Dental Reputation Management Case Study: How Abra Dental Became a Google Reviews Leader

Editor’s note (2026): This 2022 interview predates Google’s current review rules. Today, every patient should receive the same review link regardless of survey responses, and public review replies should never confirm or deny whether someone is a patient, including statements such as “we can’t find your account.” See our HIPAA-compliant review response guide for current best practices.

• How Abra Dental (formerly ChildSmiles – FamilySmiles) became a leader in Google reviews volume
• Why the practice prioritized patient experience in its reputation management strategy
• How a growing dental group organized its approach to review monitoring and responses
• What other dental practices can learn from its success while following today’s review policies

When My Social Practice researched Google review volume among dental practices in the 100 largest U.S. cities at the end of 2021, one practice stood above the rest: Abra Dental (formerly ChildSmiles – FamilySmiles) in Newark, New Jersey.

The growing dental organization provided pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and primary care services. Its marketing manager, Jessica Schirripa, had joined the team in July 2021 and was helping coordinate marketing efforts across multiple locations.

With the organization expanding, maintaining a consistent patient experience and online reputation was becoming increasingly important.

MSP CEO and co-founder Adrian Lefler interviewed Jessica in April 2022 to learn how the practice approached Google reviews and patient feedback.

Managing a dental practice’s online reputation is challenging enough when there’s only one location. Add multiple offices, different internal processes, and an expanding patient base, and things get complicated quickly.

When Jessica joined Abra Dental, the organization already used automated systems to request feedback. However, much of the follow-up and response process was handled manually by individual team members.

The challenge went far beyond simply collecting Google reviews. Jessica was tasked with developing a consistent process for monitoring feedback, responding professionally, and identifying opportunities to improve the patient experience without overwhelming front desk staff.

1. Make Patient Experience the Foundation

Rather than treating Google reviews as an isolated marketing activity, Abra Dental emphasized providing excellent care and creating positive experiences for patients and families.

The underlying philosophy was simple. A strong reputation starts with what happens inside the practice.

2. Make It Easy for Patients to Share Feedback

The organization used digital communication tools, including text messages, emails, and surveys, to collect feedback and encourage patient engagement.

Today, dental practices should use a consistent, neutral process for requesting Google reviews from patients, regardless of whether their feedback is positive or negative. Private satisfaction surveys can still help identify opportunities for improvement, but they should not determine who receives a public review invitation.

3. Monitor Reviews and Respond Professionally

Jessica emphasized the importance of monitoring reviews regularly and responding thoughtfully to both positive and negative feedback.

For today’s dental practices, that means acknowledging reviewers without revealing protected health information or confirming whether someone received treatment.

A professional response should demonstrate that the practice takes concerns seriously and provide a private channel for further discussion.

4. Build a Dedicated Patient Experience Process

As Abra Dental expanded, its leadership began developing a centralized patient experience team to coordinate feedback and responses across locations.

The goal was to give reputation management consistent attention while allowing front desk and clinical teams to focus on their primary responsibilities.

In MSP’s research conducted at the end of 2021, Abra Dental ranked first in Google review volume among the dental practices evaluated in the 100 largest U.S. cities.

That historical achievement provides an example of the scale of the practice’s online reputation. The broad lesson for dental practices is the value of treating patient feedback as an ongoing operational responsibility rather than an occasional marketing campaign.

Abra Dental’s experience highlights an important distinction. Building a strong online reputation is about more than asking for five-star reviews. Practices should consistently provide excellent care, make it easy for patients to share honest feedback, respond professionally, and use that feedback to improve.

Whether your practice has one location or twenty, a structured reputation management process can help your team stay organized and make patient feedback more actionable.

Your online reputation can influence how prospective patients discover, evaluate, and choose your dental practice.

My Social Practice’s dental reputation management services help dental practices build a more consistent approach to review generation, monitoring, and patient engagement.

Want to make reputation management a little less complicated? Contact My Social Practice to learn more.

Jessica Schirripa, Marketing Manager of Abra Dental

Jessica Schirripa has been the marketing director at Abra Dental since July of 2021.

Her resume prior to her work with Abra Dental is impressive. She has held positions as a Radio Personality, PSA/Commercial Voice-overs, Video Blogging/Host, Event Coordination/Promotion, Senior Publicist, Writer, Media Correspondent, Social Media Director, Content Curator and most recent overall Project/Account Management leading a creative design and marketing team launching branding campaigns for clients of all levels, from concept to completion.