Privacy Policy
Introduction
Aqua Dentistry is committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals who visit our website, contact our office, or interact with us in any way. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and what choices you have regarding your information. Please read this policy carefully.
This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through our website at https://www.aquadentistrysj.com and through other interactions with our practice. It does not apply to information collected in the context of your clinical care, which is governed by our separate Notice of Privacy Practices in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Where this policy describes cookies and similar tracking technologies, non-essential tracking technologies are disabled by default and are used only if you affirmatively opt in through the consent banner presented when you first visit our website. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time as described in the “Cookies and Tracking Technologies” section below.
Any health-related information submitted through our website is not considered protected health information (PHI) unless submitted through a secure, HIPAA-compliant channel.
Information We Collect
We collect two types of information: information you provide to us voluntarily, and information collected automatically when you use our website.
Information You Provide
We may collect personally identifiable information when you fill out a contact form, request an appointment, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a review, or otherwise communicate with us. This may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and any other information you choose to provide. If you are an existing patient communicating with us through our patient portal, additional protections apply as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies, but only in accordance with your consent choices as described in the “Cookies and Tracking Technologies” section below. Depending on the categories you enable, this may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring website, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and other browsing behavior. This information is used in aggregate to help us understand how visitors use our site and to improve the user experience.
Phone Calls and Call Recording
We may use call tracking technologies in connection with phone communications to better understand how users find and interact with our practice. Calls to our office may be recorded for quality assurance, training, and analytics purposes. If a call may be recorded, you will be notified at or near the beginning of the call before any recording of the conversation occurs. If you do not wish to be recorded, please tell the person assisting you, and we will accommodate your request or offer an alternative way to communicate with us.
Information collected in connection with call tracking may include your phone number, the number you dialed, call duration, and, where you have been notified and permitted the recording to proceed, call content. Our call tracking provider is CallRail.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies (small text files placed on your device) and similar technologies such as pixels, tags, and scripts. These technologies fall into the following categories:
- Strictly necessary. These are required for the website to function, for example, security features, load balancing, and remembering your cookie consent choices. They do not require your consent and cannot be switched off through the consent banner.
- Analytics. Tools such as Google Analytics 4 help us understand, in aggregate, how visitors use our website, which pages are visited, how long visitors stay, and how they arrived at our site. These tools are loaded only after you consent.
- Session replay. Tools such as Microsoft Clarity may record how visitors interact with our website, including clicks, scrolling, mouse movement, and pages visited, to help us identify usability problems and improve the site. Text you type into forms is masked and is not captured by these tools. Session replay tools are loaded only after you consent.
You may change or withdraw your consent at any time by selecting the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our website. Withdrawing consent stops future collection through non-essential technologies but does not affect information collected while your consent was in effect. You may also configure your browser to refuse cookies, although some features of our website may not function properly if strictly necessary cookies are disabled.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes: to respond to your inquiries and appointment requests, to communicate with you about our services, to send appointment reminders or follow-up communications where you have consented, to improve our website content and user experience, to comply with legal obligations, and to protect the security and integrity of our website and practice.
We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling in ways that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.
If you provide your phone number through our website or other communications, you expressly consent to receive text messages from us, including appointment reminders, service updates, and other relevant communications, where permitted by applicable law. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. For assistance, reply HELP or contact our office directly.
How We Share Your Information
Aqua Dentistry does not sell your personal information for money.
We may share your information with trusted third-party vendors and service providers, including but not limited to analytics providers, call tracking platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, appointment scheduling tools, and marketing service providers who assist us in operating our website, managing communications, or conducting our business. These parties are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and to use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.
We do not share, sell, or disclose your mobile phone number or SMS consent information to third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional purposes.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities, including courts, law enforcement agencies, and government regulators.
Business Transfers
In the event that Aqua Dentistry is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or other business transition, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Protection of Rights
We may disclose your information when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Aqua Dentistry, our patients, or others.
How We Protect Your Information
Aqua Dentistry takes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. Our website uses encryption (HTTPS/TLS) for data transmitted between your browser and our servers. Access to personal information within our organization is limited to staff members who need it to carry out their responsibilities.
While we take these precautions seriously, no method of transmission over the internet and no method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage you to take care when sharing personal information online.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, or other online services that are not operated by Aqua Dentistry. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We have no control over and accept no responsibility for the privacy practices of any third-party site. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of every website you visit.
Social Media and Online Reviews
Aqua Dentistry may maintain a presence on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Yelp. If you interact with us through those platforms, your interactions are subject to the privacy policies of those platforms, not this policy. We encourage you to review the privacy settings and policies of any social media platform you use.
If you submit a review of our practice through a third-party platform such as Google or Yelp, that review is subject to the terms of the relevant platform. We may reference or respond to public reviews, but will not include any information in our response that you have not already made public.
Children’s Privacy
Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child, please contact us at (408) 625-7454.
Your Choices and Rights
You have the following rights with respect to the personal information we hold about you.
Access and Correction
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct any inaccuracies.
Deletion
You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal obligations that may require us to retain it.
Withdrawing Tracking Consent
You may withdraw or modify your consent to non-essential cookies and tracking technologies at any time via the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our website.
Opt Out of Communications
You may opt out of receiving marketing or promotional communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in any email we send or by contacting us directly at (408) 625-7454. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you with important information related to your care or account.
Opt-Out Preference Signals (Global Privacy Control)
Because we do not sell or share personal information as defined by applicable law, opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control do not change how our website operates, and non-essential tracking remains off unless you opt in. Our website does not respond to older “Do Not Track” browser signals, for which no common industry standard was adopted.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact us using the information at the end of this policy. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
State Privacy Rights
Depending on the state in which you reside, you may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws regarding the personal information we collect about you. These rights may include the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, the right to request deletion of your personal information, the right to correct inaccurate personal information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information or of targeted advertising, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.
California Residents
If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA), including the rights to know, access, correct, and delete personal information; the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information; the right to limit the use of sensitive personal information; and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights. We do not sell personal information for money. Non-essential tracking technologies on our website, including analytics technologies, operate only with your prior consent, and you may withdraw that consent at any time through the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our website.
To submit a request or to learn more about the privacy rights available to you under the laws of your state, please contact us at (408) 625-7454. We will respond to all verified requests in accordance with applicable law and within the timeframe required by the laws of your state.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
Aqua Dentistry reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page and, where changes materially affect how tracking technologies are used, we will refresh the consent banner so you can review your choices. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Aqua Dentistry 373 Meridian Avenue, Suite A San Jose, CA 95126
Phone: (408) 625-7454 Website: https://www.aquadentistrysj.com