Every week, the MSP team breaks down the dental marketing news that actually matters, from Google updates and AI search changes to social media trends, SEO shifts, and reputation management surprises.

• ChatGPT now shows ads on 26% of commercial prompts, and far more often in healthcare than Google’s AI Mode
• Google will auto-upgrade eligible Search campaigns to AI Max starting September 1
• Reddit’s CEO says the platform will surface a lot more reviews and recommendations, and new research shows why that matters
• Quick hit: Google Ads adds dedicated reporting for new customer acquisition
• Quick hit: WordPress 7.1’s accessibility change may break some plugins

What happened: New research analyzing more than 50,000 commercial prompts found ChatGPT now serves ads on nearly 26% of them, putting it surprisingly close to Google’s AI Mode, which shows ads on about 29% of commercial searches. But the split by category tells a different story. Healthcare prompts saw ads in ChatGPT 28.69% of the time, compared to just 2.64% in Google’s AI Mode, the biggest gap of any category studied. The research also found relevance is still a work in progress, with roughly 1 in 7 ChatGPT ads showing up alongside a topic they had little to do with.

Why dentists should care: We flagged a few weeks back that AI Mode ads were rare in healthcare searches, which was good news for practices leaning on organic visibility instead of ad spend. ChatGPT is playing by different rules. If patients are increasingly asking ChatGPT questions like “how do I find a good dentist,” there’s a real chance a sponsored answer from another business shows up in that response, not just an organic mention. This is still early and evolving, so there’s no need to rush into ChatGPT advertising, but it’s worth watching closely since it behaves differently than Google in this specific category.

What to do next:

• Don’t assume AI platforms all treat healthcare-related and dental ads the same way. What’s true for Google’s AI Mode isn’t necessarily true for ChatGPT
• Keep prioritizing the fundamentals (accurate info, strong reviews, clear content) that help you show up organically across all AI platforms, not just paid ones
• If you ever consider testing ChatGPT ads, go in aware that ad relevance and reporting are still rough around the edges

What happened: Starting September 1, Google will automatically migrate eligible Search campaigns into AI Max, its AI-powered campaign format, without requiring advertisers to opt in. This applies specifically to campaigns using Automatically Created Assets or the campaign-level broad match setting. Google says it will try to preserve existing campaign behavior as closely as possible during the switch, and it’s rolling out expanded reporting so advertisers can see what the automation is actually doing, including which search terms and landing pages AI Max is choosing.

Why dentists should care: If your practice runs Google Search ads and you’re not entirely sure what settings your account uses, this is worth a quick check. An automatic migration means new automated matching behavior could kick in on your account without anyone actively deciding to turn it on.

What to do next:

• Ask your dental marketing company or whoever manages your Google Ads whether your Search campaigns use Automatically Created Assets or campaign-level broad match
• If so, find out whether they plan to review the account after the September 1 migration, since Google recommends waiting about two weeks after the switch before making changes, to let the system settle
• Ask about the new reporting tools that show which search terms and landing pages AI Max is choosing, so you have visibility into what’s actually happening in your account

What happened: Reddit’s CEO said on the company’s latest earnings call that the platform plans to do a lot more with its enormous archive of “evergreen” content, things like recommendations, reviews, and advice that stay relevant for a long time but currently don’t get surfaced well in Reddit’s feed. This comes alongside new Reddit research (based on surveys of roughly 20,000 users across the US and UK) showing just how influential the platform already is in purchase decisions. Fifty-eight percent of Redditors said seeing a business respond directly to a customer’s question in a thread increased their trust in that business. Half of US shoppers said they use Reddit to verify recommendations they got from an AI chatbot in the first place.

Why dentists should care: This is a two-part story that adds up to a conclusion we’ve been speculating on for a while. Reddit is becoming a more central place where people research decisions, including healthcare ones, and it’s about to get even more visible there. The trust data is the most actionable part. People aren’t just reading Reddit threads passively, they’re specifically more likely to trust a business that shows up and responds like a real person.

What to do next:

• Search your practice name and common local dental questions on Reddit periodically to see what’s already being discussed
• If you find a relevant thread where a respectful, helpful response from your practice would add value, consider responding as the business, especially to correct outdated information or answer a genuine question
• Don’t force it. A thoughtful, honest response builds trust. An obvious sales pitch in a Reddit thread tends to backfire

Google Ads now has a “Report on new customers acquired” option that lets advertisers see new-versus-existing customer performance without it affecting how campaigns are bid. Previously, getting this kind of reporting required a workaround (setting a token bid value just to unlock the data). If tracking new patient acquisition specifically through your ad campaigns matters to you, this is worth asking your ads manager to enable.

WordPress 7.1 includes accessibility changes that may cause compatibility issues with certain older or poorly maintained plugins. If your practice’s website runs on WordPress, which a lot of dental practice sites do, it’s worth a quick check with whoever manages your site to confirm your plugins are up to date and compatible before this update rolls out widely, so you avoid any unexpected breakage.

The thread connecting this week’s stories is that visibility is fragmenting across more platforms, and each one plays by slightly different rules. Naturally. ChatGPT treats healthcare ads very differently than Google’s AI Mode does. Google is quietly shifting more Search campaigns onto AI-driven automation whether advertisers ask for it or not, and Reddit is leaning harder into becoming a trusted recommendation engine in its own right. None of this calls for an overhaul of your strategy, but it’s a good week to make sure you know what’s actually running in your Google Ads account and to start paying a little more attention to what’s being said about your practice on Reddit.

• Study: ChatGPT ads appear on 26% of commercial prompts – Search Engine Land
• Google to auto-upgrade some search campaigns to AI Max – Search Engine Land
• Reddit CEO Intends To Show More Reviews And Recommendations – Search Engine Journal
• Study highlights Reddit’s influence on purchase decisions – Social Media Today
• Google Ads adds dedicated reporting for new customer acquisition – Search Engine Land
• WordPress 7.1 Accessibility Change May Break Some Plugins – Search Engine Journal

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.