Terms Of Service
Salinas Valley Dental Care
1. ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS
These Terms of Service govern your use of the website at salinasvalleydentalcare.com and any related services offered through it (the “Site”), operated by Irving Chao D.D.S. Inc., doing business as Salinas Valley Dental Care (“we,” “us,” “our”).
By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
2. NO DENTAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE
The content on this Site is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not dental or medical advice, and it is not a substitute for examination, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed dental professional.
Reading this Site does not create a dentist-patient relationship. That relationship begins only when you are seen and accepted as a patient of the practice.
If you are experiencing a dental or medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Do not rely on this site or on a web form for urgent care.
3. APPOINTMENT REQUESTS
Any appointment request submitted through the Site is a request only. It is not confirmed until a member of our staff contacts you to confirm the date and time. Please do not treat an unconfirmed request as a scheduled appointment.
4. COMMUNICATIONS
Email and web forms
Email and web form submissions are not secure or encrypted channels. Please do not send detailed health information, insurance identifiers, or other sensitive personal information through them. Call the office instead.
Text messaging
Our text messaging program is governed by our Text Messaging Privacy Policy, available at salinasvalleydentalcare.com/texting-policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. In summary:
• Participation is voluntary and is never a condition of receiving care
• Message frequency varies; message and data rates may apply
• Reply STOP to any message to opt out, or HELP for assistance
• We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile number or messaging information with third parties for their promotional or marketing purposes
Telephone
Calls to and from our practice may be recorded or transcribed for quality assurance and training. Where recording occurs, callers are notified before the recording begins.
5. PRIVACY
Our handling of personal information collected through this Site is described in our Text Messaging Privacy Policy. Our handling of protected health information is described in our Notice of Privacy Practices, available on this Site and at our office.
6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The Site and its contents — text, images, logos, graphics, and design — are owned by Irving Chao D.D.S. Inc. or used under licence, and are protected by copyright and trademark law.
You may view and print pages for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may not copy, republish, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from the Site’s content without our written permission.
7. ACCEPTABLE USE
You agree not to:
• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Site, its servers, or any connected system
• Interfere with or disrupt the Site’s operation
• Upload or transmit malicious code
• Scrape, harvest, or collect information about other users
• Submit false, misleading, or impersonating information
8. THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES
The Site may link to or embed services operated by third parties, including scheduling tools, payment processors, patient communication platforms, and mapping services. We do not control those services and are not responsible for their content, practices, or policies. Your use of a third-party service is governed by that provider’s own terms and privacy policy.
9. ACCESSIBILITY
We aim to keep this Site usable by as many people as possible. If you encounter a barrier to access, please contact the office and we will work to provide the information or service you need by another means.
10. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
The Site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that the information on it is complete, accurate, or current.
11. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Irving Chao D.D.S. Inc., its owners, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of, or inability to use, the Site.
Nothing in this section limits our liability for professional dental services actually rendered, which is governed by applicable law and by the terms of care agreed with you as a patient.
12. INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Irving Chao D.D.S. Inc. and its personnel from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the Site.
13. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date above reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
14. GOVERNING LAW
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Site will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Monterey County, California.
15. SEVERABILITY
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
