Text messaging policy
How we get your permission before texting you
This page explains who sends our text messages, exactly how a caller agrees to receive them, word for word what they then receive, and how to stop at any time. It also contains our privacy policy and terms of service.
aria.peakshell.com is operated by Thorn Trail LLC. It is the service host for Dr.DDS, our AI phone receptionist service for dental practices — the machine that answers calls, sends these messages and serves the links inside them. Dr.DDS is a service of Thorn Trail LLC; its main site is drdds.ai.
Everything is on this page. Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · How consent is obtained. The same policies are published at drdds.ai.
Summary — the short version
- Who sends these messages: Thorn Trail LLC, 3626 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619. We run an AI phone receptionist service for dental practices and text on a practice’s behalf. We are not the dental practice itself.
- We never sell, rent or share your number. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent are not shared with any third party, and are never used for anyone else’s marketing.
- How you opted in: verbally, out loud, on a phone call that you placed to a dental practice. There is no web form, and we never buy, rent, import or scrape numbers.
- How many messages: up to 2 per appointment you book, often only 1. The sequence ends at your appointment time.
- Cost: we charge you nothing. Message and data rates may apply from your own mobile carrier.
- To stop: reply STOP to any message and everything stops immediately and permanently. Reply HELP, or email support@drdds.ai, for help.
- Consent is never a condition of booking an appointment or of receiving dental care. Say no and the practice simply calls you instead.
- Messages are sent by
- Thorn Trail LLCWe provide an AI phone receptionist service to dental practices. We send these messages on a practice's behalf, under a service agreement with them. We are not the dental practice itself.
- Messages come from
- (866) 404-3688This is the number our messages come from. It is a verified toll-free number belonging to Thorn Trail LLC, not any practice's own phone line — so save it if you would like to recognise us. Every message begins by naming the AI receptionist you spoke to.
- How consent is given
- Verbally, on a call you placedSpoken agreement during an inbound phone call. There is no web form, and we never buy, rent or import numbers.
- Contact us
- support@drdds.aiThe email address is printed on every message. We handle these by email rather than by phone, so there is no need to reply to the text.
- Postal address
- 3626 MacArthur BlvdOakland, CA 94619, United States
How consent is obtained
We do not buy, rent, import or scrape phone numbers, and there is no sign-up form anywhere. Every number we message was spoken to us by the caller, during a phone call that the caller placed to a dental practice.
- You call the dental practice. The call is answered by an AI phone receptionist working for that practice. You called us — we never call or text you first.
- You book a welcome call. The receptionist arranges a short call with the practice's front desk to get your first appointment set up.
- The receptionist asks your permission to text you, in the exact words shown in the example below, and waits for your answer.
- Only a clear spoken yes counts. A refusal, a question back, silence, or any unclear reply is not treated as agreement. If we do not hear a yes, we do not message you.
- Your answer is recorded against that specific call, along with the number you agreed to and the date and time. That record is what we rely on before a single message is scheduled.
- Messages are then scheduled for that appointment only, and the sequence ends when the appointment time arrives.
Agreeing to texts is never a condition of booking an appointment or of receiving dental care. If you would rather not be texted, you say so, the practice simply calls you instead, and nothing else about your appointment changes.
A worked example — the moment consent is given
This is how the conversation goes, line by line. It is an illustration of the standard flow rather than any individual caller's recording, and the highlighted line is asked in these words on every booking call.
What happens if the answer is anything else
- "No" or "I'd rather not be texted" — accepted immediately, with no pushing back. No messages are ever scheduled, and the practice calls instead.
- A different number is given — that number is used instead, and consent is recorded against it.
- "Sorry, say that again?", silence, or an unclear reply — the question is asked again in full. It is never treated as a yes.
Exactly what you receive
Messages are about the welcome call you booked and the practice you are going to visit. Where the practice runs a new-patient offer, one of them carries that offer. We never message you about anything else, and we never send you another company’s advertising. Every message we send carries the same closing line: the rates disclosure, HELP, and how to stop. Below is the full set, in the order it is sent, using the example appointment above.
Message frequency: a maximum of 2 messages per appointment booked, and often only 1. Where a practice films a welcome video its link is added to the message above; where a practice runs a new-patient offer, a second message carries it at 4:00 PM the day before. The practice on this number does neither today, so callers receive the single message shown. The sequence ends at your appointment time, and we do not message you again unless you book another appointment.
Message and data rates may apply. Your mobile carrier may charge you for receiving text messages, depending on your plan.
We do not send between 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM. A message that would fall inside those hours waits until 8:00 AM.
The practice name in the messages is the practice you called. The examples above use one of the practices we send for.
How to stop the messages
Reply STOP to any message. That stops every message immediately and permanently. You do not need to give a reason, and nobody will contact you to ask why. You can also email support@drdds.ai and we will remove your number.
The email address is on every message we send, so you never have to ask for it. If you do reply HELP to a message, you get this back automatically:
Stopping text messages does not affect your appointment in any way. The practice will still call you.
Privacy policy
This policy covers the text messaging service described on this page, operated by Thorn Trail LLC.
What we collect
- Your mobile number, and the fact that you gave permission to be texted on it
- The date, time and reference of the call on which you gave that permission
- The appointment you booked, and which dental practice you called
- Delivery status of the messages we send you, and any reply such as STOP or HELP
What we do with it
We use it for one purpose: sending you the messages listed above, and honouring your request if you ask us to stop. We do not use your number for our own marketing.
Who we share it with
- The dental practice you called, so their front desk can prepare for your appointment.
- The technology providers who deliver the service — Retell AI, which runs the phone receptionist; our telecommunications carrier, which carries the messages; and our hosting provider — and only so that the service can be delivered.
- Nobody else. We never sell, rent or share your number, and consent given to us is never passed to a third party for their own marketing. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent are not shared with any third party.
How long we keep it
We keep the consent record and appointment details for as long as needed to run the service for that practice and to evidence your permission, and no longer than required by applicable law. If you opt out, we keep a record of your number on our do-not-message list so that we do not message you again.
Your choices
You can stop messages at any time by replying STOP. To ask what we hold about you, or to have it deleted, email support@drdds.ai. Where the information relates to your dental care, the practice is the party responsible for it and we handle it on their instructions.
Children
This service is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their information. Where an appointment is for a minor, the messages go to the adult who called and gave permission.
Terms of service
The service
Thorn Trail LLC sends appointment-related text messages on behalf of dental practices, to callers who have verbally agreed, on a call they placed, to receive them. The service is provided for that purpose only.
Your agreement
By saying yes when asked on the call, you agree to receive up to 2 text messages relating to the appointment you booked, sent from our own systems. They come from (866) 404-3688. Consent is not a condition of any purchase, of booking an appointment, or of receiving dental care.
Costs
We do not charge you for these messages. Message and data rates may apply from your own mobile carrier, depending on your plan. Message frequency varies by appointment, up to the maximum stated above.
Opting out
Reply STOP to any message to end all messages. For help, email support@drdds.ai. We honour STOP requests immediately.
Delivery
Text message delivery depends on your mobile carrier and is not guaranteed. We are not liable for messages that are delayed or not delivered by a carrier. Do not rely on text messages for anything urgent, and never use them to report a medical or dental emergency — call the practice, or in an emergency call 911.
Not medical advice
These messages are appointment logistics and general practice information. They are not medical or dental advice, and no message should be treated as a diagnosis or a substitute for speaking to a clinician.
Changes
We may update this page. The date it was last changed is shown at the bottom, and the current version always applies.
Contact
Thorn Trail LLC, 3626 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619, United States. Email support@drdds.ai.