# Marketing Playbook for Dental Practices > A local marketing playbook for dental practices: service and new-patient pages, Google Business Profile, HIPAA-safe review replies, ads, and demand patterns. Canonical: https://vassalmarketing.com/information/industries/dental-practices/ **Maintained by Vassal Marketing** ยท Last updated on September 26, 2026 Reviewed at least quarterly and whenever a platform or rule it cites changes. General information, not legal or professional advice. Check rules that affect your business with a qualified professional. Make it easy for new patients to see what you offer, whether you take their insurance, and how to book. Keep patient privacy first everywhere, especially in review replies: never confirm that someone is a patient or discuss their care in public. ## The customer journey A patient with tooth pain searches for an emergency or same-day dentist, checks who is open and nearby, and calls. Clear hours, emergency policies, and a phone number matter most. Routine and cosmetic patients take longer. They check insurance, services, the dentists' backgrounds, office photos, and reviews about comfort and communication before requesting an appointment. ## What matters most now ### Answer the insurance and new-patient questions List plans you accept or explain how you handle insurance, what the first visit includes, and how to book. These are the questions that stop patients from calling. ### Protect patient privacy in all marketing Use patient photos, stories, or testimonials only with written authorization. Never discuss a patient's care in public replies, even if they posted it first. ### Be clear about emergency and same-day care If you see emergencies, say when and how. If you don't, say where patients should go instead. ### Introduce your dentists accurately Show each dentist's credentials and training as they are. Check your state dental board's rules before using words like "specialist". ### Measure booked new-patient visits Track calls and appointment requests by page, then check which became new-patient visits. Check that any tracking tools meet HIPAA, the federal health privacy law. ## Recommended page plan - A new-patient page covering insurance, first visit, forms, and booking - Service pages for general, cosmetic, or specialty treatments you actually provide - An emergency or same-day care page with hours and instructions - Dentist and team profiles with accurate credentials - A visit page with location, parking, accessibility, and office hours ## Local proof to earn - Office and team photos you own - Patient photos or stories only with written authorization - Accurate licenses, education, and memberships - Reviews that mention comfort, communication, and scheduling ## Useful conversion actions - A tap-to-call button with office hours nearby - An online appointment request that doesn't ask for health details in an unsecured form - An insurance question path by phone or secure form - An emergency call path with clear after-hours instructions ## Mistakes to avoid - Replying to a review with any detail about the reviewer's treatment - Using patient photos or testimonials without written authorization - Calling a dentist a specialist without checking your state's rules - Adding tracking tools to patient forms without checking privacy obligations ## Beyond the website ### Google Business Profile Dental offices are storefronts. Google's guidelines allow individual dentists a profile when they are public-facing and directly reachable at the practice. Categories to review: Dentist, Dental clinic, Cosmetic dentist, Pediatric dentist, Emergency dental service, Orthodontist. Confirm each name in the profile's category picker; Google changes the list. - Choose the primary category that matches the practice's main care. - Decide whether each dentist should have a practitioner profile. - Keep hours, holiday closures, and appointment links current. - Review attributes such as accessibility and set only accurate ones. [Google Business Profile guides](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/google-business-profile.md) ### Reviews Dental reviews mention comfort, gentleness, wait times, billing, and front-desk service. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has settled HIPAA cases with dental practices that disclosed patient information when replying to online reviews. - Never confirm in a reply that the reviewer is a patient. - Use a general reply, such as: "We take every concern seriously. Please call our office manager so we can talk privately." - Don't mention treatments, insurance, costs, or visit dates. - Train everyone who replies on the same rule. [Reviews and reputation guides](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/reviews-reputation.md) ### Paid search and Local Services Ads "Dentist" is on Google's U.S. Local Services Ads (LSA) category list, though Google notes some LSA options aren't available for health care categories. Search ads fit for specific treatments or new-patient campaigns. Google's Local Services Ads category list and setup change over time, and Google began moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals in 2026. Check the current Local Services Ads help pages for your category and area. [Google Ads Help: Local Services Ads transition to Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17213585) - Check LSA availability and requirements for your practice. - Review Google's health care ad policies before launching. - Send treatment ads to the matching treatment page. - Track booked new-patient visits without sending health details to ad platforms. [How Local Services Ads work](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/paid-search/local-services-ads.md) ### Seasons and demand Some patients schedule around insurance benefit years and school calendars, while emergencies happen any time. Your appointment history shows your own pattern. - Remind existing patients about unused benefits before year-end if your plans reset then. - Promote children's checkups before school terms. - Keep emergency information visible year-round. ## Licensing and advertising rules HIPAA limits how practices use and disclose patient information, including in marketing and review replies. State dental boards also regulate advertising, such as specialty claims. - Get written authorization before using patient photos or stories. - Keep review replies free of any patient information. - Check your state dental board's advertising rules. Rules vary by state, locality, and profession, and they change. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with a qualified attorney for your situation. Search visibility, ad performance, calls, leads, and revenue depend on demand, competition, your starting point, and factors outside any agency's control. Results are not guaranteed. ## Questions business owners ask ### How should a dental practice reply to a negative review? Reply briefly without confirming the person is a patient or mentioning any care details. Invite them to call the office so the conversation can happen privately. ### Can we share patient before-and-after photos? Only with the patient's written authorization for that use. Without it, use illustrations or photos you own. ### Should each dentist have a Google profile? Google's guidelines allow practitioner profiles when the dentist is public-facing and reachable at the practice. Decide as a practice so profiles stay accurate when people join or leave. ## Primary guidance - [HHS: Dental practice settles HIPAA case over Yelp review replies (Elite Dental Associates)](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/elite/index.html) - [HHS: Settlement with dental practice over disclosures in online review replies (New Vision Dental)](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/new-vision/index.html) - [Google Business Profile: Guidelines for representing your business](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177) - [Google Local Services Ads: Getting started (U.S. category list)](https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/6224841?hl=en&co=GENIE.CountryCode%3DUS) ## Related industry playbooks - [Marketing Playbook for Professional Service Firms](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/industries/professional-services.md): A local marketing playbook for law, accounting, and advisory firms: practice pages, Google Business Profile, reviews, ads, and professional advertising rules. - [Marketing Playbook for Salons and Barbershops](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/industries/salons-barbers.md): A local marketing playbook for salons and barbershops: service menus, portfolios, booking links, Google Business Profile, reviews, and ads. - [Marketing Playbook for Real Estate Professionals](https://vassalmarketing.com/information/industries/real-estate.md): A local marketing playbook for real estate agents and brokerages: buyer and seller pages, Google Business Profile, reviews, ads, and advertising rules. 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