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Service · Reviews & reputation
Reviews decide whether they choose you.
Reviews can influence patient choices and local visibility. Their importance varies, and they do not guarantee a ranking or a booking.
Review management for dental practices means having a system for asking patients consistently, regardless of satisfaction, at the right moment, replying to every review including negative ones, and never incentivising or filtering. Reviews influence both Google map rankings and whether a patient chooses you over a competitor. The most important constraints are that offering rewards for reviews breaches platform rules and advertising codes, and that replying to a negative review must not disclose whether the person is a patient or any detail of their care, because patient confidentiality applies in public just as it does anywhere else.
What makes it different
Why it matters more than practices think.
The ask is a system, not a favour
Practices that get reviews consistently have a defined moment when they ask, usually just after a positive treatment outcome, and a named person responsible. Practices that ask when they remember get reviews at random.
Timing beats technique
Asked at the right moment, most patients say yes. Asked at reception while someone is paying and putting a coat on, most do not. The moment matters far more than the wording.
Negative reviews need a reply, carefully
Silence looks worse than the review. But a reply must not confirm the person is a patient or discuss their treatment, because confidentiality applies publicly. Acknowledge, apologise for their experience in general terms, and move it offline.
Never incentivise
Offering entry into a prize draw or a discount for a review breaches platform rules and advertising codes, and it is the kind of thing competitors report.
Where it works
What we actually do.
The work itself, rather than a list of promises.
| What | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A defined asking moment | Agreed as a team, with a named owner, so it happens the same way every time rather than when somebody remembers. |
| Simple mechanics | A short link by text after the appointment. Anything requiring a patient to search for your listing loses most of them. |
| Replies to every review | Positive ones briefly and warmly, negative ones calmly and without disclosing anything. Both are read by the next patient deciding. |
| Recency | A steady trickle beats a burst. Twenty reviews in one week looks manufactured to both patients and platforms. |
| Internal feedback first | Where a patient is unhappy, hearing it privately before it becomes public is better for everyone, provided you are not filtering who is invited to review. |
| Monitoring | Knowing when a review appears, so a reply comes within days rather than months. |
Avoidable
Where practices go wrong
The mistakes we see most often, in roughly the order they cost the most.
- No defined moment to ask, so it happens rarely
- Asking at reception while the patient is paying and leaving
- Offering an incentive, which breaches platform and advertising rules
- Only inviting patients you expect to be positive
- Ignoring negative reviews entirely
- Replying to a negative review with clinical detail or confirming they are a patient
- A burst of reviews in one week after months of nothing
Straight answers
Common questions.
How do dental practices get more reviews?
With a defined moment to ask, a named person responsible, and a short link sent by text after the appointment. Timing matters more than wording, and consistency matters more than either.
Can we offer patients an incentive for a review?
No. Incentivised reviews breach platform rules and advertising codes, and competitors do report them. Ask properly instead.
How should we reply to a negative dental review?
Calmly, without confirming the person is a patient or discussing any clinical detail, because confidentiality applies in public. Acknowledge their experience in general terms and invite them to contact the practice directly.
Do reviews affect Google rankings for dentists?
Yes. Review volume and rating can contribute to prominence in local search, which is one of the main factors in map results.
Can we remove a bad review?
Only if it breaches the platform’s policies, for example if it is fake or abusive. A genuine negative experience will not be removed, so the reply is your response.
Should we only ask happy patients for reviews?
Selectively inviting only patients you expect to be positive is filtering, which platforms treat as manipulation. Ask consistently and handle dissatisfaction directly instead.
Related
Where this connects.
Treatments we market
Free audit
Want to know if this would work in your area?
We will look at demand in your catchment, what competitors are doing, and whether your website and enquiry handling could convert it. Written up and yours to keep. If the answer is that it would not work, we will say so.
Want more reviews?
Tell us how many you have and how you currently ask. Most practices fix this with a process change rather than a subscription.
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