Google reviews for dentists: how to get more, and how to reply

They help people choose a dentist and help you show up when people search nearby. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, that more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking, and that there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

Reviews also answer the questions a nervous patient won't ask on the phone: whether the dentist is gentle, whether they explain things and whether the office runs on time. A recent review from an anxious patient who had a good visit is often what gets the next anxious patient to book.

A spotless record isn't the aim. Google says a mix of positive and negative feedback often feels more trustworthy. A steady flow of honest reviews, with calm replies, does more than a handful of perfect ones.

From your Google Business Profile. Google gives you a review link and a QR code for free.

1. 1Go to your Business Profile.
2. 2Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
3. 3Select Copy to copy the link, or right-click the QR code and save the image.
4. 4Add the link to the text or email your practice management or patient messaging software sends after an appointment, so it goes out without anyone having to remember.

Google suggests putting the link on receipts and in thank-you emails, and printing the QR code to display in your office. QR codes can only be generated in a browser on a computer, not on a phone. Reviewers need to be signed in to a Google Account, which they can set up with a non-Gmail email address.

After the visit, in writing, with the link, and the same way for every patient.

• Ask after a cleaning, an exam or the last appointment of a treatment plan.
• Send the link the same day by text or email, from the practice.
• Ask for an honest review, not a five-star one, and don't suggest what to write. Google says businesses shouldn't request that specific content be included.
• Don't ask in the chair or at the front desk. Google says businesses shouldn't require or pressure people to leave reviews while on the premises.
• Ask once, and remind once at most.

Use the same rule for everyone. Google's Maps content policy says businesses must not discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones. A practice can reasonably skip review requests after some appointment types, such as extractions or emergency visits, as a fixed rule. Picking patients by how happy they seem is the selective asking Google bans.

Keep review requests separate from promotions. A request with an offer attached, such as money off whitening, starts to look like an incentive. Our guide to dental practice marketing covers recall messages and the email rules.

Example text to adapt

"Hi Sam, thanks for coming in today. If you have a minute, we'd be grateful for an honest review on Google: [your link]. It helps other people find a dentist they feel comfortable with. Thanks, the team at [practice name]"

Fake reviews, rewards for reviews, undisclosed insider reviews, selective asking and trying to suppress bad reviews. Since 2024 the FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465 has made several of these federal violations, and Google's content policy goes further in places.

If you're an ADA member, section 5.F of the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct also covers testimonials you show on your website or social media: no dentist shall advertise or solicit patients in any form of communication in a manner that is false or misleading in any material respect. Your state dental board sets its own advertising rules, so check those too.

Briefly, kindly and without confirming anything about the patient or their care. Never confirm in a public reply that someone is a patient or mention their treatment. Patient privacy rules apply to practices, so check with your compliance adviser before you settle on a reply policy.

You must verify your business before you can reply. Google checks each reply against its content policies, the reply shows publicly under the review as coming from the business, and the reviewer is notified.

• Thank people for positive reviews in general terms, without mentioning a visit or treatment.
• For a negative review, reply once, calmly, and invite the person to contact the office manager directly.
• Don't confirm they're a patient, correct their account or mention anything about their care, even if they've described it themselves.
• Don't argue. Future patients read your reply as closely as the review.

Example reply to a negative review

"Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We can't discuss anyone's care in a public forum, but we take every concern seriously and would welcome the chance to talk. Please contact our office manager directly at our usual number."

That reply works whether or not the reviewer is a patient, and it shows other readers how you deal with problems. If the review is really a complaint, handle it through your office's complaint process as well. Google's tips on replying also say to keep replies short and never share a reviewer's private information.

Only if it breaks Google's policies, such as spam or profanity. You can report any review, but Google says only those that violate its policies are removed, and not to report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it.

1. 1Go to your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
2. 2Next to the review, select Report.
3. 3Choose the reason it breaks policy and select Send report.
4. 4Wait for the outcome. Google says a report typically takes several days to assess, you can check the status in its Reviews Management Tool, and you get one appeal if the review isn't removed.

Don't threaten the reviewer. Under section 465.7 of the FTC rule, using an unfounded legal threat, intimidation or a knowingly false public accusation to stop or remove a review is a violation. If an honest bad review stays up, a calm reply and a steady flow of new reviews from other patients is the best answer. If you're considering anything more, talk to an attorney first.

Because a patient who never books never becomes someone you can ask. Reviews come from patients, and new patients usually start as a phone call. A caller who can't get through books with the next office, and that office gets the review.

Our guides to handling new patient calls and what missed calls cost a dental practice cover that side.

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