What You’ll Learn:
- The supply-and-demand problem driving ad prices up
- Why AI is making Google Ads more expensive for dentists
- The true cost difference between ads and SEO
- How to build a marketing strategy that doesn’t depend on expensive ads
Dental Ads Aren’t As Effective, But Your Marketing Can Be
If your Google Ads budget doesn’t stretch as far as it used to, you’re not imagining things. Dental practices across the country are watching their cost-per-click climb while their results stay flat or decline. What used to cost $2,000 a month now costs $4,000 for the same number of patient inquiries.
This isn’t a temporary fluctuation. It’s a structural shift in how search advertising works, driven largely by the rise of AI in search results.
“Ad costs have doubled, sometimes tripled,” said Adrian Lefler, CEO of My Social Practice, on a recent episode of The Authentic Dentist Podcast. “If you used to spend $2,000 a month on ads, you’re spending four for the same number of clicks.”
Understanding why this is happening is the first step toward building a smarter marketing strategy.
The AI Effect on Dental Ad Inventory
The problem starts at the top of the Google search results page. When someone searches for “dentist near me,” Google increasingly shows an AI-generated overview before anything else. This AI summary pulls information from multiple sources and delivers a direct answer without requiring the user to click on anything.
Around 60% of Google searches now end without a single click. Users get their answer from the AI overview and move on. They never scroll down to see dental ads.
This creates a brutal supply-and-demand problem for advertisers. The number of people seeing ads has dropped significantly, but the number of businesses wanting to advertise hasn’t changed. When supply shrinks and demand stays constant, prices go up. Way up.
“You’ve got high demand and less supply,” Lefler explained. “There’s less people going to the ads and you still got everybody willing to spend money on ads. So the ad prices are going up.”
The Quick Fix That’s Getting More Expensive
Google Ads have always been the quick fix for dental practices that need patients fast. The appeal is obvious: you set up a campaign today and start getting clicks tomorrow. There’s no waiting, no long-term strategy required. Just pay and get results.
But quick has always come with a premium. Even before AI started reshaping search results, Lefler estimated that ads cost about five times more than other dental marketing approaches like SEO.
Now that premium is getting steeper. Practices that have relied heavily on ads are facing a choice. They can keep paying more for the same results, or fundamentally rethink their approach.
Google Ads vs. SEO: A Cost Comparison
| Factor | Google Ads | SEO |
| Time to Results | Immediate (days) | 6-12 months to build foundation |
| Monthly Cost Range | $1,500 – $15,000+ | $500 – $3,000 |
| What Happens When You Stop Paying | Results stop immediately | Rankings persist with maintenance |
| Long-term Cost Efficiency | Costs increase over time | Cost per patient decreases over time |
| AI Search Impact | Fewer people see ads | Content can be cited by AI |
The Full Arch Marketing Trap
Nowhere is the ad cost problem more visible than in high-ticket dental services like full arch implants. Over the past decade, entire marketing companies have built their business around the formula of spending big on ads, generating implant cases, and profiting from the high revenue per case.
“There’s a lot of companies that focus on generating dental implant cases or full arch,” Lefler noted. “Basically what these marketing companies do is they say, you spend $35,000 with us and we’ll produce $70,000 in revenue.”
The math seems to work. You spend $35,000 and make $70,000. That’s a solid return. But here’s what that calculation misses: you’re paying $35,000 every single month to maintain that revenue. Stop paying, and the patients stop coming.
“The reality of it is if you didn’t want to get quick money and you spent $35,000 a month on a whole lot of other marketing like SEO and influencer marketing or whatever it might be, you would get to a point where you don’t have to spend $35,000 a month and you’re making $70,000 a month,” Lefler explained.
The difference is ownership. With dental ads, you’re renting patients. With SEO and other foundational marketing, you’re building an asset that continues generating patients without ongoing premium costs.
The Case for Patience
The challenge with SEO is that it requires something most practice owners struggle with: patience. When a doctor calls needing patients, they typically need them yesterday. SEO doesn’t work on that timeline.
“A doctor calls at 11:59 on Saturday evening saying, ‘I need five new patients last week,’ and they’re like, ‘Let’s do SEO.’ And you’re like, tough. It ain’t going to happen,” Lefler said.
Building a solid SEO foundation takes six months to a year. That’s the honest timeline. But once that foundation exists, it becomes very hard to destroy. You rise to the top of search results and then you simply maintain your position. The ongoing cost drops dramatically while the patient flow continues.
“Once you’ve built it, it’s hard to destroy it,” Lefler explained. “You rise and then you just maintain. The cost to get there is a fraction of the cost for ads.”
A Balanced Approach for Today’s Market
This doesn’t mean dental ads have no place in dental marketing. For practices that need patients immediately, for new practice launches, or for promoting specific high-value services, ads still deliver results. They’re just more expensive than they used to be.
The smart approach is to use dental ads strategically while simultaneously building your organic presence. Think of ads as a bridge that keeps patients coming while you construct something more permanent.
A practical strategy:
- Start building your SEO foundation now. The best time to start was a year ago. The second best time is today.
- Use ads to fill immediate gaps. If you need patients while your SEO builds, ads can bridge the gap. Just budget for higher costs.
- Diversify your marketing channels. Social media, reputation management, and local influencer marketing all reduce your dependence on expensive ads.
- Track your true cost per patient. Know exactly what you’re paying for each new patient from each channel. Let the data guide your budget allocation.
The Bottom Line
Rising ad costs aren’t a temporary problem. AI is fundamentally changing how people search for information, and that change is making traditional search advertising less effective and more expensive. Practices that continue relying solely on ads will pay an ever-increasing premium for each new patient.
The practices that thrive will be those that invest in building real online authority through SEO, reputation management, and diversified marketing channels. These investments take longer to pay off, but they create assets that continue generating patients for years to come.
My Social Practice helps dental practices build marketing strategies that don’t depend on expensive dental ads. From SEO and reputation management to social media and AI-optimized content, we help you create the foundation for sustainable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Google Ads getting more expensive for dental practices?
AI-generated search results now appear at the top of Google, answering user questions directly. About 60% of searches end without any clicks. This means fewer people scroll down to see ads, reducing the available ad inventory. Since the number of advertisers hasn’t decreased, basic supply and demand drives prices up. Many practices report their cost-per-click doubling or tripling while getting the same results.
Should I stop running Google Ads for my dental practice?
Not necessarily. Ads still deliver results for practices that need patients immediately or want to promote specific services. However, relying solely on ads is increasingly expensive and risky. The smarter approach is to use ads strategically while building your organic presence through SEO and other channels. Think of ads as a bridge while you construct more sustainable marketing assets.
How long does dental SEO take to show results?
Building a solid SEO foundation typically takes 6 to 12 months. This includes optimizing your website, creating quality content, building citations, and establishing your practice as an authority in your area. While slower than ads, SEO creates lasting value. Once you rank well, maintaining that position costs far less than continually paying for ads, and results persist even if you reduce your investment.
What's a realistic dental marketing budget if ad costs keep rising?
Budget depends on your market and goals, but diversification is key. Rather than putting everything into ads, consider splitting your budget across SEO, reputation management, social media, and paid advertising. A practice spending $4,000 monthly on ads alone might get better long-term results spending $1,500 on SEO, $500 on reputation management, $500 on social media, and $1,500 on targeted ads while building sustainable organic traffic.
About the Author: Megan Nielsen is an SEO strategist and the Grand Overlord of copywriting at My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing company that offers a full suite of dental marketing services to thousands of dental practices throughout the United States and Canada.
