How to Get More Google Reviews for a Dental Practice

To get more Google reviews for your dental practice, ask every patient, at the same point after their visit, with a direct link that opens your review form in one tap. Make it a routine for the whole team rather than an occasional push. Do not offer anything in return, do not filter out patients you think might be unhappy, and reply to reviews without revealing that the reviewer is a patient.

That last point is where dental practices differ from most businesses. This guide covers how to ask, when to ask, what the rules say and how to respond safely.

Key takeaways

Ask every patient the same way, at the same point in their visit, with a direct link to your Google review form.
Never offer rewards for reviews or ask only patients you expect to be happy: Google's policy prohibits both, and fake or bought reviews break consumer law in many countries.
Reply to every review politely, but never confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention any treatment, because that can breach health privacy law.
A steady flow of recent, genuine reviews is more useful to patients and more credible than a sudden burst.

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Why Google reviews matter for a dental practice

Google says that prominence, one of the three main factors in local results, is partly based on review count and ratings, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking. You can read this in its tips to improve local ranking.

Patients also read them. Someone choosing a new dentist often has a mild fear of the experience, and reviews mentioning a gentle hygienist, clear explanations or a team that fitted in an emergency are exactly what reassures them. Recent reviews matter because they show the practice today, not five years ago.

The rules: what you cannot do

Before building a process, know the limits. Breaking them risks removed reviews, warnings on your profile and, in some countries, legal action.

Google's policy

Google's Maps user-generated content policy treats the following as fake engagement:

Incentives. Offering discounts, free products, raffle entries or other rewards in exchange for reviews, or for changing or removing a review.
Review gating. Discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews, or selectively asking only for positive ones.
Reviews posted by or for the business itself, including staff reviewing their own practice or reviews posted from multiple accounts by one person.

Google's own tips to get more reviews say reviews must reflect a genuine experience and that incentives are strictly prohibited.

"Gating" includes the common trick of sending a "How did we do?" survey first, then only sending patients who scored you highly to Google. Ask everyone, or ask no one.

Consumer law

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials took effect on October 21, 2024. According to the FTC's questions and answers on the rule, it prohibits fake reviews, incentives conditioned on a review being positive or negative, insider reviews without clear disclosure, and review suppression through intimidation or false accusations.

In the UK, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and concealed incentivized reviews, and the Competition and Markets Authority has published guidance on fake reviews. EU consumer law and other countries have similar rules. Google's policy is stricter than most laws in one respect: it bans incentives for reviews altogether, even neutral ones.

Step 1: Get a direct review link

Patients will not search for your practice and hunt for the review button. Give them a link that opens the review form directly. You can find it in your Google Business Profile, or use our free Google review link generator, which turns your profile or Place ID into a short link, a QR code, a printable card and message templates.

Test the link on an iPhone and an Android phone, signed in and signed out of Google, before you share it widely.

Step 2: Ask every patient at the same moment

Consistency beats enthusiasm. Pick one or two moments in the patient journey and ask every patient there:

At checkout, when the visit is fresh. A short, natural line works: "If you have a minute later, we'd really appreciate a Google review. There's a link on this card."
In a follow-up message a few hours or a day after the appointment, by the channel the patient prefers, containing the direct link.
A QR code at reception and on the checkout counter for those who prefer to do it there and then.

Write one script for the team so the wording is the same whoever is on the desk. Keep it neutral: ask for "a review", not "a five-star review".

Wording examples

Email or text after a visit:

Thanks for visiting [Practice name] today. If you'd like to share your experience, you can leave a Google review here: [link]. It helps other people find a dentist they trust.

Reception card:

Tell others about your visit. Scan to leave a Google review.

Do not add anything that could read as a reward or pressure, such as "Reviews enter our monthly prize draw" or "We'd love to hear from happy patients".

Consent for messages

Review requests by text or email must follow the messaging rules where you operate, such as the TCPA in the US or PECR in the UK. Depending on the wording and the country, a review request can count as a marketing message, so include an easy opt-out and send them only to patients who have agreed to be contacted that way.

Step 3: Reply to reviews without breaching privacy

Replying shows prospective patients that the practice listens. Google's guidance on managing customer reviews explains how replies work: they appear publicly under the review, and the reviewer is notified.

For a dental practice, the important rule is that a reply must not confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention anything about their care. Even if the reviewer has shared their own details, repeating or adding to them can be a disclosure of health information. In the US, the HHS Office for Civil Rights reached a $10,000 settlement with a Dallas dental practice in 2019 over patient information disclosed in replies to online reviews. Health privacy laws such as GDPR raise the same risk elsewhere.

Safe replies

To a positive review:

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We're glad to hear about your experience and appreciate your kind words.

To a negative review:

Thank you for your feedback. We take every concern seriously and would welcome the chance to talk. Please call our practice manager on [number] so we can look into this properly.

Avoid "We're sorry your crown didn't fit", "As we explained at your appointment" or anything that names a treatment, date or clinician involved in that person's care.

Fake or abusive reviews

If a review breaks Google's policy, for example it is spam, off-topic or contains hate speech, report it through your Business Profile. Google decides what to remove, and a review being negative is not a reason by itself. Do not threaten or pressure reviewers to change their review; that can count as suppression under the FTC rule.

Step 4: Make it a habit, not a campaign

A burst of reviews followed by silence looks odd to patients and does little for recency. Build the request into your normal routine:

Add the review link to your standard post-appointment message template.
Keep cards and the QR code stocked at reception.
Mention it in team meetings occasionally, without targets that could tempt anyone to bend the rules.
Read new reviews weekly and reply within a few days.

If you automate follow-up messages, the review request can travel with them. Our dental practices automation page explains how routine messages can be handled while the team stays in control of replies.

What not to put on your website

Showing reviews on your site is fine, but you cannot use them to get star ratings in Google's results for your own practice. Google's review snippet guidelines say pages using LocalBusiness markup are ineligible for review stars when the business controls the reviews about itself. Our guide to local business schema explains what to mark up instead.

Reviews are one part of being found. Our guide on how to get more dental patients online shows how they fit with your Business Profile, website and booking.

Frequently asked questions

Can we offer a discount or gift for leaving a Google review?

No. Google's policy prohibits incentives for reviews of any kind, positive or neutral. In many countries, consumer law also restricts or bans incentivized reviews, especially when the incentive depends on what the review says.

Can we only ask patients who had a good experience?

No. Selectively asking satisfied patients is review gating, which Google's policy prohibits. Ask every patient the same way, and handle concerns through your normal complaints process.

Can staff or family leave reviews for the practice?

No. Reviews must come from genuine customers. Staff and relatives reviewing the practice count as insider reviews, which Google treats as fake engagement and the FTC rule restricts.

How should we respond to a review that mentions treatment details?

Thank the reviewer and invite them to contact the practice directly, without confirming they are a patient or repeating any details. Discuss the specifics privately, by phone or in person.

How often should we ask for reviews?

Ask every patient once after each visit, or after a course of treatment, rather than repeatedly. A steady routine produces a natural flow of recent reviews.

How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Dental Practice (the Right Way)

Why Google reviews matter for a dental practice