Published Nov 2025 | Update Nov 2026
The marketing strategies that bring dentists the most new patients are the ones that help local patients find you and trust you quickly. Start with a fully optimized Google Business Profile and a steady flow of new Google reviews, since that’s where most patients check you out. Make sure your website is fast, mobile-friendly and lets patients book online. Turn happy patients into referrals, add Google Ads and Local Services Ads for immediate calls, and publish clear answers to patient questions so AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode recommend you.
Table of Contents:
- Optimize for AI Search: Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT
- Rank Higher on Google Maps and Ask Maps
- Get More Google Reviews and Respond to Every One
- Build a Patient Referral Program
- Get Listed Everywhere Patients and AI Tools Look
- Build a Fast, Modern, Mobile-Friendly Website
- Let Patients Book Online
- Answer Patients 24/7 With Live Chat and an AI Receptionist
- Launch Google Ads for Immediate Patient Growth
- Run Google Local Services Ads
- Watch, and Carefully Test, ChatGPT Ads
- Make Short-Form Video a Habit
- Take Advantage of Dental Social Media Platforms
- Leverage Local Social Media Influencers
- Start a Dental Blog
- Earn Mentions Across the Web
- Use AI Tools to Create Content Faster
- Define Your Brand: Mission Statement and Value Proposition
- Do Good with Charity Dental Marketing
- Run Giveaways With Local Businesses
- Bring Patients Back With Recall and Reactivation Campaigns
- Offer an In-House Dental Membership Plan
- Keep Your Website and Marketing HIPAA Compliant
- Track Calls, Forms and Bookings
- Outsource as Much Marketing as You Can
How Is Dental Marketing Changing in 2027?
Dental marketing in 2027 is about being recommended, not just found. AI answers, AI inside Google Maps and new ad placements in ChatGPT and Apple Maps are changing where patients first hear about a practice. The basics still decide who wins: reviews, referrals, a strong Google Business Profile and an easy way to book.
How is AI changing the way patients find a dentist?
AI tools are becoming a normal first stop. In BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, 45% of consumers said they used ChatGPT or another AI tool for local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before.
Traffic from AI tools is growing fast too. The 2025 Previsible AI Traffic Report found AI-referred sessions rose 527% in the first five months of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, from 17,076 to 107,100 sessions across 19 websites. Previsible’s 2026 follow-up study of 166 websites found monthly AI-driven sessions had grown nearly tenfold over 19 months, reaching 644,478 in May 2026.
Google is bringing AI into local search as well. It launched Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered way to ask Google Maps questions in plain language, in March 2026. And in Google’s AI Mode, local answers increasingly show a Google Business Profile card with your hours, photos and reviews before a patient ever reaches your website.
Where are the new ad placements for dentists?
Paid placements are spreading beyond Google Search. OpenAI opened a self-serve ad platform for ChatGPT in the U.S. in 2026, and Apple opened ad booking on Apple Maps for businesses in the U.S. and Canada on August 14, 2026. Google is also moving Local Services Ads into the main Google Ads platform in phases through 2027.
Not all of these are open to dental practices yet. Healthcare ads in ChatGPT are approved case by case (see strategy #11), and paid ads are still rare in dental searches in Google’s AI Mode. For now, your organic presence in AI answers matters more than buying ads there.
Why do mobile and convenience matter so much?
Most patients look for a dentist on their phone and want to book on their own schedule. According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Consumer Trends report, 63% of consumers prefer to find information about brands and products on mobile devices. In the U.S., Google handled about 91% of mobile and tablet searches in May 2026 (StatCounter).
On Zocdoc, 37% of appointments booked between August 2021 and August 2022 were made between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m., and 17% were booked on a weekend. Yet in NexHealth’s State of Dental 2022 survey, only 26% of dental practices accepted online booking. Online booking, digital forms, online payments and fast replies are no longer extras; every extra phone call or paper form is a reason to choose the practice down the street.
Is search still the main way patients find a dentist?
Yes, but “search” now means more than Google. According to DataReportal (2025), 32.9% of internet users aged 16 and over discover new brands, products and services through search engines. Younger patients increasingly search on social apps: in 2022, a Google executive said internal studies showed almost 40% of young people looking for a place for lunch go to TikTok or Instagram instead of Google Maps or Search.
That doesn’t make traditional SEO less important. Your website has to be fast, mobile-friendly and structured for both people and AI, while your social profiles answer the same questions in video. Our guide to social search for dentists covers how to get found on TikTok and Instagram.
Do referrals and reviews still matter in 2027?
More than ever. In MouthWatch’s 2026 survey of 448 dental professionals, 65.6% of practices named word of mouth and patient referrals as their top source of new patients, followed by their Google Business Profile at 15.6%. AI tools and Maps lean heavily on reviews too, so the trust you build with real patients now powers your online visibility as well.
How should your social media content change?
Post less often, but make every post worth watching. Patients are overwhelmed by online content and are getting more selective, so:
- Post less often, but with higher value.
- Use interactive content like polls and Q&As.
- Share personal stories that build emotional connection.
- Create short-form videos that answer the questions patients search for.
Helpful, human storytelling wins with both algorithms and patients.
Marketing for Dentists: Essentials of Digital Dental Marketing
Marketing for dentists works best when you combine proven basics, like your Google Business Profile, reviews, referrals and website, with newer tools like AI search and short-form video, and the 25 dental marketing strategies below cover both. They work for general practices and specialists alike; if you run a specialty practice, see our guides to orthodontic practice marketing, dental implant marketing and pediatric dentist marketing. We get it, time is money; let’s get started.
1. Optimize for AI Search: Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT
Write clear, fact-based answers to the questions patients ask, so AI tools like Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity quote and recommend your practice.
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode now summarize answers at the top of many search results, and more patients ask AI-powered search assistants like ChatGPT for dentist recommendations. Even if your website ranks well, fewer people click through unless your content is the source those answers pull from. Optimizing for this is called GEO (generative engine optimization). Traditional SEO targets keywords; GEO makes your content easy for AI to read, trust and summarize.
How to do it:
- Add structured data (schema) for your FAQs, services and reviews, so AI engines understand your content.
- Write concise, fact-based answers to common patient questions. AI pulls these directly into its answers.
- Give each service its own page, with a localized keyword like “Invisalign in Salt Lake City.”
- Write blog posts in a conversational, Q&A style, the way you’d explain something chairside (“How long does Invisalign take at our office?” or “Is teeth whitening safe?”).
- Highlight what AI can’t summarize: patient stories, your team and the services that make you different.
- Target high-intent local keywords like “emergency dentist near [city]” instead of broad, informational ones.
Content built this way also shows up more often in AI-driven search results, not just Google.
How do you optimize for voice search?
Voice assistants now run on the same AI, so the same answers work for them. When patients use voice search, they ask full questions (“Who’s the closest emergency dentist open now?”). Add a Q&A page with conversational phrasing, include long-tail questions like “What’s the cost of teeth whitening in [city]?”, and keep your name, address and phone number (NAP) identical everywhere.
Pro Tip: Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, “Who’s the best cosmetic dentist in [your city]?” and see whether your practice comes up. If it doesn’t, rework your service pages and FAQs, and work on strategy #16.
2. Rank Higher on Google Maps and Ask Maps
Optimize your Google Business Profile so your practice shows up in the Google Maps 3-Pack and in Google’s AI answers, because that’s where most local patients choose a dentist.
For local dental internet marketing, a Google Business Profile (GBP) is required. Your GBP shows up in Google Maps, in Search and now inside AI answers, with your address, hours, phone number, website, reviews and average rating. Google handles about 86% of U.S. searches across desktop and mobile (StatCounter, May 2026), so an optimized Google Business Profile is one of the biggest new patient opportunities you have.
How can a dentist rank higher on Google Maps?
Optimize your GBP so it ranks in the Google Maps 3-Pack, the top three map listings that appear when someone searches for a dentist. It’s a big deal to be listed there. Our own dental marketing case studies have shown that it can double and sometimes triple your new patient phone calls.
When you optimize your GBP listing, you’ll rank higher on the map and across a wider radius, outranking practices that are closer to the person searching. Your GBP is free to set up. To work through the trickiest parts of Google Maps optimization, watch our dental marketing training video, and find out how your practice ranks on Google Maps.
How do you show up in Ask Maps and AI Mode?
Give Google clear, accurate information about your practice. Ask Maps draws on Google’s information about places and community reviews, while AI Mode can use website content alongside Google’s local business information. Google’s guidance for AI search also identifies Business Profiles as a way to help your services appear in AI responses. To keep your information useful and current:
- Complete every relevant GBP field available to your practice. Include your services, hours, accessibility details and appointment booking link. Add insurance and language information where those options are available, and keep those details current on your website.
- Keep your photos current. Add clear images of your office, team and equipment, updating them as your practice changes.
- Invite honest patient reviews. Make it easy for patients to share their experiences in their own words (see strategy #3).
- Post timely GBP updates. Share information about new services, current offers and upcoming events.
- Add your social media links where available. In your Business Profile, select Edit profile, then Contact, then the edit pencil next to Social profiles. Choose a platform, enter your profile’s web address and select Save. Google supports one link each for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and X. Availability varies by region and profile. See Google’s social links instructions.
What happens if you don’t optimize your GBP listing?
You’ll get your lunch eaten by the dental practice down the street.
Patients will search for a dentist near them, and even if you’re the closest practice, you won’t be on the first page of results. It’s true. Your practice could be just down the street from a patient searching “emergency dentist near me,” and practices that are farther away will show up higher on the map. Your listing isn’t missing; it’s just buried deep in the results.
The vast majority of searchers click a result on the first page, so the practices listed there get the lion’s share of new patient phone calls.
3. Get More Google Reviews and Respond to Every One
Get more Google reviews than the practices around you and reply to every one, because reviews are the first thing patients check.
If you were to pick one dental digital marketing strategy to implement today, this one would be your best bet. Google reviews are attached to your Google Business Profile, which shows up in Search, Maps and AI answers. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 97% of consumers said they read reviews for local businesses, and 74% only care about reviews from the last three months (see more online reviews statistics for dentists).
Why can bad reviews sink your whole marketing budget?
Your GBP reviews can destroy your entire marketing campaign. For example:
A dentist spends $20,000 on a direct mail campaign, a billboard, a TV ad, professional photography or a website. It doesn’t really matter what the marketing is. A potential patient sees it, and where’s the first place that patient goes to see if you are who you say you are?
Survey says…
Google, where the patient checks out the practice’s reviews. If the review profile isn’t great, there’s a fairly high chance it will undermine the $20,000 campaign. If you’re going to do one thing, start by getting more Google reviews. Ask every happy patient, every day, and make it easy with a text link. Don’t offer rewards for reviews; Google doesn’t allow it (here’s what’s allowed with review incentives).
How should you respond to patient reviews?
Reply to every review, good or bad, within a few days. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 80% of consumers said they’re likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews. Responding to Google reviews also shows future patients that you listen.
Always thank people, never fight back with negative reviewers, and answer concerns as best you can. Keep every reply HIPAA-compliant, which means never confirming that a reviewer is your patient or mentioning their treatment. For in-office compliance, download our free printable HIPAA consent form for patient photos.
4. Build a Patient Referral Program
Make it easy for satisfied patients to recommend your practice to friends and family. In MouthWatch’s 2026 survey, 65.6% of respondents named word of mouth and patient referrals as their top source of new patients. The survey collected responses from 448 dental professionals in June 2026.
Build a consistent process for asking for recommendations, making them easy to share and tracking the results.
How to do it:
- Ask at a natural moment. A positive visit or an unsolicited compliment can be a good opening to let patients know you welcome their friends and family.
- Make it easy to share. Offer referral cards or a link to your booking page that patients can forward.
- Thank referrers personally. Send a private thank-you note without naming or sharing information about the referred patient.
- Track every referral. Ask new patients, “How did you hear about us?” Record the source and the referrer’s name when provided so you can understand which recommendations bring in new patients (see strategy #24).
- Make the first visit worth recommending. Focus on easy scheduling, clear communication and a welcoming experience that patients will want to tell others about.
Before offering gifts, discounts or other referral rewards, check applicable state laws and dental board rules and have the proposed program reviewed by a healthcare attorney. Federal anti-kickback restrictions can also apply to rewards tied to referrals for care payable by Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. A small gift is not automatically exempt.
5. Get Listed Everywhere Patients and AI Tools Look
Claim and complete your listings on Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Healthgrades and Facebook, because patients and AI tools check more places than Google.
Google is still number one, but it’s no longer the only stop. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found consumers use an average of six review sites, and Apple Maps use for reviews nearly doubled, from 14% to 27%, in a year. AI tools like ChatGPT also build their recommendations from what they find across the web, so missing or conflicting listings make it harder for them to recommend you.
How to do it:
- Claim your Apple Maps listing for free through Apple Business, and add photos. Apple opened ads on Apple Maps to U.S. and Canadian businesses in August 2026, and only businesses with a claimed listing can run them.
- Claim Bing Places, Yelp, Healthgrades and your Facebook page, plus any insurance and dental directories you belong to.
- Keep your name, address and phone number (NAP) identical everywhere. Conflicting details confuse both search engines and AI tools.
- Update every listing when your hours, services or providers change.
6. Build a Fast, Modern, Mobile-Friendly Website
Give your website a modern design that loads fast, works perfectly on phones and lets patients book, because patients judge the quality of your care by the quality of your website.
A modern, comprehensive website is the cornerstone of strategic marketing for dentists. First impressions matter tremendously; if your dental website design looks like it came from the Stone Age, you’ll want to upgrade it now. If your website is modern, well designed and works smoothly, visitors will assume the same about your dental skill.
What should a modern dental website include?
- Custom design and photography
- Videos, more videos and more videos
- Blog posts that feature the team and dentist
- Current “Meet the Dentist” and “Meet the Team” profiles
- Online booking
- Live chat or an AI receptionist
- One page for each service you offer
- HIPAA compliance and security
- Virtual consultation integration
- Mobile optimization
Our free 7 Things Dental Websites Need! eBook has more ideas on what makes a great website.
How do you fix your website’s technical SEO?
The technical side of a dental website is often overlooked, but not by Google. If your website loads slowly, has broken links, isn’t secure or isn’t mobile-optimized, you’ll rank lower in search results. Grade your website to see if it’s technically sound.
- Check your site speed. Website visitors have zero patience. Every extra second a page takes to load makes visitors more likely to hit the back button, and a slow site can hurt your rankings.
- Make sure it’s secure. Security is a no-brainer in healthcare (see strategy #23).
- Confirm it’s mobile-optimized. Google uses mobile-first indexing, so a site that isn’t mobile-friendly will rank lower.
- Make sure it’s coded properly for SEO. SEO can feel like a never-ending graduate math class where the rules change willy-nilly. But don’t let me scare you from moving forward with an SEO strategy. SEO is one of the least expensive and most effective ways to be found by patients who are ready to schedule. To learn more, read our guide to SEO for dentists.
7. Let Patients Book Online
Add online booking to your website and Google Business Profile so patients can schedule at 10 p.m. without waiting for your office to open.
Patients already book this way. More than a third of appointments on Zocdoc were booked between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m., yet only about a quarter of dental practices offered online booking in NexHealth’s 2022 survey. Every patient who can’t book when they’re ready is a patient who might book somewhere else.
How to do it:
- Put the button everywhere patients look: your website header, the “Book” link on your Google Business Profile, and your Instagram and Facebook profiles.
- Offer new-patient slots, not just recalls. New patients are the ones most likely to shop around after hours.
- Confirm by text. A quick text confirmation and reminder cuts no-shows and reassures patients that the booking went through.
If you’re choosing a tool, look for online dental scheduling that syncs with your practice management software, so your front desk isn’t re-entering appointments.
8. Answer Patients 24/7 With Live Chat and an AI Receptionist
Add live chat or an AI receptionist to your website, so patients get answers and can book any time, even when your front desk is closed.
One often-overlooked strategy is live chat for your dental website. Patients want fast, easy and reliable ways to reach you. Along with your phone number, email and text messaging, live chat gives patients one more easy way to get in touch. Your practice can add an AI assistant like Annie AI to answer common questions around the clock, help patients book and take routine requests off your front desk’s plate.
Another way patients often reach out is through social media stories. Patients who see your stories often will simply reply to them. Find out how to make the most of this in our free 24-Hour Social Media Stories eBook.
9. Launch Google Ads for Immediate Patient Growth
Run Google Ads for your most valuable services so you show up at the top of search results the moment a local patient looks for care.
While SEO and content marketing are long-term plays, PPC (pay-per-click) advertising gets your practice in front of high-intent patients right away. Whether you want to promote emergency services, Invisalign or new patient specials, dental PPC lets you appear at the top of Google and Bing as soon as someone searches for care.
Why does PPC work for dental practices?
- Precision targeting: Show ads only to people in your zip code, during office hours, or when they search for specific services.
- Instant visibility: Unlike SEO, which takes months, PPC drives traffic from day one.
- Cost control: You only pay when someone clicks, and you can scale campaigns based on performance.
- Trackable ROI: See exactly how much each lead costs and which keywords bring in real appointments.
Paid and organic search work best together: ads bring in patients now, while SEO and reviews lower your cost per new patient over time.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget Bing! It has less competition and can reach a different, often older audience. Many dental PPC campaigns skip Bing, but smart practices use it to lower cost per click and expand their reach.
10. Run Google Local Services Ads
Add Local Services Ads to your Google advertising, because you pay only for real leads and your ad shows above regular search ads.
Local Services Ads (LSAs) appear at the very top of Google for searches like “dentist near me.” Approved dentists get a “Google Screened” badge, and you pay for leads like calls, messages and bookings, not clicks.
What to know for 2027:
- Your reviews power your LSA. Since July 2025, LSA reviews live in your Google Business Profile, so your Google reviews affect your Local Services Ads directly.
- LSAs are moving into Google Ads. Google is replacing the separate LSA dashboard with a new campaign type inside Google Ads, rolling out in phases from August 2026 through 2027. Budgets and settings carry over, but historical reports don’t, so download yours before your account moves.
- Run LSAs and search ads together. LSAs capture “near me” searches; regular search ads let you promote specific services like implants or Invisalign.
- Answer every lead fast. LSA leads go cold quickly, so make sure calls and messages get answered (see strategy #8).
11. Watch, and Carefully Test, ChatGPT Ads
Consider a limited ChatGPT ad test if your U.S. dental practice is approved, while keeping organic AI visibility your priority.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT ads in 2026, with self-service access for eligible businesses of all sizes. By October 21, it reported more than 100,000 advertisers. Ads are clearly labeled and, according to OpenAI, do not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
Healthcare remains restricted. OpenAI’s ad policies allow U.S. dental services to be considered through manual, case-by-case review. Health service ads outside the U.S. are generally prohibited. Check the current policy before planning a campaign.
How to approach it:
- Get your organic presence right first. Strong reviews, accurate listings and clear answers on your website (strategies #1, #3 and #5) help ChatGPT recommend you without paying.
- If you test ads, start small with one high-value service and a dedicated landing page.
- Never send patient information to any ad platform, and keep health claims out of your ads.
For more, read our ChatGPT ads for dentists guide, or listen to our podcast episode on why paid ads are now the way back to new patients.
12. Make Short-Form Video a Habit
Post short videos every week that introduce your team, answer patient questions and show your services, because more people would rather watch than read.
You can create all the photos and articles you want, but if you’re not venturing into dental video marketing, you’re only scratching the surface of what online marketing can do. In Wyzowl’s 2026 State of Video Marketing survey, 63% of people said they’d most like to learn about a product or service by watching a short video, and 93% of video marketers said video is an important part of their overall marketing strategy.
Here are a few ideas to start:
- Pair video with your email marketing. A video link works especially well when you’re featuring a new service or sending holiday greetings from your team.
- Create brief informational videos. Answer frequently asked questions. Demonstrate a dental service. Shoot a day-in-the-life video. Show close-ups of your equipment.
- Use video on your website to introduce visitors to your team and bridge the gap between online research and that first visit.
- Share fun videos on social media that help people feel like they know your team.
- Invest in professional video production for a polished introduction to your practice, and cut the footage into short promos for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook ads.
- Encourage user-generated content. Set up a video spot in your office, ask patients quick questions and invite testimonials (with written consent).
- Feature a smile makeover to show your restorative and cosmetic services.
Which video and content formats should you make for each platform?
- Horizontal video for YouTube
- Vertical short video for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts
- Photography for your website
- Blog posts for your website
- Email header graphics for campaigns
- Long-form video for webinars or presentations
- Patient-generated videos, photos and reviews (with written consent)
How long should your Instagram Reels be?
Keep Reels to three minutes or less when your goal is to reach people who don’t already follow your practice. Instagram now supports recording and editing Reels up to 20 minutes long, but its Help Center says Reels longer than three minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences. For help getting started, explore our free Intro to Social Video eBook and guide to TikTok and Instagram Reels for dentists.
What if you’re nervous about being on video?
You’re not alone! Even people who comfortably lecture in an auditorium full of professionals can freeze up as soon as they know a camera is on them. The good news: it gets easier the more you do it. Once you make video a habit, you’ll notice less resistance each time. That’s why a series can be so helpful.
13. Take Advantage of Dental Social Media Platforms
Keep active social media accounts on the platforms your patients use, because social media keeps your practice in front of current and future patients between visits.
Social media keeps your practice in ongoing contact with current and potential patients in your community. Once you learn how to create content that gets lots of engagement, you’ll find it one of the most valuable tools in dental office marketing. It doesn’t require big budgets, but it does take some time and training. For a full playbook, see our guide to social media marketing for dentists.
Which social media platforms should a dental practice use?
After helping thousands of practices run effective social media campaigns, we’ve learned that using the right platforms is essential.
Instagram: Instagram is owned by Meta and is one of the best ways to market a dental practice. Its audience is younger on average than Facebook’s, so if you’re trying to reach mothers with small children, Instagram fits. It’s also the home of local micro-influencers (see strategy #14).
TikTok: TikTok has taken the social media world by storm, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down.
If you’re not on TikTok yet, I’m encouraging you to give it a try. But before you get started, make sure to get an accountability coach. A person who will take your phone away when you’ve crossed the way-too-much-TikTok-for-today line.
Once you’re on TikTok, follow some of the trending TikTok dentists to get ideas for your own account.
Facebook: Facebook isn’t going away. If anything, it’s evolving. It still has more users than any other social media platform, so it needs to be part of your plan if you’re trying to reach your local audience.
One of Facebook’s biggest benefits is direct messaging. Someone on your team should manage your Facebook messages, because they’re nearly as important as your practice phone. If you don’t have a team member to do this, consider hiring someone to do it for you.
Humanizing your practice on Facebook builds trust. It’s like being part of a family. And isn’t the ultimate goal to have a large dental family?
Threads: Meta launched Threads in 2023 as an alternative to X, and in June 2026 Meta announced it had reached 500 million monthly active users. Use it alongside your main Instagram account for quick updates and local conversations, not as your primary channel.
14. Leverage Local Social Media Influencers
Partner with a trusted local personality to reach people in your community who already value their recommendations.
Instagram marketing for dentists works best when you create a variety of engaging content, and partnering with influencers is a perfect way to mix things up. An influencer is someone with a sizable social following (at least 1,000 followers) who endorses products and brands alongside their everyday content. Someone with fewer than 10,000 followers is usually called a “micro-influencer,” and their followers are likely to live nearby, which makes them a great fit for a dental practice.
Choose someone local. This person could even be a current patient with influence in the community, like a photographer, personal trainer, musician or blogger. Ask whether they’d make a video about their next dental visit and tag your practice, or whether you can partner on a giveaway. In return, you can offer free dental work, discounted products or other incentives.
Play it safe and create an Influencer Agreement once you’re ready to begin your collaboration. This way you can lay out the roadmap for your partnership, comply with FTC regulations and get any discounts or promotional offers in writing.
15. Start a Dental Blog
Publish blog posts that answer your patients’ most common questions, because new content helps you get found in Google and AI search.
Was that the sound of the air leaving the room?
We know you’ve probably heard this over and over again from dental marketing experts. Blogging is more valuable than you can imagine as a digital marketing strategy. No one (and we mean no one) wants to write blog posts. Actually, there is one guy up in Minnesota, but he’s the only one.
If you hate writing or simply don’t have the time, invest in a copywriter. New content feeds your website, helps you get found by search engines and AI tools, gives you material for email marketing, and helps you refine your practice’s mission and purpose.
One of the best ways to start a blog for a dental practice is to write posts that answer your patients’ most frequently asked questions. Next, write posts that highlight your team members and patients with great stories (with their written consent). Download these 7 free blog templates for ideas.
Before you start, identify your target audience, including where they live and which services they need, and work those details into your posts so they’re optimized for search.
If you don’t have the time, get some help with blogging. Knowing what to expect from a dental marketing company helps here: they’ll have the expertise and experience to speed up blog content creation for an effective campaign. It’s typical for a dental marketing team to have at least one professional copywriter on staff. Before you hire a copywriter, ask for samples to make sure their tone fits your brand.
One of the best ways to start a blog for a dental practice is to write posts that answer your patients most frequently asked questions. Second in line to that idea is to write posts that highlight your team members and your most valuable patients, especially patients with great stories.
16. Earn Mentions Across the Web
Get your practice mentioned on local news sites, community pages, partner websites and forums, because AI tools and Google trust practices that other people talk about.
AI assistants recommend businesses they see mentioned in many trusted places, not just businesses with good websites. Our guide to AI brand mentions explains how to earn and track them.
How to do it:
- Partner with local businesses. Trade blog posts or social posts with a business that shares your audience, like an orthodontist, a med spa, a kids’ play center or a local charity. You each feature the other, which earns links and introduces you to new people.
- Pitch local news. Offer a seasonal health tip, a community milestone or comment on a trend a reporter is already covering.
- Be useful in community forums. Answer questions in local Facebook groups and on Reddit as a real participant, never as an ad. Our guide to Reddit dental marketing shows how.
- Sponsor local events and teams that get written about and shared (see also strategy #19).
17. Use AI Tools to Create Content Faster
Use AI tools to draft posts, captions and on-brand graphics faster, then have a person review everything before it’s published.
Patients respond best to authentic, visually consistent brands. With today’s AI tools, you can easily create:
- Seasonal campaign graphics with Midjourney or Canva’s AI image tools
- Smile-makeover concept graphics (clearly labeled as illustrations, never presented as real results)
- AI-generated videos featuring avatars introducing your services
- First drafts of blog posts, captions and patient emails
Two rules keep AI safe: never present AI-generated images as real patient results, and never put patient information into public AI tools. For more ways to put AI to work, see our AI dental marketing ideas.
18. Define Your Brand: Mission Statement and Value Proposition
Write a short mission statement and one clear value proposition, then use them on your home page and in every piece of marketing.
Your home page is a potential patient’s first impression. A mission statement tells them what your practice stands for, and a value proposition tells them why they should choose you. Not sure what makes your practice different? Start with our podcast episode on personal branding for dentists, which covers the first question to answer before any branding work.
How do you write a dental mission statement?
Create a dental practice mission statement by honing in on your values, goals and purpose. You can even give your draft to ChatGPT and ask it to make it more concise or fit a specific tone. Need help with the rest of your website copy and SEO? Download this eBook.
How do you write a value proposition?
To write a strong value proposition, decide what solutions you offer, what a patient gains from choosing you and what advantages you have over your competitors. For example, a cosmetic dental practice value proposition might look like this:
“At Heavenly Dental, we craft gorgeous smiles that build confidence with the top leading technology in the industry.”
Crafting gorgeous smiles is the solution, building confidence is the patient’s benefit, and leading technology is the competitive advantage. Choose wording that supports your dental brand for a cohesive marketing message. For more writing tips, download this free cosmetic dentist bio template.
19. Do Good with Charity Dental Marketing
Partner with a charity or run a charitable campaign, so your whole team can rally around a good cause and your community sees what your practice stands for.
One of the best ways to generate buzz and get your whole team involved in a new marketing initiative is to do good:
- Positive brand image. Patients see you as generous, community-minded and proactive.
- Team unity. It’s easy to get your team on board, even those who feel hesitant about marketing.
- Patient referrals. Patients share your message with friends, introducing you to new potential patients.
- Local media attention. Everyone loves a feel-good story, and it can earn you press coverage and mentions you wouldn’t get otherwise.
So how do you start? A charity whitening day can introduce new and existing patients to an exciting service while raising money for a great cause. You could also sponsor a smile makeover, run a Toys for Tots campaign or fundraise for a dental-focused organization.
Ultimately, it’s not just about how your practice could benefit. It’s a chance to remind everyone that your work is about much more. Charitable giving fills your days with purpose.
20. Run Giveaways With Local Businesses
Team up with a local business on a prize package or gift card giveaway to grow your following and get your practice talked about quickly.
Giveaways are inexpensive, easy to put together and a great way to drive new followers to your Instagram and Facebook accounts. Partnering with another business doubles your reach.
What should you give away?
- A prize package: free teeth whitening, an electric toothbrush and other hygiene products, a discount on Invisalign, or branded gifts like T-shirts and water bottles, combined with a prize from a local jewelry brand, restaurant or shop.
- A gift card: an easy, low-cost option that works well with coffee shops, gyms and local stores.
How do you choose a partner?
Choose a business with a similar audience and a similar number of followers. That makes the giveaway mutually beneficial, and you’re more likely to get a yes. Reaching out to someone with millions of followers like Taylor Swift for a giveaway isn’t going to get your practice anywhere (though it may earn you some cool points if you bring it up with your younger patients).
If you’re hoping to reach parents of young children, partner with a kids’ play center or clothing store. If you want to reach young single adults, try a local gym or coffee shop.
What are common giveaway entry rules?
- Follow your practice’s account
- Follow your partner business’s account
- Tag a friend in the comments (each tag is an additional entry)
- Share the giveaway to their Instagram story
- Like the post
Post the giveaway on both accounts and in your Instagram stories. For more ideas, see our 10 Awesome Dental Practices eBook and our Build Trust in Your Practice Through Social Proof eBook.
21. Bring Patients Back With Recall and Reactivation Campaigns
Use text and email campaigns to bring overdue patients back, because keeping the patients you have is cheaper than finding new ones.
Every practice has patients who are overdue for a cleaning or never scheduled the treatment they were told they needed. A few simple campaigns can fill your schedule without spending a dollar on ads.
How to do it:
- Send recall reminders by text. Dental text messaging is the fastest way to reach patients, and a booking link makes it easy to schedule.
- Reactivate lapsed patients. Pull a list of patients who haven’t been in for 18 months or more and send a friendly “We miss you” message.
- Follow up on unscheduled treatment with a reminder and an easy way to book.
- Send an email newsletter with seasonal tips, team news and practice updates.
- Remind patients about expiring benefits. In the fall, use texts, emails, social posts and in-office posters to remind patients to book an appointment before the end of the year, when many face a “use it or lose it” deadline for dental insurance or FSA dollars. Download this free marketing kit with ready-made graphics and templates.
Always include opt-out language in promotional texts, and never put diagnoses or treatment details in a text.
22. Offer an In-House Dental Membership Plan
Offer an in-house membership plan for patients without insurance, so they have an affordable way to keep coming back.
A membership plan gives uninsured patients their preventive care (usually cleanings, exams and X-rays) for one monthly or annual fee, plus a discount on other treatment. Patients get a simple, predictable cost, and your practice gets loyal patients and steady recurring revenue.
How to do it:
- Keep it simple: one or two plans with a clear price and a clear list of what’s included.
- Promote it everywhere: your website, Google Business Profile, social media and the front desk.
- Train your team to mention it whenever an uninsured patient calls.
- Check your state’s rules before launching; some states regulate how membership plans are set up and described.
Our webinar on how to market a dental membership plan walks through the details.
23. Keep Your Website and Marketing HIPAA Compliant
Review your website and marketing tools to protect patient information and reduce compliance risk.
- Secure your forms. Use HTTPS, protect stored information and confirm vendors have any required business associate agreements.
- Check tracking tools. Review what Google Analytics, Meta Pixel and similar tools collect. Cookie banners alone don’t authorize sharing protected health information (PHI).
- Get proper authorization. Obtain HIPAA-compliant written authorization before sharing identifiable patient photos, videos or stories in marketing.
- Keep review replies general. Don’t confirm patient status or discuss care, even if the reviewer does.
- Use AI carefully. Keep PHI out of unapproved AI tools and advertising platforms.
Start with a website HIPAA compliance review as part of your practice’s ongoing compliance work.
24. Track Calls, Forms and Bookings
Find out how new patients hear about your practice so you can spend your marketing budget more wisely.
How to do it:
- Ask every new patient. Ask “How did you hear about us?” when they book or check in. Record their answer and any referrer’s name in your practice system.
- Let your provider handle the tracking. Ask your website or marketing provider to show where calls, online inquiries and bookings come from, such as Google, social media or paid ads.
- Include your Google Business Profile. Your provider can connect it to Google Analytics so you can review your profile’s activity alongside your website traffic.
- Review results monthly. Look at which sources brought in patients who attended their first appointment, how much you spent and where your budget could work harder.
For help getting started, see our guide to tracking website traffic in Google Analytics.
25. Outsource as Much Marketing as You Can
Hand off the marketing your team doesn’t have time to do well, so you can focus on patient care.
For a lot of dental practices, knowing which marketing strategies you need doesn’t help much without the time and talent to carry them out. Outsourcing your dental marketing saves precious resources and lets you focus on what matters most: patient care.
Dental marketing companies understand the unique needs and challenges of dentistry, keep up with new platforms like Ask Maps and ChatGPT ads, and can deliver measurable results for your practice. If you’re weighing what to keep in-house, our podcast episode on DIY dental marketing vs. AI explains why AI search and zero-click results make doing it all yourself harder than it used to be.
Key Dental Marketing Benchmarks for 2027 Planning
| Marketing metric | Why it matters | Benchmark | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top source of new patients | Shows where new patients actually come from | Referrals 65.6%; Google Business Profile 15.6%; Google Ads 7.6% | MouthWatch, 2026 |
| Consumers who used AI tools for local business recommendations | AI is becoming a first stop for finding a business | 45% (up from 6%) | BrightLocal, 2026 |
| Consumers who read reviews for local businesses | Reviews decide whether patients call | 97% | BrightLocal, 2026 |
| Google’s share of U.S. mobile and tablet search | Most patients research on their phones, mostly on Google | About 91% | StatCounter, May 2026 |
| Dental practices that offer online booking | Convenience drives new-patient conversion | Only 26% | NexHealth State of Dental, 2022 |
| Appointments booked after hours (5 p.m. to 9 a.m.) | Patients want to book on their own schedule | 37% | Zocdoc, Aug 2021–Aug 2022 |
| People who’d most like to learn about a service through short video | Video is the format patients prefer | 63% | Wyzowl, 2026 |
Implementing Digital Marketing Strategies into a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign
The strategies above work best together: reviews, referrals, your Google Business Profile, your website and your content each make the others stronger. Online marketing for dentists is also more cost-effective than most traditional advertising, and much easier to measure. With 205,088 professionally active dentists in the U.S. as of 2025 (ADA Health Policy Institute), a clear brand and a consistent digital marketing strategy are what make patients remember your name.
Need Help? We’ve Got Marketing For Dentists Covered
If you’re ready to attract more new dental patients but don’t know where to begin, or simply don’t have the time, My Social Practice is here to help. Explore our dental marketing services, or fill out a form to get a personalized, no-obligation dental SEO summary and quote. An SEO and marketing strategy can be one of the best investments you’ll make for your dental practice. We can’t wait to get you started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which marketing strategy is the most important to find new patients?
For most practices, it’s ranking higher on Google Maps by optimizing your Google Business Profile and getting more Google reviews. Keep your profile complete, with accurate hours, services, photos and regular posts. Ask every happy patient for a review and reply to each one, because Google and its AI answers favor practices with more reviews and higher ratings. Then build a referral program, since referrals remain most practices’ top source of new patients.
How can a dentist get more patients?
A dentist gets more patients by being easy to find, easy to trust and easy to book. Start with a mobile-friendly dental website with online booking, an optimized Google Business Profile and a steady flow of new reviews. Then ask happy patients for referrals, add Google Ads and Local Services Ads for immediate calls, and build your local reputation through social media and community involvement.
Is digital marketing for dentists necessary?
Yes, digital marketing for dentists is necessary, even for practices that aren’t actively looking for new patients. Most patients now look for healthcare providers online, and more of them ask AI tools for recommendations, so a practice without a strong online presence risks being overlooked. Digital marketing also helps you attract patients for the services you want to grow and keeps existing patients engaged.
How much does the average dentist spend on marketing?
It varies widely, and most practices spend less than you might think. In MouthWatch’s 2026 survey of 448 dental professionals, 51.5% of practices spent under $500 a month on marketing or nothing at all. The right budget depends on your goals: decide how many new patients you want each month, track what each one costs to acquire, and invest more in the channels that bring them in.
How do you do dental digital marketing?
Dental digital marketing works in four phases: reach, interact, convert and engage. First, reach your audience through SEO, AI search, social media, ads and blogging. Next, get them to interact with a well-designed website, live chat and helpful content. Then convert them with clear offers and easy online booking. Finally, keep patients engaged with recall texts, email and social posts, and check each phase’s results regularly.
How can AI help with my dental marketing?
AI tools can help you draft social media posts, write blog posts, design graphics and answer common patient questions, which saves your team time while keeping your practice visible online. AI can also help you structure website content so it’s easier for Google and AI search tools to understand and quote. Always have a person review and edit anything AI creates before it’s published.
Is using AI for dental marketing safe and compliant?
Yes, as long as you use AI responsibly. Never put patient names, photos, treatment details or any other patient information into public AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. Always proofread and edit AI-generated content for accuracy, professionalism and HIPAA compliance. AI should support your authentic voice and ethical standards, not replace them.
How do I market a dental practice with a small budget?
Start with the free basics: fully optimize your Google Business Profile, claim your Apple Maps and other listings, ask every happy patient for a Google review and a referral, reply to every review, and post on social media a few times a week. Once you can track which channels bring in new patients, add paid ads, starting small and putting more money into what works.
Adrian Lefler is the CEO and Co-Founder of My Social Practice and a recognized dental marketing expert with nearly two decades of experience. He is a trusted voice in dental marketing, AI in dentistry, and emerging technology, and he hosts BYTE SIZED, a podcast focused on dental AI, innovation, and technology.
