Patient Acquisition for Dentists: What Actually Works in 2025

10 min read

Most dental marketing advice is written by marketing agencies who want to sell you SEO packages and social media management. They'll tell you to post on Instagram three times a week and "build your personal brand." This is terrible advice for most practices.

I've worked with 40+ dental practices on patient acquisition. Here's what actually moves the needle.

Google Business Profile Is Your Foundation

Before you spend money on anything else, optimize your Google Business Profile. This is free and it's where most of your new patients will actually find you.

When someone searches "dentist near me" or "emergency dentist [your city]," the local pack shows three results. Getting into those three spots is worth more than any paid advertising you could do.

The basics: accurate name, address, and phone number. Photos—lots of photos. Your office, your team, your equipment. Google's algorithm favors profiles with more visual content. Categories matter too: "Dentist" is your primary, but add "Cosmetic Dentist," "Emergency Dental Service," "Dental Implants Provider" as secondary categories if applicable.

The review strategy that works: Ask every satisfied patient for a review immediately after their appointment. Hand them a card with a QR code that goes directly to your review page. Most people are happy to leave a review—they just don't think about it unless prompted.

Reviews Are Your Marketing

You need reviews. A lot of them. Practices with under 20 reviews struggle to rank in local search. Practices with 100+ reviews dominate their markets.

More importantly, reviews are how modern patients make decisions. They'll read your reviews before they call. One detailed negative review can undo the benefit of ten positive ones, so you need volume to maintain a strong rating.

Responding to reviews matters for SEO and for prospective patients who read them. Thank positive reviewers specifically. Respond to negative reviews professionally and invite them to discuss offline. Never argue publicly.

What About SEO?

Traditional SEO—ranking for keywords in organic search—is valuable but overinvested in by most practices. If you're paying $3,000/month for SEO in a mid-size market, you're probably overpaying.

The pages that matter for dental SEO:

Service pages for each treatment you offer (implants, veneers, emergency, etc.)
Location pages if you serve multiple areas
An FAQ page answering common patient questions

That's it. You don't need a blog with weekly posts about "5 Tips for Healthy Teeth." Nobody is reading dental blogs. That content strategy made sense in 2012; it's busywork now.

Paid Advertising: When It Makes Sense

Google Ads for dental keywords are expensive—$15-40 per click in competitive markets. The math can work for high-value procedures like implants or Invisalign, but rarely makes sense for general cleanings.

If you do paid advertising, track everything. Most practices waste money on ads because they don't know which campaigns actually generate patients. Call tracking with dedicated numbers per channel is essential. If your agency can't tell you your cost per new patient by campaign, find a new agency.

Referral Programs

Your existing patients are your best marketing channel. A referral from a friend carries more weight than any advertisement. Yet most practices do nothing to encourage referrals.

A simple referral card—"Refer a friend, you both get $50 off your next visit"—can be effective. But the real key is giving patients an experience worth talking about. Competence is expected. What makes patients tell their friends is feeling genuinely cared for, minimal wait times, and clear communication.

What To Ignore

Social media management packages: Unless you're a celebrity dentist or building a cosmetic-focused practice in a major market, regular Instagram posts don't drive new patients. The effort is better spent elsewhere.

Dental directories beyond the major ones: Healthgrades and Zocdoc can be worthwhile. Most others are SEO schemes that provide no actual patients.

Content marketing agencies: Writing blog posts that no one reads while charging $2,000/month is a business model, just not one that helps you.

Focus on the fundamentals: a great Google Business Profile, a steady stream of reviews, a decent website with clear service pages, and an experience that makes patients want to refer their friends. Everything else is secondary.