COOKIES POLICY

Last Updated: February 27, 2025

INTRODUCTION

This Cookies Policy explains what cookies are, how Smile Society Orthodontics LTD (“SSO,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) uses them on our website (www.smilesocietyortho.com), mobile application, and related services (collectively, the “Service”), and your choices regarding their use.

By using our Service, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy. This Cookies Policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, which provide additional information about how we process your personal data.

1. INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS

1.1 Interpretation

Words with an initial capital letter have specific meanings defined in this section. These definitions apply whether the terms appear in singular or plural form.

1.2 Definitions

For the purposes of this Cookies Policy:

Company / SSO: Smile Society Orthodontics LTD, located at 1328 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622.
Cookies: Small text files placed on your computer, mobile device, or any other device by a website that store information such as details of your browsing history on that site.
Website: Smile Society Orthodontics, accessible from www.smilesocietyortho.com.
Application: The mobile application provided by Smile Society Orthodontics, available on iOS and Android platforms.
Service: The Website, Application, and any related services provided by SSO, including patient and referring doctor portals.
User / You: The individual or legal entity accessing or using our Service.
Tracking Technologies: Technologies such as cookies, web beacons, tags, pixels, scripts, and similar technologies that collect information about your use of our Service.
First-Party Cookies: Cookies that are placed by SSO directly.
Third-Party Cookies: Cookies that are placed by domains other than our Website or Application.
Essential Cookies: Cookies that are necessary for the functioning of our Service.
Preference Cookies: Cookies that remember your choices and preferences.
Analytics Cookies: Cookies that collect information about how you use our Service.
Marketing Cookies: Cookies that track your browsing habits to deliver targeted advertising.

2. WHAT ARE COOKIES?

2.1 Definition and Function

Cookies are small text files placed on your device (such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit our Service. They help us recognize your device, remember your preferences, and improve your overall experience.

Cookies contain various pieces of information, such as:

A unique identifier assigned to your device
Information about your browser and operating system
The date and time of your visit
How you navigate through our Website or Application
Your preferences and settings

2.2 Related Tracking Technologies

In addition to cookies, we may also use similar tracking technologies such as:

Web Beacons: Small transparent image files used to track your movements on our Service.
Pixels: Tiny code snippets on a webpage or in an email that collect information about your engagement with our content.
Tags: Snippets of code that track user activity and collect information about page visits.
Scripts: Pieces of code that execute when you visit our Service to enhance functionality.
Local Storage Objects: Similar to cookies but with larger storage capacity and stored in a different location on your device.

2.3 Cookies and Personal Data

Cookies do not typically contain personal information; however, any personal data you provide may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies. For detailed information about how we handle your personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

3. HOW WE USE COOKIES

We use cookies for several legitimate purposes, including:

3.1 Essential Functions

Enable secure logins to patient and referring doctor portals
Maintain your authenticated session while using our Service
Remember items in appointment scheduling or shopping carts
Implement security features to protect user accounts and health data
Support functionality required for the Service to operate properly

3.2 User Experience Enhancement

Remember your preferences (such as login details, language settings, or appointment reminders)
Store your consent choices regarding cookie usage
Customize the interface based on your device
Provide a personalized experience based on your previous interactions
Support accessibility features and settings

3.3 Analytics and Performance Improvement

Collect anonymized data on how users interact with our Service
Monitor and analyze traffic patterns and user behavior
Identify and resolve technical issues
Measure the effectiveness of our content and features
Generate statistics to help improve our Service

3.4 Marketing and Communications

Deliver relevant content and recommendations
Track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
Show you tailored advertisements (with your consent)
Improve our messaging based on user engagement
Support social media integration when used

3.5 Healthcare-Specific Purposes

Facilitate appointment scheduling and reminders
Support patient portal functionality
Enable secure messaging between patients and providers
Track treatment progress (through authenticated portals only)

Note: We do not use cookies to collect sensitive health information. Such data is handled separately under strict HIPAA compliance and is only collected through secure, authenticated channels with appropriate consent.

4. TYPES OF COOKIES WE USE

We use both session cookies and persistent cookies, as well as first-party and third-party cookies:

4.1 Session Cookies

Definition: These cookies are temporary and are deleted from your device once you close your web browser.

Purpose: They are essential for providing services available through our Service, such as:

Authenticating users during a browsing session
Securing portal access
Maintaining state information during your visit
Supporting form submissions and multi-step processes
Preventing cross-site request forgery

4.2 Persistent Cookies

Definition: These cookies remain on your device until they expire or are manually deleted.

Purpose: They help us:

Remember choices you make (e.g., login details, language preferences)
Recognize returning visitors
Analyze user behavior over time
Provide a more personalized experience
Improve our Service based on historical usage patterns

Duration: Persistent cookies vary in length from a few days to several months, depending on their specific purpose. We regularly review and limit cookie duration to the minimum necessary time.

4.3 First-Party Cookies

These are cookies that are set by our Website or Application directly and are necessary for the functioning of our Service or to enhance your experience.

4.4 Third-Party Cookies

These are cookies placed on your device by our trusted partners when you use our Service. They may be used for analytics, marketing, or functionality purposes.

4.5 Functional Categories

Based on their purpose, we categorize cookies as follows:

4.5.1 Essential/Necessary Cookies

Purpose: These cookies are strictly necessary for the functioning of our Website and Application. They enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility.
Opt-Out Possibility: These cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for the Service to operate properly.
Examples: Authentication cookies, load balancing cookies, security cookies.

4.5.2 Preference/Functionality Cookies

Purpose: These store your settings and preferences to provide a tailored experience each time you visit.
Data Collected: Language preferences, font size, layout preferences, previously viewed pages.
Examples: Language preference cookies, theme selection cookies.

4.5.3 Analytics/Performance Cookies

Purpose: Administered by us or trusted third parties (e.g., Google Analytics), these cookies collect anonymized data about your interaction with the Service.
Data Collected: Pages visited, time spent, click patterns, scrolling behavior, device information.
How We Use This Data: To analyze usage patterns, identify popular content, optimize site performance, and improve user experience.
Examples: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, internal analytics cookies.

4.5.4 Marketing/Advertising Cookies

Purpose: These cookies track your browsing habits across websites to deliver targeted advertising.
Data Collected: Browsing history, interests, demographic information.
Third-Party Providers: Google Ads, Facebook Pixel.
Note: We only use these cookies with your explicit consent.

4.5.5 Third-Party Service Provider Cookies

We work with trusted partners who may also place cookies on your device, including:

Payment Processors: Stripe, Affirm, Clover
Analytics Providers: Google Analytics, Mixpanel
Customer Support Tools: Zendesk, Intercom
Marketing Platforms: Mailchimp, HubSpot
Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (when social sharing features are used)

These third parties are bound by confidentiality agreements and comply with applicable privacy laws. They do not use cookies to access or collect sensitive health data.

5. COOKIE INVENTORY

The table below lists the primary cookies used on our Service:

Cookie Name	Type	Purpose	Duration	Provider
sso_session	Essential	Authentication	Session	SSO
sso_remember	Preference	Remember login status	30 days	SSO
sso_lang	Preference	Store language preference	1 year	SSO
sso_consent	Essential	Store cookie consent	1 year	SSO
_ga	Analytics	Track user behavior (anonymized)	2 years	Google Analytics
_gid	Analytics	Track user behavior (anonymized)	24 hours	Google Analytics
_fbp	Marketing	Track conversions from Facebook ads	3 months	Facebook
_stripe_mid	Essential	Payment processing	Session	Stripe

This is not an exhaustive list, and we may update our cookies from time to time. For a complete and current list of cookies used on our Service, please contact us using the information provided in Section 9.

6. YOUR CHOICES REGARDING COOKIES

You have several options to control or limit how we and our partners use cookies and similar technologies:

6.1 Cookie Consent Tool

When you first visit our Service, you will be presented with a cookie banner that allows you to:

Accept all cookies
Reject non-essential cookies
Customize your cookie preferences
Access more information about our cookie practices

You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our Website.

6.2 Browser Settings

You can choose to refuse all cookies or to receive a notification when a cookie is set by adjusting your browser settings. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

For guidance on how to delete or refuse cookies, please refer to your browser’s help pages:

Note: Disabling necessary cookies may result in some features of the Service not functioning properly, including secure login to patient portals.

6.3 Mobile Application Settings

For our mobile Application:

Adjust tracking permissions (e.g., location or camera access) through your device settings
iOS: Settings > Privacy > Tracking > Toggle off “Allow Apps to Request to Track”
Android: Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Ads > Opt out of personalized advertising

6.4 Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

For third-party cookies, you can use the following opt-out tools:

6.5 Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers transmit “Do Not Track” signals. We make commercially reasonable efforts to honor these signals where technically feasible.

7. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our Service is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through cookies or other tracking technologies without verifiable parental consent.

For users under 18:

Parental consent may be required for data collection, including through the use of cookies, in compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Parents/guardians have the right to review information collected from their child and request deletion.
Parents/guardians can adjust cookie settings on behalf of their children.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided data without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately using the contact information in Section 9.

8. CHANGES TO THIS COOKIES POLICY

We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect:

Changes in our cookie practices
New technologies or third-party services
Legal or regulatory requirements
Feedback from our users

When we make significant changes, we will notify you by:

Displaying a prominent notice on our Website or Application
Sending an email to registered users
Requiring renewed consent for cookie usage
Updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about our cookie practices and how you can protect your privacy.

9. CONTACT US

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookies Policy or our cookie practices, please contact us through any of the following channels:

Email: privacy@SmileSocietyOrtho.com
Phone: (773) 455-4776
Mail: Privacy Officer
Smile Society Orthodontics LTD
1328 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
Website Contact Page: www.smilesocietyortho.com/contact

We will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible, typically within 30 days.

10. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For more information about cookies and online privacy, you may find these resources helpful:

By continuing to use our Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Cookies Policy and consent to our use of cookies as described herein.

Last Updated: February 27, 2025