your request.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information. If you believe your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (for example, dental/medical record retention requirements or legal obligations).

When information is no longer needed, we may delete, anonymize, or aggregate it according to our data retention practices and applicable law.

9. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without appropriate parental or guardian consent.

If you believe a child has provided us with personal information through the Site without proper consent, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

10. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content that are not
operated by Simply Orthodontics. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites or services you visit.

11. International Visitors

Our practice and Site are intended for individuals located in the United States, particularly California. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices,
technologies, or legal requirements.

When we update the Policy, we will revise the “Effective Date” at the top. Your continued use of the Site or our services after an updated Policy is posted means you accept the changes.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or if you would like to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Simply Orthodontics
6246 Irvine Blvd, CA 92620
Phone: (949)264-3314
Email: [email protected]