• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RevUp Dental

RevUp Dental

Drive More Patients To Your Practice With Our Patients Generating Dental Platform.

  • Solutions
    • Dental Website DesignBook more patients with our dental websites.
    • Google Ads for DentistsGet more new patients with google ads campaigns for dentists.
    • Dental SEOData-driven dental SEO that brings new patients.
    • Dental Staff TrainingTake your customer service and booking success to the next level.
    • ScorecardRun a smarter, more profitable dental practice.
  • Resources
    • Dental Marketing LibraryExplore our collection of articles focused on the latest trends and best practices in dental marketing.
    • Free eBooksOur free, comprehensive guides for in-depth knowledge and practical strategies to get more patients.
    • Video HubWatch our video tutorials designed to enhance your dental marketing strategies and skills.
    • WebinarsParticipate in our webinars for hands-on training and live feedback.
    • Dental Staff TrainingTake your customer service and booking success to the next level.
  • Testimonials
  • About
  • Login
  • Request a demo

googleads

The Best Dental Marketing Strategies, According to Dentists Who Tried Them

Nick Fotache Filed Under: Dental Marketing Tagged With: googleads April 15, 2026

The Best Dental Marketing Strategies, According to Dentists Who Tried Them

  • Nick Fotache Headshot
    Nick Fotache
    Updated September 28, 2026 03:04 pm

Key Takeaways

  • Google Reviews are your cheapest and most effective growth tool. Build a system, make it a team priority, and treat it like a competition. It costs nothing and it works.
  • The patients you need are already in your system. A simple recall campaign targeting inactive patients will almost always outperform any new paid strategy you try.
  • Google Ads gets you patients fast, but the moment you stop paying, you stop existing. It works best when you have the budget to compete properly in your market.
  • SEO takes time but builds something you actually own. The dentists who saw real results committed to it for 12 months or more and didn't quit early.
  • Radio, social media, and direct mail were the biggest money wasters. Dentists tried them, spent a lot, and most said they'd never do it again.

If you’re a dentist who wants to grow your dental practice, marketing is something you’ve had to think about from day one. You open the doors, you’ve got the clinical skills, you’ve got the team, but at the end of the day you still need new patients walking in to be successful.

So you start looking around. What can you do for marketing? What should you try? What are other practices doing? And once you start looking into it, you realize there are a lot of marketing companies out there telling you they have the solution to your problem.

And if you sit down and talk to them, every single one will confidently tell you the same thing: what they sell is the thing that will bring you more new patients. The SEO company says SEO is the answer. The Google Ads expert says paid traffic is the fastest way to grow. The website design agency says your website is holding you back.

And if you’re a dentist who’s been practicing for a few years, you’ve probably tested a few marketing strategies. Some might have worked really well. But most were probably just a big waste of time and money.

Now imagine this. Wouldn’t it be much easier if you could just go to other dentists across the country and ask them straight up: what brought you the most new patients? What actually worked for you in marketing? And what would you never do again because it was a total waste of money?

That’s exactly what we wanted to find out. We created a survey dentists could answer anonymously, and asked them what they’ve actually tried over the past ten years to grow their practice.

Survey dentists could answer anonymously media

And then for every strategy they said they tried, we asked them:

  • How much did you spend on it?
  • How long did you try it?
  • How many and what kind of patients did it bring in?
Rate the quality media

We wanted to understand what really happened when they tried it. So let’s break down what dentists actually tried, what worked, what didn’t, and where they saw the best return.

The Best Free Dental Marketing Strategies

Let’s start with some good news. There are a few marketing strategies that are completely free. And when we looked at the data, some of these free strategies actually outperformed the paid ones.

So which ones came out on top? Let’s look at the top three.

1. Google Reviews

89% of dentists in our survey had actively worked on getting more reviews. And when you think about it, it makes sense. When a patient needs a dentist, they go to Google and type in “dentist near me,” they see a few clinics, and they pick based on who looks the most trustworthy.

Image Google Reviews

And for dentists, Google reviews are a big part of building that trust. If the practice down the street from you has 400 reviews and a 4.9 rating and you have 30 with a 4.8 rating, patients will pick your competitor down the street.

Also, Google reviews brought in good quality patients too. 48% of the dentists that tried Google reviews rated the patients they got a 5 out of 5.

Now, when we asked dentists what they did to collect reviews, most of them weren’t doing anything complicated. Some used automated tools like Weave or BirdEye or Trustpilot to send follow up messages after appointments. Others just asked patients directly. The dentists who got the most reviews just had a consistent system for tracking and asking for them.

But here’s something one dentist pointed out that really highlights the main issue most practices have with collecting reviews: “Getting reviews depends heavily on your staff. If your front desk isn’t asking, it doesn’t happen.”

As a dentist, you’re in the operatory most of the day. You don’t really see how your staff interacts with patients at the front desk. You don’t know if they’re actually asking for reviews, or if they’re just telling you they are.

And here’s something we’ve been telling our clients for years. If you actually want to grow and beat your competitors on Google reviews, the easiest thing you can do is get a whiteboard.

Write your practice name on it, then add the names of your top five competitors. Every week or month, track how many new reviews each practice gets.

Image Whiteboard

Now suddenly everyone in the office can see the score. Your team sees if you’re falling behind. They see when a competitor is pulling ahead. And when your number goes up, they see that too.

It turns reviews into something visible and measurable. And once it’s on the board, it becomes something the whole team starts paying attention to.

Here’s a funny story. A couple of years ago, one of our clients kept hearing the same thing from his staff for months. They told him they ask patients for reviews every day, but nobody wants to leave reviews. Patients are busy. They just want to get out the door.

So he decided to try something new. He told his team that if they managed to become the most reviewed dental practice in their very competitive area, he would close the practice for a few days and take the entire staff on an all inclusive vacation to the Dominican Republic. He needed about 350 reviews to become the top rated practice.

350 reviews

Guess what happened? They got there in 3 weeks. They collected more reviews in 3 weeks than they had in nearly 3 years.

Now to most of you this may feel extreme. That vacation probably cost him $10,000 or more. However, because he became the most reviewed dental practice in the city, they brought in so many new patients that the investment paid for itself many times over. They generated an additional $1.2 million in production the following year. So was it worth it? Yeah, definitely.

So set a clear goal for your team and put a prize on the table. Because when your team can actually see the scoreboard and the prize, they start caring about the score, and suddenly asking patients for reviews goes from something that happens now and then to something that happens after every appointment.

2. Referrals

77% of dentists in our survey said they had actively worked on getting more referrals. And out of every strategy we looked at, referrals produced the highest quality patients.

In fact, 59% of dentists who received referrals rated those patients a 5 out of 5 in quality. Higher than any other marketing channel in the entire survey.

Bring in like minded people media

And it makes total sense. A referred patient was sent to you by someone they already trust, like a close friend or a family member. So they walk in already confident in you. They’re not comparing you to three other practices down the street. In their mind, the decision has already been made.

And when it comes to generating referrals, most dentists in our survey weren’t running complicated reward programs or anything like that. They said referrals were simply happening naturally.

One interesting comment a dentist left in the survey was that referrals tend to bring in like minded people. Your best patients send you more people just like them. So if you already have great patients and they refer someone, there’s a very good chance that new patient will also be a great fit for your practice.

Referrals

From a marketing standpoint, referrals have one big limitation. They’re not very scalable.

You can’t just throw more money at referrals and suddenly double the number of patients coming in next month. Sure, you can try things like referral rewards or incentives, but those only work if the patient experience is already great.

Because at the end of the day, the real engine behind referrals is the experience patients have in your practice. If someone has a great visit, they might tell their friends or family. If they don’t, they won’t.

Referrals have one big limitation

And the challenge is that you can’t really “turn up the dial” on that. If you’re already providing a great patient experience, there’s only so much more you can do. Referrals either come in, or they don’t, and you don’t have all that much control over them.

That’s why referrals tend to be inconsistent. Some months you get a lot of them. Other months you barely get any. They’re incredibly valuable when they happen, but from a marketing perspective they’re not something you can reliably scale or depend on to consistently grow your practice.

3. Recall Campaigns

This is something many dentists have probably thought about at some point. Inside your patient management system, you already have a huge list of patients who came to your practice, had a good experience, but never booked another appointment.

Maybe they got busy. Life got in the way. They meant to call back and never did.

In our survey, about 20% of dentists said they had tried recall campaigns. And the way they reached out was through a mix of SMS, email, and phone calls. They weren’t relying on just one channel. Reaching out in multiple ways increases the chances that the patient actually responds.

Reaching out in multiple ways

When it came to managing the campaigns, 86% relied on their own staff to handle it. No agency, no outside help. Just their existing team using their patient management system.

The remaining 14% used dedicated third party tools to automate the process. The platforms that came up most often were Weave, Solutionreach, NexHealth, and Dental Intelligence.

And dentists who tried recall campaigns didn’t just run them once and move on. Most kept them running for 12 months or longer. Which makes sense, because this isn’t a one time effort. Every month, new patients become inactive. So the campaign just runs in the background and continues bringing people back.

When we looked at the results, most dentists rated the quality of returning patients a 4 or 5 out of 5. And that makes total sense. These people already know you. They’ve already visited your practice and had a good experience. You’re not trying to convince them to choose you. You’re simply reminding them it’s time to come back.

So before you spend money trying to attract brand new patients, it’s worth looking at the ones already sitting in your system. They’re the low hanging fruit.

The Best Paid Strategies That Bring Patients

Now let’s move on to paid strategies. When most dentists think about marketing, they usually think about spending money. Running ads, doing SEO, sending flyers, or investing in something that will bring in more new patients.

But not all marketing strategies are created equal. You could spend one dollar on one strategy and get two dollars back. Spend that same dollar somewhere else and get ten dollars back. Every marketing channel has a different return on investment.

Image ROI

1. Google Ads

It’s no surprise this is the most popular paid marketing strategy we found in the survey. When a patient in your area searches for a dentist, Google Ads puts your practice right at the top of the search results. You’re not waiting to show up organically with SEO, which could take 6 to 12 months or more. Ads are instant and you can show up at the top of the page right away.

And for many dentists, that’s incredibly appealing. If you’re starting a new practice or you simply need more new patients right away, Google Ads gives you immediate visibility. That’s why so many dentists rely on it.

Image Google Ads

Google Ads can work very well, but it’s not cheap. To actually generate new patients, you need to be willing to invest a meaningful amount each month. In our survey, most dentists who reported good results with Google Ads were spending between $1,000 and $2,000 per month.

But that number can vary quite a bit depending on where your practice is located. If you’re in a smaller market where not many other practices are running ads, clicks can actually be pretty affordable. You might get away with $500 to $1,000 in ad spend and pay a marketing company another $500 to $1,000 to manage it. In that kind of market, Google Ads can absolutely work within a $1,500 to $2,000 total budget.

But here’s the reality for most dentists in North America. Dozens of practices in your area are probably already running Google Ads, because it’s one of the fastest ways to get new patients. And when a lot of people are bidding on the same keywords, the cost goes up.

Image Keywords

In most competitive markets, you’d need at least $1,500 in ad spend alone just to have a real shot, and then you’re paying your agency on top of that.

Another thing dentists need to understand about Google Ads is that it usually takes time to really start working well. You might get some results in the first month. But if you want to get the most out of your campaigns, Google Ads usually needs to run for several months. That’s because the system is constantly learning. It’s figuring out which keywords bring the right patients, which ads people actually click on, and which searches lead to phone calls or appointment requests.

Over time, the campaigns become more optimized and the results usually improve. In our survey, dentists who ran Google Ads for 12 months or longer were much more likely to say it brought them a steady flow of new patients compared to dentists who only tried it for a few months and then stopped.

When it came to patient quality, 78% of dentists in our survey rated the quality of patients they got through Google Ads a 4 or 5 out of 5. When someone searches on Google for things like “dentist near me,” “emergency dentist,” or “family dentist,” they’re usually looking for care right now. 

They already have a clear intent to book an appointment. So by the time they click on your ad and call your practice, they’re not just casually browsing. They’re actively looking for a dentist.

And when it comes to how dentists actually run their Google Ads, 91% aren’t doing it themselves. Google Ads is a complex system and if you don’t have experience with the platform, it’s very easy to burn through your budget without getting the results you’re hoping for. That’s why most dentists rely on an expert to manage it.

2. SEO

When it comes to SEO, dentists usually have one of two experiences.

Some dentists understand that SEO takes time. They know it’s a long term investment, so they commit to it and give it the time and budget it needs to work. Others go into it hoping for quick results. When they don’t see a big improvement in the first month or two, they assume it isn’t working and they stop.

Image SEO progress

And our survey data showed a very clear pattern. The dentists who actually saw results were the ones who committed to SEO long term. Most of them ran SEO for 12 months or more and invested somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 per month. On the other hand, dentists who spent less and stopped after just a few months usually saw very little return and thought SEO was a waste of money.

A proper dental SEO strategy usually involves several things working together. Optimizing your website, improving your Google Business Profile, building backlinks, and publishing content regularly.

And that’s exactly what we saw in the survey:

  • Over 90% of dentists focused on website optimization
  • About 70% were working on Google Business Profile and local SEO
  • Around 60% were building backlinks and publishing articles

The key takeaway here is that none of these things work very well in isolation. Optimizing your website alone usually isn’t enough to rank. Working on your Google Business Profile alone usually isn’t enough either. SEO works when all of these elements are happening together and consistently over time. That’s why dentists who only tried one or two things and stopped early rarely saw much progress.

When it came to patient quality, 70% of dentists rated the quality of patients a 4 or 5 out of 5. When patients search on Google, they can clearly see which results are ads. Google labels them as sponsored, so people know those placements are paid for.

Image Search results

Organic results tend to carry more trust because they feel earned rather than bought. People who call you because they found your practice organically on Google have this perception that you’re showing up because you must be a good practice. They are generally very high quality patients who are easy to book.

Part 3: Where Dentists Set Their Money on Fire

Now let’s talk about the marketing strategies dentists tried that ultimately turned out to be money down the drain.

Where Dentists Set Their Money on Fire

In our survey, dentists had a lot of different marketing strategies to choose from. But a few of them kept coming back with the same story: a lot of money spent and very little to show for it. And what’s interesting is that some of these strategies are still being used by dentists today, and in many cases they’re still being actively pushed by marketing agencies.

Radio Ads

On the surface, it sounds like it should work. Your practice name gets broadcast across the city, thousands of people hear about your clinic, and it feels like you’re getting your name out there.

RadioRadio Ads Ads

But when we looked at what dentists in our survey actually got back from radio advertising, the story was very different. Most dentists who tried radio ads were spending $3,000 or more per month on these campaigns. And despite that level of investment, not a single dentist said it brought them a significant number of new patients.

One dentist even shared that the only reason they tried radio was because they won a free campaign. They said they got very few patients from it and wouldn’t recommend it.

And the reason radio ads struggle for dentists is actually pretty simple. When your ad plays on the radio, most of the people listening aren’t looking for a dentist. They’re driving to work, cooking dinner, or just going about their day. So you’re paying to reach a massive audience, hoping that one of those listeners happens to need a dentist at that exact moment and then remembers your practice later when they decide to book. That’s a very expensive gamble.

Social Media

Now this one is going to sound counterintuitive. Because you see every dental practice posting on Instagram and Facebook. You scroll through and you think: “Maybe I should be doing this. Maybe I’m missing out.” It feels like something you should be doing to get more new patients.

Social Media Post Screenshot

So let’s look at what the dentists in our survey actually experienced.

About 60% of dentists said they had tried social media marketing in some form. Most of them focused on organic posting. Things like sharing photos from the clinic, before and after pictures, team updates, or educational content. About half of the dentists said they only posted organically and didn’t run any paid ads at all.

Some dentists did experiment with paid ads on top of their posts. But most of them were spending less than $500 per month. And the dentists who spent money on social media ads reported almost the exact same results as the ones who were only posting organically. In other words, adding paid ads on top of social media posting barely moved the needle when it came to bringing in new patients.

Overall, the results from social media were not very strong. Not a single dentist in our survey said social media brought them a lot of new patients. Most said it brought them only a few. And many said they weren’t even sure if it brought them any patients at all.

When it came to patient quality, the ratings were also lower than any other strategy we looked at. On average, dentists rated social media patients 3 out of 5. And that probably explains why many dentists didn’t stick with it. About half of the dentists who tried social media stopped within six months. What’s interesting is that even the dentists who continued for 12 months or longer didn’t report much better results.

So why doesn’t it work? The answer is that social media is an entertainment platform. People open Instagram or Facebook to see what their friends are doing, watch funny videos, kill time. They’re not looking for a dentist. So unless your content stops them mid-scroll and makes them genuinely interested, the algorithm starts to hide it. People don’t find dental content on social media interesting. It’s not sexy. It’s not funny.

A lot of the content dentists post simply isn’t very interesting. You often see stock photos, generic dental tips, or captions that feel very corporate and boring. Things like “Don’t forget to floss” or “Your smile is important.” Content like that usually doesn’t grab anyone’s attention.

You often see stock photos media

That said, there are dentists who get a lot of engagement online without going viral. Their posts get shared, and patients in their community actually pay attention to what they post. We put everything we learned from those dentists into a free social media guide that we update every year with new examples and strategies. You can find the link at the bottom of this article.

2026 Social Media Guide

As a dentist, you may often see your competitors actively posting on social media and wonder what you’re missing out on. You might question whether investing time and effort into social media is truly worthwhile.

Download the Guide

Direct Mail

26% of dentists in our survey tried it. Most got back only a few new patients. When it came to patient quality, the ratings were also very low, 1 or 2 out of 5, making it one of the lowest rated strategies in the entire survey.

Some of the comments from dentists were pretty telling. One dentist said they tried it once and it wasn’t worth it. Another said they experimented with it years ago and the return on investment just wasn’t there.

Direct Mail Flayer Media

And it’s not hard to understand why. Direct mail lands in a pile of other mail that most people flip through for about three seconds before most of it goes straight in the bin.

The people who do respond are usually responding to the offer: a free consultation, a discounted exam, a whitening special. So you’re attracting deal hunters, coupon clippers, and price shoppers. Patients who came in because of a discount are less likely to stay long term, less likely to accept bigger treatment plans, and more likely to leave the moment another practice offers them a better deal.

So in the end, many dentists reported spending a lot of money to acquire patients who weren’t very loyal and didn’t generate much long term value.

The Best Marketing Strategy With a $1,500 to $2,000 Budget

So let’s say you’re a dentist in a competitive market. You’ve decided to invest in marketing, and you have a monthly budget of about $1,500 to $2,000. The question is: how should you spend that money to bring in the most new patients?

First, focus on Google Reviews.

They’re completely free, they’re relatively easy to get, and you don’t need an agency to help you with this. Most practices can handle it in house with their own staff.

You can ask patients directly for a review, set up automated messages that go out after appointments, track how many reviews you’re getting every month, and make it a real priority for your team.

Image Google Reviews 2

Reviews also have a compounding effect. The more reviews you have, the more trust you build online. And the more trust you build, the easier it becomes for new patients to choose your practice.

If you want a structured system for getting more Google reviews consistently, we created a Google Reviews course for dentists that covers exactly how to do this.

Course image

Boost Google Reviews to Grow Your Practice

Become the most reviewed and trusted dental practice in your area by building a constant stream of five star Google reviews.

Learn More

The Next Piece is Visibility

Google reviews help you build trust. But trust only matters once patients actually know your practice exists. You could be the best dentist in the city, but if nobody knows about your practice, you’re basically the best kept secret.

Now if you want to get visible and in front of patients who are actively searching for a dentist, you really have two options with a solid return on investment. Google Ads or SEO.

With Google Ads, the cost really depends on where you’re located. If you’re in a smaller market where not many other practices are running ads, clicks can actually be pretty cheap. You might get away with $500 to $1,000 in ad spend and pay a marketing company another $500 to $1,000 to manage it. In that scenario, Google Ads could absolutely work within this budget.

But here’s the reality for most dentists in North America. Dozens of practices in your area are probably already running Google Ads because of how effective they are and how quickly they can get results. And when a lot of people are bidding on the same keywords, the cost goes up. In most competitive markets, you’d need at least $1,500 in ad spend alone to have a real shot, and then you’re paying your agency on top of that.

And there’s another thing to understand about Google Ads. It’s like a tap. The second you turn it off, the water stops flowing. You stop paying Google, you stop showing up. You don’t exist.

Patient Flow

That’s why with a budget of $1,500 to $2,000, you’re usually better off putting that into SEO.

Think of it like the difference between renting and owning a house. With Google Ads, you’re renting your visibility. Sure, the monthly cost might feel manageable, but the moment you stop paying, you’re out. With SEO, you’re building something you actually own. You’re earning rankings and building a reputation online that doesn’t just vanish when you stop writing checks.

Now just like a house, it takes upkeep. If you stop maintaining a house, it doesn’t fall apart the next day. But slowly, over time, things start to deteriorate. It’s the same thing with SEO. If you reach the first page on Google and then stop all work completely, your rankings aren’t going to disappear overnight. But without any ongoing effort, you will slowly start to slide down. It takes a while, but it happens.

The point is, with SEO you’re building an asset. With Google Ads, you’re renting one. And when your budget is limited, owning beats renting every time.

Marketing Is More Than Just Ads or SEO

At the end of the day, getting a new patient in your chair isn’t just about running ads or getting more reviews. It’s a whole system working together.

You need visibility so patients find you. You need trust so they choose you over the practice down the street. Your staff needs to make a great first impression and actually convert that phone call into a booked appointment. And you need to track all of it, so you always know what’s working, what isn’t, and where you’re losing patients you should be keeping.

That’s exactly what we do at RevUp Dental. We handle dental marketing end to end, which means we take care of every piece of that system for you. And unlike most marketing companies that will run your ads and call it a day, we don’t stop there. If patients are finding you but not booking, that’s still our problem. We focus on the whole patient journey, from the moment someone searches for a dentist to the moment they sit down in your chair, and everything in between.

Course image

What If Getting More New Patients Was Never a Problem Again?

Imagine focusing entirely on doing great dental work, while a steady stream of new patients keeps walking through the door.

Book a Demo

Related Articles

Google Ads for Dentists: The Ultimate Guide for Dental Practices

revupmanager Filed Under: Google Ads Tagged With: googleads August 18, 2025

Google Ads for Dentists: The Ultimate Guide for Dental Practices

Key Takeaways

  • Google Ads drives immediate revenue. PPC connects you with high-intent patients right now, unlike long-term SEO.
  • Quality beats high bids. Winning ads rely on relevance and landing page quality, not just outspending competitors.
  • Target hyper-locally. Focus on a 5–10 mile radius and specific keywords to eliminate wasted ad spend.
  • Split the budget strategically. Allocate funds across General Dentistry, High-Ticket Services, and Urgent Care for maximum ROI.
  • Your website must convert. A poor landing page will sabotage even the best ad, acting as a "leaky bucket" for your budget.

Are you frustrated with marketing agencies that overpromise and underdeliver? Have you spent a fortune on Google Ads only to watch your budget disappear without seeing real results? Or maybe your social media efforts just aren’t converting into new patient appointments, and you’re ready for a more effective solution.

Google Ads, when executed properly, can transform your dental practice’s marketing strategy. It’s one of the most powerful tools for attracting high-quality leads and filling up those empty slots in your schedule. The key lies in crafting a well-planned, results-driven campaign that aligns with your practice’s goals and local market.

How Google Ads for Dentists Work

Google Ads is a powerful digital marketing tool for dentists looking to attract new patients. As a pay-per-click (PPC) platform, it allows you to display your ads to people actively searching for dental services in your area. This means your practice can reach potential patients at the exact moment they’re looking for services like teeth cleanings, emergency dental care, cosmetic procedures, and more.

The platform works by targeting keywords—specific terms or phrases potential patients type into Google, such as “dentist near me,” “teeth whitening,” or “dental implants in [your city].”

When someone searches for these terms, Google’s algorithm evaluates which ads to display based on relevance, quality, and your bid amount (the maximum you’re willing to pay for a click).

A Google Ads strategy is essential for ensuring your ads show up at the right time. If your campaign for your dental practice is well-structured, your ad appears prominently on the search results page, increasing the likelihood that patients will click on your ad and visit your website.

Google Ads uses an auction system to determine ad placement. This auction considers several factors:

  • Your Bid Amount: How much you’re willing to pay per click.

  • Ad Relevance: How closely your ad matches the patient’s search intent and dental needs.

  • Landing Page Quality: Whether your website provides a good user experience and relevant information about your dental services.

Google rewards ads that align with what users are searching for, so focusing on creating compelling ads is crucial for optimizing your ads.

Google Ads offers several formats tailored to different goals:

  • Search Ads: Text-based ads that appear at the top of search results, directly reaching people searching for specific dental services.

  • Local Service Ads (LSAs): Ads that highlight your dental office to patients in your geographic area. These ads also include trust-building elements like reviews and contact details, which help your dental practice stand out.

  • Display Ads: Visual banner ads that appear on websites across Google’s Display Network, ideal for raising awareness about your practice and driving traffic to your website.

By leveraging Google Ads, you can set specific parameters, such as geographic targeting, ensuring your ads are shown only to potential patients within your practice’s area. For instance, you can focus on ads that target patients within a 10-mile radius of your dental practice, optimizing your budget to reach those most likely to book an appointment.

When you set up a Google Ads account, you gain access to tools that allow you to fine-tune your ads and monitor the performance of your Google Ads. Understanding why Google Ads work, and investing in Google Ads correctly, can significantly contribute to your practice growth and help your dental practice stand out in the competitive dental industry.

Advantages of Google Ads for Your Dental Practice

Google Ads offers several benefits for dental practices looking to grow their patient base. With its ability to target specific keywords, geographic areas, and patient needs, Google Ads can help you attract high-quality leads and fill your appointment slots.

Highly Targeted Advertising

One of the biggest advantages of Google Ads for your dental practice is its ability to reach patients actively searching for dental services.

By targeting specific keywords and geographic areas, you can connect with potential patients right when they’re looking for services like teeth cleanings, emergency care, or cosmetic treatments. With the power of Google Ads, you can ensure your ads are shown to people who are already interested in what you offer.

Local Reach

For dental practices, local service ads and geotargeting ensure your ads are seen by patients in your immediate area, increasing the likelihood of booking appointments.

Since patients often choose a dentist based on proximity, using Google Ads to focus on your local community ensures you’re reaching those most likely to book with your practice.

Immediate Results

Unlike dental SEO, which can take months to yield results, Google Ads provides immediate visibility. Your ads can start driving patients to your practice the moment your campaign goes live.

Whether you’re using PPC ads to promote specific services like dental implants or routine procedures, the benefits of your dental services are instantly showcased to potential patients.

Immediate Results

Scalable Budget

With Google Ads, you have complete control over your spending. You can set daily and monthly budgets, allowing for a flexible ads campaign for your dental practice regardless of size. However, in competitive markets where multiple dental practices are bidding on the same keywords, starting with a substantial budget is important.

In these cases, a larger investment is often necessary to achieve tangible results, as small budgets may not gain enough traction, leading to underwhelming performance and wasted resources.

Measurable Performance

Google Ads offers tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your Google Ads campaign. You’ll have access to detailed data on how many dental patients clicked your ads, visited your site, or called your practice.

With these insights, you can continually optimize your Google Ads strategy to ensure you’re getting the best possible return on investment and improving your Google Ads performance over time.

Disadvantages of Google Ads for Dentists

While Google Ads can be an incredibly effective tool for attracting new patients, it’s not without its challenges. Managing Google Ads requires time, expertise, and a significant budget to ensure you’re getting the best results. Without proper planning and ongoing adjustments, it’s easy to overspend and miss out on potential opportunities.

Google Ads Cost

Cost

While Google Ads can be a powerful tool for dental practices to reach potential patients, the ads cost can quickly add up. As more dental practices compete for the same keywords, the costs continue to rise. Without proper optimization, such as choosing your dental keywords carefully and refining your dental ad copy, your campaign can become expensive with little to show for it. Google AdWords allows you to control your budget, but if you don’t have the right marketing campaigns in place, you may not see the best results.

Steep Learning Curve

Running Google Ads effectively requires expertise. Without a solid understanding of how Google Ads works, poorly managed campaigns can waste precious resources. Many dentists may need to work with a dental PPC agency or an expert Google Ads professional to help design and optimize campaigns. Failure to optimize ads on Google can prevent your ads from showing or diminish their effectiveness, leading to wasted spend.

Dependence on Paid Traffic

One downside of Google Ads is that it can make your practice overly reliant on paid traffic. If you pause or stop your Google Ads campaigns, patient inquiries may drop off, as the flow of new patients can dry up, much like turning off a faucet. Google Ads goes beyond just an advertising tool—it’s part of your broader marketing campaigns, but shouldn’t be your only source of patient acquisition. To grow your dental practice sustainably, it’s essential to also focus on other strategies like dental SEO, content marketing, and patient referrals.

Requires Ongoing Maintenance

Google Ads is not a “set-it-and-forget-it” platform. Running Google Ads requires consistent monitoring, fine-tuning, and ongoing optimization to ensure the effectiveness of your Google Ads. Failing to update keywords, ad copy, and bidding strategies can result in poor performance. Keeping your ads often updated and well-targeted ensures you’re getting the best results.

Website Quality Matters

No matter how well-crafted your dental ads are, a poorly designed website or landing page can undermine your campaign. If your website doesn’t build trust with patients or provide clear information about your dental services, you could lose potential leads. Investing in a well-optimized website is crucial to converting clicks from your ads on Google into actual appointments. To prevent your ads from leading to wasted clicks, ensure your site delivers the right message to visitors.

What’s a Good Budget for Dental Google Ads Campaigns?

In large cities or regions with many dental practices, the cost-per-click (CPC) for high-demand keywords like “cosmetic dentist near me” or “emergency dental care” can range from $5 to $15—or even higher.

Practices in less competitive areas may experience lower CPCs, but maintaining a robust budget is still crucial to consistently attract high-quality leads. As a general guideline, you should plan to invest at least $1,500 to $3,000 per month for meaningful results.

However, in highly competitive markets, a budget of $5,000 or more per month may be necessary to stay ahead of the competition and generate measurable outcomes.

Your Google Ads services go beyond just ad spend. Additional costs to factor in include:

  • Landing Page Development: Professionally designed landing pages, which can cost $1,000 to $2,000 or more, are vital for converting clicks into patients. A well-optimized dental website or landing page ensures that ads to help convert leads into real business.

  • Management Fees: If you hire a dental marketing agency to manage your campaigns, expect an additional cost for professional oversight and optimization. Google Ads allows for great flexibility, but it takes expertise to ensure your ads are reaching potential patients. A skilled dental marketing agency can help work for your practice, refining targeting, improving ad performance, and reducing wasted spend.

What’s a Good Budget for Dental Google Ads Campaigns

Common Mistakes in Dental Google Ads Campaigns

Running a successful Google Ads campaign requires careful planning and execution. However, many dental practices fall into common traps that limit their results and waste advertising dollars. Here are some of the most frequent mistakes dentists make with their Google Ads campaigns:

Overly Broad Targeting

One of the biggest mistakes is trying to target too many services or using overly generic keywords. Terms like “dentist” or “dental services” may generate traffic, but much of it will be irrelevant or unqualified. This broad approach dilutes your campaign’s effectiveness and leads to wasted ad spend.

Instead, focus on specific, high-demand services in your area, such as “teeth cleaning near me” or “emergency dental care in [city]”.  Narrowing your targeting not only helps attract the right audience but also positions your practice as a specialist in those areas.

Common Mistakes in Dental Google Ads Campaigns

Neglecting Geographic Targeting

Another common error is failing to set appropriate geographic boundaries for your ads. Dental services are inherently local, yet some practices cast too wide a net, showing ads to users outside their service area. This leads to wasted clicks from people unlikely to visit your practice.

By using geotargeting features, you can ensure your ads are only shown to users in specific locations, such as a 5-10 mile radius around your practice. Precise targeting helps optimize your budget and increases the likelihood of reaching potential patients.

Neglecting Geographic Targeting

Underfunding Campaigns

Some dental practices try to “test the waters” with minimal budgets, expecting immediate results. Unfortunately, this approach often backfires. Google Ads requires consistent investment to gather enough data and refine your campaign. Insufficient funding can result in poor ad placement, limited reach, and an inability to compete in high-demand markets.

Successful campaigns often require a commitment to a higher initial budget, especially in competitive areas. This allows you to collect meaningful data over several months, helping you fine-tune your strategy and optimize performance.

Ignoring Ad Quality and Relevance

Poorly written ads or irrelevant content can harm your campaign’s performance. Google prioritizes ads that match user intent and provide value. If your ad copy is generic, unclear, or lacks compelling calls-to-action, it will fail to attract clicks or convert users into patients.

Take the time to craft clear, engaging ads that highlight the benefits of your services. Mention key differentiators, such as same-day appointments, family discounts, or flexible payment options, and ensure your ad copy aligns with the services and location you’re targeting.

Overlooking Website and Landing Page Optimization

Even with high-performing ads, a poorly designed website can sabotage your efforts. If your landing pages are slow to load, difficult to navigate, or lack important information like contact details and patient reviews, potential patients will leave without booking.

Ensure your landing pages are tailored to specific ad campaigns. For example, if your ad promotes teeth whitening, link directly to a page detailing the procedure, benefits, and pricing. High-quality landing pages enhance user experience, build trust, and improve conversion rates.

Failing to Track and Optimize Performance

Running a Google Ads campaign without tracking its performance is a recipe for failure. Many practices neglect to set up proper analytics, such as conversion tracking, which helps measure the success of your campaign. Without this data, it’s impossible to identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

Regularly review metrics like click-through rate (CTR), cost per lead, and conversion rates to optimize your campaign. A data-driven approach allows you to adjust keywords, bids, and targeting to maximize results over time.

Allocating Budget for Different Dental Services

When planning your Google Ads budget, it’s essential to understand how different types of services impact cost and strategy. Each category of service appeals to distinct patient needs, has varying levels of demand, and comes with unique cost considerations. Here’s how to approach budgeting for common dental services:

General Dentistry Services

General dentistry includes services like teeth cleanings, exams, fillings, and basic preventative care. These are the foundation of most dental practices and have a broad appeal, as nearly everyone requires routine dental care.

  • Budget Requirements: These services typically require a moderate budget because the keywords (e.g., “dentist near me” or “teeth cleaning”) tend to have lower cost-per-click (CPC) compared to specialized services. Additionally, the demand for these services is steady year-round, making them a reliable focus for consistent lead generation.
  • Why It Works: Advertising general dentistry positions your practice as the go-to provider for routine care. Patients searching for these services often develop long-term relationships with their dentists, providing lifetime value.
  • Recommended Approach: Allocate 30-50% of your budget to these services, as they can help establish your practice as trustworthy and approachable. Use ads with compelling offers like “New Patient Special” or “Free Initial Exam” to attract new patients.

High-Ticket Services (e.g., Implants, Veneers, Invisalign)

High-ticket services such as dental implants, veneers, and orthodontics represent significant revenue opportunities. These procedures are often elective, meaning patients take more time to research options, compare providers, and weigh costs.

  • Budget Requirements: High-ticket services come with higher CPCs, often ranging from $15 to $50 or more per click, depending on your location and competition. However, the potential return on investment (ROI) is substantial, as each conversion could bring thousands of dollars in revenue.
  • Why It Works: Patients searching for these services are often highly motivated to proceed with treatment. A well-optimized campaign targeting these procedures can yield excellent results, especially when paired with testimonials, before-and-after photos, and flexible payment options.
  • Recommended Approach: Allocate 20-30% of your budget to these services, ensuring you have the funds to compete for high-value keywords. Focus on creating ads that emphasize your expertise, patient success stories, and unique selling points, such as advanced technology or free consultations.

Emergency Services

Emergency dental services, such as treating toothaches, abscesses, or broken teeth, cater to patients with urgent needs. These individuals are often searching for immediate solutions and are ready to book an appointment as soon as possible.

  • Budget Requirements: Emergency services require aggressive bidding because search intent is high and competition is fierce. Keywords like “emergency dentist near me” or “urgent dental care” often have a high CPC, but these leads are highly likely to convert into same-day or next-day appointments.
  • Why It Works: Patients seeking emergency dental care are typically not price-sensitive—they prioritize immediate relief over cost. This makes them more likely to accept treatment recommendations during their visit, increasing the overall value of these cases.
  • Recommended Approach: Allocate 20-30% of your budget to emergency services, especially if your practice has availability for same-day appointments. Use ad copy that emphasizes urgency and convenience, such as “Immediate Appointments Available” or “Open Evenings and Weekends.” Highlight your phone number prominently in the ad to encourage direct calls.
Allocating Budget for Different Dental Services

Optimizing Your Google Ads Strategy For Your Practice’s Goals

When it comes to running successful Google Ads campaigns, aligning your strategy with your specific practice goals is key. Whether you’re focused on building awareness, maximizing ROI, or filling last-minute appointments, understanding how to tailor your ads for each objective can significantly boost your results.

If You’re Building Awareness

Start by focusing on general dental services that most people need, like teeth cleanings, exams, and check-ups. These services are something nearly everyone needs at some point, so using ads to promote them helps you reach a wide audience. Make sure your ads highlight why regular dental care is important, and let people know your practice is a trusted place for everyday dental needs.

If You Want High ROI

For the best return on your investment, spend more on ads for high-value services like dental implants, veneers, or braces. These treatments cost more, but they also bring in more money over time. Target your ads to people specifically looking for these services, and make sure your ad copy shows why your practice is the best choice for these bigger procedure

If You Need Immediate Appointments Filled

If you need to fill appointments right away, focus on emergency dental services. People searching for urgent care, like toothaches or broken teeth, are usually ready to book right now. Use ads that highlight your practice’s ability to see people quickly, and make it easy for them to schedule. This helps you fill your schedule with last-minute appointments and keep your practice busy.

Conclusion

Google Ads can be a game-changer for your dental practice, offering a powerful way to reach new patients, increase visibility, and drive growth. By aligning your ads with your practice’s specific goals—whether it’s building awareness, maximizing ROI from high-ticket services, or filling immediate appointment slots—you can ensure your marketing efforts are focused and effective.

Fill your schedule fast with Google Ads & start seeing real results!

Let us help you attract the right patients with a targeted, customized campaign. Reach out today to learn how we can make Google Ads work for your practice.

Book a Demo

Related Articles

The #1 Way to Get More Dental Patients

revupmanager Filed Under: Dental Marketing Tagged With: googleads August 17, 2025

The #1 Way to Get More Dental Patients

Key Takeaways

  • The biggest barrier is the front desk. Exceptional staff training, not external marketing spend, is the secret to acquiring new patients.
  • Double patients without new ads. A modest increase in the booking rate (e.g., from 33% to 60%) provides massive patient growth instantly.
  • Patients buy the experience, not the price. Leads are lost when staff fail to build rapport or sound rushed in the first few seconds.
  • Train staff to guide the call. Use a structured approach (greetings, discovery questions, confident closing) to convert calls effectively.
  • Data tracking defeats gut feelings. Use call-tracking software to measure actual conversion rates and identify why patients are being lost.
  • Tech must support the staff. Use tools like call tracking and follow-up systems for coaching and managing leads, not as replacements.

What if you could ask the top dental practices in North America one simple question:

“How do you consistently get more new patients for your practice?”

And what if they gave you the straight answer, no fluff, no vague advice. Well, we actually can give you that answer.

At RevUp Dental, we work with hundreds of practices across North America, including some of the very best. Our Scorecard software gives us access to real performance data so we know exactly what the top 10% of practices do to fill their schedules.

And here’s the surprising truth: it’s not what most dentists think:

  • It’s not huge marketing budgets.
  • It’s not flashy websites.
  • It’s not AI agents.
  • It’s not some magic pill solution.

The secret is much simpler:

They have an exceptional front desk team that’s trained to convert calls into appointments and make every patient feel like a priority from the very first “hello.”

The Biggest Factor in Booking New Patients

For many dental practices, the biggest growth barrier isn’t marketing, it’s the way staff handle patient interactions, especially over the phone. Marketing can bring in leads, but the quality of your team’s conversations with potential patients often makes or breaks whether they book an appointment.

Think of it like baseball: marketing is like pitching balls toward your dental practice. Your staff’s job is to hit them and score. You could get just a few balls, but if your team is great at hitting them, you’ll still score big.

On the other hand, you could have dozens of balls coming your way, but if your team keeps missing, you’re losing.

Why Many Dental Offices Lose Patients

Most dental receptionists and office staff are not trained in sales. They may be friendly and courteous, but without proper skills in handling patient inquiries, they can easily miss opportunities to convert a lead into a booked appointment.

Think about it this way: you probably know how to drive a car but that doesn’t make you a race car driver.

The front desk staff at a $2M+ dental practice are the equivalent of top-level race drivers. They know how to handle every turn, shift, and challenge at high speed.

Can you make your front desk operate at that level? Yes, but it takes a lot of training, a natural gift for patient communication, and the right personality type. It’s not something most people achieve overnight.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need your staff to be perfect to see massive results. The easiest, low-hanging fruit is simply making your team a little bit better than they are today. Even modest improvements in how they answer calls, build rapport, and guide patients to book can have a huge impact on your production.

Here’s what the data from hundreds of practices we work with shows: the average dental receptionist books only about 33% of new patient calls. That means if 10 potential patients call your office, only 3 end up booking an appointment.

The top receptionists in the industry? They book 80–85% of those calls.

Now, here’s the good part: you don’t have to hit 85% to transform your practice. If your staff goes from 33% to just 60%, that’s almost double the number of new patients walking through your door.

Without spending a single extra dollar on marketing you could have twice as many new patients sitting in your chair next month.

The Biggest Bottleneck Staff's Sales Skills Cover

When your booking rate isn’t where you want it to be, it’s tempting to blame the callers.
“They were just price shopping.”
“They weren’t serious.”
“They weren’t a good fit.”

But the truth is, that’s not always the case.

Most patients aren’t calling to compare prices — especially since dental fees tend to be similar across practices. What they are doing is evaluating the experience.

In the first few seconds, they’re deciding:

  • Do I feel like my dental care will matter here?
  • Do I trust this person to help me?
  • Do I feel welcomed and understood?

If the answer to those questions is “no” or even “I’m not sure,” they’ll hang up and call the next practice — even if the cost is exactly the same.

We’ve seen countless patients choose a competitor not because of money, location, or availability, but because they simply felt more comfortable with the person who answered the phone.

The first impression your team makes is everything. If your receptionist sounds rushed, distracted, or uninterested, the patient is gone. But if they make the caller feel like a priority, listen actively, and engage with genuine empathy, your chances of booking them skyrocket.

Here’s the good news: these skills can be trained. With the right phone-handling techniques, your team can turn more calls into booked appointments — and keep those high-value patients from choosing someone else.

Why Patients Choose Other Practices Cover

Tracking Your Booking Rate Matters

When we talk to dentists about improving their booking rates, we often hear some version of this:

“Oh, my staff is amazing! If we got 10 new patient calls this week, they’d book at least 8 or 9 of them.”

Sounds great, right? The problem is… most practices have no data to back that up. They don’t track their call-to-booking conversion rates, so they don’t actually know:

  • How many calls were answered
  • How many turned into appointments
  • Why the ones that didn’t book were lost

When we ask how they know their staff is performing so well, we often hear:

“Well, I’ve worked with these people for years. They’re fantastic!”

And maybe they are. But here’s the reality: without tracking and reviewing calls, you’re going on gut feeling, not facts. And in our experience, those gut feelings are almost always overly optimistic.

In fact, once we start tracking, even practices that swear they’re booking “most” of their calls are often surprised (and a little shocked) to find they’re closer to 30–35%.

Easy Ways Your Front Desk Can Book More New Patients

If you’re looking for how to get more dental patients, improving how your staff handles new patient calls can transform patient flow.

Here are a few simple but effective strategies to consider:

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Encourage your front desk team to go beyond yes/no questions. Instead, use prompts that invite patients to share more about their needs:

  • “What brings you in today?”
  • “How can we make your visit as comfortable as possible?”

This not only creates a more positive patient experience but also gives your team the information they need to respond personally and connect with both new and existing patients.

Take Charge of the Conversation

Your front desk should confidently guide the call toward booking an appointment. After answering questions, they might say:

“We’d love to help you get started. Let’s schedule a consultation.”

This clear direction reassures the caller and helps turn more inquiries into scheduled visits, growing your patient base without increasing your marketing spend.

End on a Positive Note

Finish each call with warmth and enthusiasm:

  • “We’re excited to take care of you!”
  • “We’re here if you have any other questions.”

Ending on a friendly note leaves a strong final impression, increasing the likelihood that a new patient will choose your practice — and that current patients will refer others. When your team consistently delivers this kind of positive patient experience, you’ll not only attract new patients but also strengthen relationships with your existing ones, leading to long-term growth for your practice.

How to Improve Patient Interactions Cover

Tools to Help Your Dental Practice Grow

Alongside training, technology can play a big role in how to get more dental patients by tracking and following up on calls. Here’s how simple tools can help:

Track Your Calls

Call-tracking software gives you a clear picture of how calls are being handled. You can see:

  • How many calls turn into booked appointments
  • Which questions cause hesitation or lost opportunities
  • Patterns in staff performance over time

With this data, you can coach your team to answer confidently, overcome objections, and avoid missed opportunities.

One of our clients even listens to call recordings in their spare time  and finds it incredibly helpful for improving conversion rates.

Example tools: CallRail | CallTrackingMetrics

Automate Follow-Ups

Not every patient books right away, but that doesn’t mean the lead is lost. Automated follow-up systems can send reminders, check-ins, or helpful information to keep the conversation going. Often, this extra touch turns a “maybe” into a “yes,” without spending more on marketing strategies.

Example tools: Podium | Weave 

Get More Google Reviews

Google reviews are one of the most powerful ways to attract new patients to your dental clinic. When prospective patients search for a new dentist, they often choose the practice with the highest rating and the most recent positive feedback.

A strong Google review profile:

  • Builds trust with potential patients before they call
  • Improves your visibility in local search results
  • Helps you stand out from other dental practices in your area

Example Tools: Swell | Birdeye

Encourage Patient Reviews and Referrals Cover

What Top Practices Are Doing Differently

After working with hundreds of dental offices across North America and reviewing thousands of patient calls, we’ve noticed something consistent: the best-performing practices follow a clear, repeatable pattern on every new patient call.

They don’t just answer questions — they guide the conversation in a way that makes the patient feel heard, understood, and confident about booking.

1. They Start With a Warm, Professional Greeting
“Thank you for calling [Practice Name], my name is Sarah. How can I help you today?”
This instantly sets a friendly, confident tone and signals professionalism.

2. They Use Discovery Questions to Build Rapport and Gather Information
Instead of jumping straight to scheduling, they ask thoughtful questions to understand the patient’s situation:

  • “When was the last time you visited a dentist?”

  • “Are you in pain right now?”

  • “Have you researched dental implants before calling us?”

These questions uncover needs, address urgency, and show genuine interest.

3. They Transition to Taking Control of the Call
Once they’ve listened, top receptionists naturally guide the conversation:

“I can definitely assist you with that. Would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions to better understand your situation?”

This smoothly shifts the focus from casual conversation to structured next steps.

4. They Reassure and Reduce Anxiety
If the caller sounds hesitant, they provide reassurance:

  • “You’ll be in great hands — our patients love how gentle Dr. Smith is.”

  • “Most people are surprised by how quick and comfortable the process is.”

5. They End With a Positive, Confident Confirmation

“We’re looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday at 10 AM. You’re going to love our team!”

These aren’t random phrases — they’re intentional communication techniques that top practices use to consistently convert calls into booked appointments.

At RevUp Dental, we’ve spent years studying what makes these offices so successful. We’ve distilled those lessons into a free guide you can use to train your own dental team.

This isn’t about pushy, outdated sales tactics, it’s about modern, patient-focused communication techniques that work in today’s competitive dental market.

The guide dives deep into one of the most important skills in patient communication: asking effective discovery questions. These questions build trust, uncover patient needs, and position your practice as the best choice for their care.

By adopting the same approach top practices use, you can take control of every new patient call, create an exceptional first impression, and keep more leads from slipping through the cracks.

The Easiest Way to Get More New Patients

If you’re serious about getting more new patients, you don’t have to start with expensive ads or a new website. The fastest and most cost-effective way to grow is by improving how your front desk handles new patient calls.

But here’s the reality: most dentists don’t have the time or energy to personally train their staff, and even if they do, the results often don’t stick. Maybe you’ve given your team a guide before, only to see them go right back to their old habits a week later.

That’s exactly why we created our Maximize New Patient Bookings Course. We don’t just teach your team what to do, we:

  • Train them using proven call-handling and conversion techniques

  • Monitor their real calls after the training to ensure skills are being applied

  • Provide feedback and ongoing coaching so the improvement lasts

It’s the shortcut to turning more calls into booked appointments without adding another task to your already full plate. If you want a higher booking rate, more new patients, and a smoother front desk operation without having to manage the training yourself, our course can do it for you.

Looking To Train Your Dental Staff?

If you’re serious about getting more dental patients, don’t wait until you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on marketing. Start by improving the way your staff handles phone calls. With the right training and strategies, you can dramatically increase your conversion rate, fill your schedule, and grow your practice without spending extra on marketing.

Learn More

Related Articles

Is Dental PPC Worth It? 5 Things Dentists Should Know.

revupmanager Filed Under: Google Ads Tagged With: googleads November 4, 2024

Is Dental PPC Worth It? 5 Things Dentists Should Know.

You’ve maybe heard that dental PPC can put your practice at the top of Google and bring in new patients quickly, but there are a ton of dentists spending thousands of dollars on ads, and their schedules are still empty.

So what can you do to avoid wasting thousands on dental PPC ads?

Dental PPC, or pay-per-click advertising, allows your practice to appear at the top when a patient searches Google for terms like “dentist near me” or “dental implants.” You pay when someone clicks your ad, giving you a way to reach patients who are already looking for dental care.

Before you put money into PPC campaigns on Google Ads, you probably want to know what that investment can realistically bring back. How many new patients can you expect? What will it cost you to get them? And will those patients generate enough revenue to make PPC worthwhile?

We studied more than 100 dental PPC campaigns across North America to see what works, where practices tend to waste money, and what separates a profitable campaign from one that struggles to bring in new patients.

In this guide, we’ll share five things you need to know about dental PPC to figure out whether PPC is the right move for your practice and what it takes to generate more new patients.

1. Is Dental PPC Right for Your Practice?

Dental PPC can work very well for one practice and be a poor investment for another, even when both practices are running similar ads. Your results will depend on things like the services you want to promote, how competitive your area is, and what happens when someone contacts your practice after clicking an ad.

A lot of dentists who have holes in their schedule think running some pay-per-click ads is a quick way to fill those gaps. But that’s not entirely true; it might work great for certain practices and completely waste money for others. So first, you need to understand the pros and cons of this dental marketing strategy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental PPC

AdvantageWhy It Matters
You can get in front of patients quickly.Unlike SEO, you don’t have to wait months to improve your Google visibility.
You reach patients already searching for dental care.You can target searches such as “dentist near me,” “emergency dentist,” or “dental implants.”
You can target the exact area around your practice.Instead of showing your ads to the whole city, you set the radius so you’re only paying to reach patients who are actually within driving distance of your office.
You can track where your patients are coming from.That means you can see exactly which ads and services are actually bringing patients in, so you can spend more on what’s working and less on what’s not.
DisadvantageWhy It Matters
The traffic stops when you stop paying.Unlike SEO, PPC doesn’t continue generating visibility once the campaign is turned off.
A click is just the first step.To actually turn it into a patient, you still need an in-depth landing page for the service you’re advertising and a trained front desk that knows how to convert those calls. Without both, you’re leaving patients on the table.
Poor targeting can waste money quickly.Showing ads for the wrong searches or to people outside your service area can eat into your budget.
PPC needs ongoing attention.Campaigns need to be monitored and adjusted rather than simply turned on and left alone.

Key Takeaways

Dental PPC can help you reach patients quickly and target people who are already searching for dental care in your area.

You can track which ads and services are bringing patients into your practice and adjust your spending based on what works.

Getting clicks isn't enough. You still need a strong landing page and a trained front desk to turn those clicks into patients.

Poor targeting can waste your budget, and PPC campaigns need ongoing monitoring and adjustments.

PPC can generate traffic quickly, but that traffic stops when you stop paying.

2. How Much Should a Dental Practice Spend on PPC?

There’s no single monthly PPC budget that works for every dental practice. What you need to spend depends on where your practice is located, how competitive your market is, which services you want to advertise, and how many patients you’re hoping to attract.

For example, advertising dental implants in a competitive city will usually require a different budget than advertising general dentistry in a smaller market. You may also need to spend more to attract an implant patient than a general dentistry patient because of the potential value of that treatment.

What Is a Realistic Dental PPC Budget?

While the right budget varies by practice, these are some general starting ranges when planning dental PPC campaigns:

Type of CampaignMonthly Ad Budget
General dentistry$2,000–$4,000
Cosmetic dentistry$2,500–$5,000
Dental implants$4,000–$8,000
Invisalign$3,000–$6,000

These numbers are only guidelines; your actual budget will depend on your area, the dental services you’re advertising, and how much you have to pay for the clicks you want.

What to Do If You Have a Limited Budget

If you have a limited PPC budget, focus on two or three services instead of spreading your money across emergency dentistry, implants, Invisalign, veneers, and other treatments.

When the budget is split across too many services, you may get clicks across several campaigns without generating enough activity in any one of them to bring in patients.

We often see dentists start with a very small budget just to test whether PPC works. But if the budget is too small to compete in their market, they may spend the money, get little back, and conclude that PPC doesn’t work. A focused budget gives you a much better chance of seeing whether PPC can actually generate patients for your practice.

Key Takeaways

When planning your dental PPC budget:

Expect costs to vary by location, competition, and treatment.

Focus a limited budget on the services you most want to grow instead of spreading it across too many campaigns.

Keep ad spend and PPC management fees separate when comparing costs.

Choose a budget that gives the campaign enough room to generate meaningful results.

3. What Should You Advertise With Dental PPC?

You don’t need to advertise every service your practice offers. A better place to start is with the patients and treatments you want more of.

A dental practice looking for more implant cases, for example, needs a different campaign from one trying to attract emergency patients. The keywords patients search, what they care about, what the ad says, and where they go after clicking should all match the treatment being advertised.

Dental PPC Campaign Examples

Here are some examples of how different dental PPC campaigns could be structured:

CampaignExample KeywordsAd HeadlineDescriptionWhere the Click Should Go
Emergency dentistry“emergency dentist near me,” “toothache dentist,” “same-day dentist”Emergency Dentist Near You / Same-Day Emergency Dental CareSame-day emergency appointments available. Call now to speak with our teamEmergency dentistry page with a prominent phone number and clear availability
Dental implants“dental implants near me,” “implant dentist,” “missing tooth replacement”Dental Implants Near You / Restore Your Smile With Dental ImplantsExplore your dental implant options. Book a consultation with our team today.Dedicated implant page that answers common questions and offers a consultation
Invisalign/clear aligners“Invisalign near me,” “Invisalign dentist,” “clear aligners near me”Invisalign Dentist Near You / Straighten Your Smile With InvisalignFind out if Invisalign is right for you. Schedule your consultation today.Invisalign or clear aligner page with an option to book a consultation
General/new patients“dentist near me,” “new patient dentist,” “family dentist near me”Dentist Near You / Now Accepting New PatientsLooking for a new dentist? We’re accepting new patients. Request an appointment today.New-patient page that makes it easy to call or request an appointment
Cosmetic dentistry“cosmetic dentist near me,” “veneers near me,” “smile makeover”Cosmetic Dentist Near You / Transform Your Smile With Cosmetic DentistryExplore cosmetic treatment options for your smile. Book a consultation today.Cosmetic dentistry page with relevant services, examples of results, and the option to book a consultation
Dentures“dentures near me,” “denture dentist,” “replacement dentures”Dentures Near You / Comfortable, Natural-Looking DenturesExplore denture options designed to restore your smile. Schedule a consultation today.Denture page explaining treatment options and how to schedule a consultation

Your Landing Page Matters Just as Much as the Ad

You can have a great PPC campaign and put a lot of money behind it, but if patients click your ad and land on a poor page, that money can quickly go to waste.

For example, someone searching for dental implants shouldn’t click an implant ad and end up on your homepage or a page with very little useful information. They clicked because they want to learn about dental implants, so the page should answer the questions they have about that treatment.

A good landing page should include useful information such as how the treatment works, its benefits, FAQs, patient testimonials, and a clear way to call or request an appointment. It should also be easy to use on a phone.

The ad gets the patient to your website, but the landing page has to give them enough information and trust to take the next step. Otherwise, they may leave and continue their search with another dentist.

Which Dental PPC Platforms Should Dentists Consider?

Google and Microsoft Ads can reach people while they’re actively searching, while Facebook and Instagram usually reach people as they’re browsing social media. Yelp can reach people who are already comparing local practices and reading reviews.

Here’s a quick comparison of the major platforms:

PlatformPopularity / ReachBest Use for DentistsWhat to Know
Google AdsGoogle accounts for about 86% of searches in both the U.S. and Canada. Sources: U.S. data, Canada dataReaching patients actively searching for a dentistThe strongest place to start when you want to get more patients quickly.
Facebook Ads71% of U.S. adults use Facebook. Source: Pew Research CenterLocal awareness, practice promotionsLarge audience, but someone seeing your ad may not currently need dental care
Instagram Ads50% of U.S. adults use Instagram. Source: Pew Research CenterInvisalign, cosmetic dentistry, smile transformations, and other visually driven treatmentsUseful for visual treatments and younger audiences, but patients aren't necessarily looking for dental care when they see the ad
Microsoft Ads (Bing)Bing accounts for about 9% of U.S. searches and 10% of Canadian searches. Sources: U.S. data, Canada dataBest for dentists trying to reach patients that are older or more affluent, and looking for higher-cost procedures like implants, dentures, or full mouth reconstruction.Because this search market is smaller, the cost per click is considerably lower than on Google Ads.
Yelp AdsYelp averaged 28 million unique app devices per month in 2025. Source: Yelp Fast FactsReaching patients comparing local dentists, reviews, and practice optionsIts usefulness can vary considerably by market, so check how active Yelp is in your area

If your main goal is to reach people who are already searching for a dentist or a specific treatment, Google Ads is usually the most logical place to start. Other platforms can complement Google depending on the services you’re promoting and how patients in your market look for dental care.

Key Takeaways

When deciding what to advertise with dental PPC:

Focus on the services you want to grow.

Match your keywords and ads to what those patients are searching for.

Send patients to a page about the specific service they clicked on.

Google Ads is usually the first platform to consider when you want to reach people already searching for dental care.

Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft Ads, and Yelp can play different supporting roles depending on your goals and market.

4. How Do You Know If Your Dental PPC Is Working?

Clicks can tell you whether your ads are getting attention, but they don’t tell you whether dental PPC is bringing in enough new patients and revenue to justify what you’re spending.

Ideally, you should be able to follow a new  patient coming from your PPC ads through this process:

How Do You Track This?

To track this properly, you need to connect two pieces of information. Your ads platform shows how much you spent and which calls or appointment requests came from your ads, while your front desk tracks what happened next: did they book, show up, and get treatment? Put those two together, and you get your cost per appointment (CPA), which matters way more than cost per click.  

This number is really important because it tells you how well your marketing is performing. You could spend a ton of money on marketing overall, but if it only costs you a small amount to acquire each new patient, that’s totally worth it, because that patient will likely make you far more than that on their very first appointment alone, let alone everything they spend with you afterwards. 

A lot of dentists have trouble tracking this correctly, but our dental software does this easily, and many dentists find it helpful because they’re finally able to see how much money their marketing, whether it’s PPC campaigns, SEO, or anything else, is actually making them back in new patients. The software tracks everything from that first new patient interaction all the way through to how much money that patient ends up spending at your practice.

Key Takeaways

Know the numbers that matter: How much are we spending? How many leads are we getting? How many book appointments and become new patients? What does it cost to get each patient? How much treatment and revenue do those patients generate?

Google Ads can show you ad spend, clicks, and tracked leads, but your practice needs to track what happens after those leads contact you.

Don’t judge your campaign by clicks or leads alone. What matters is whether your PPC spending is producing enough new patients and revenue to make the investment worthwhile.

5. Your Front Desk Team Can Blow Up Your Dental PPC Campaign

You could spend more on dental PPC campaigns than anyone else in your area, literally double what your competitors spend, and you can target exactly what patients are searching for, get a lot of interested patients on your website, and because they like what they see, they’re ready to book and call your office.

But what happens is they end up booking with a practice down the street instead. 

At that point, you basically paid a lot of money just to send patients straight into your competitor’s office.

This happens because of the first impression the front desk made on that patient. The dental receptionist answering the phone might sound rude or rushed, or they just don’t make the patient feel welcome on the call.

They don’t ask simple questions to understand what the patient needs and how the practice can help, or sometimes calls just get missed and never get called back in time. None of this seems like a big deal on its own, but it adds up fast, and it can quietly ruin an otherwise great marketing campaign, not because the ads were bad, but because of what happened the moment the patient actually called your office. 

Top dental practices are not successful because they spend more on PPC campaigns or have a better website. They succeed because their staff are trained to deliver great customer service that wins patients over right away.

They use simple, proven strategies that turn more callers into booked appointments. We can train your dental team to use these same methods so your practice becomes the top choice for patients.

Common Reasons Patients Call but Never Book

  • Not answering the phone. The patient calls ready to book, nobody picks up, and they just move on to the next practice on the list.
  • Not returning missed calls. When a call gets missed, most front desks don’t call back fast enough, and by then the patient has booked somewhere else.
  • Sending patients to voicemail. New patients rarely leave a voicemail on the first call. They just hang up and dial the next office.
  • Being rude or dismissive. First impressions happen in the first few seconds, and a cold or rushed tone tells the patient exactly how they’ll be treated later.
  • Not answering basic questions. When the receptionist fumbles questions about cost, insurance, or financing, the patient loses trust.
  • Quoting a price and nothing else. Someone asks, “How much for an implant?” and gets a number with no context, and the conversation ends.
  • Making the patient feel like a number. Patients book with the practice that made them feel comfortable, not the one that treated the call like a transaction. 

Key Takeaways

A PPC campaign can generate good leads and still lose those patients at the front desk.

Missed calls, poorly handled questions, and a difficult booking process can waste PPC dollars.

If you’re getting leads but few new patients, look at what happens after the phone rings before assuming the ads are the problem.

Conclusion: Is Dental PPC Worth It?

Dental PPC can absolutely be worth it, but whether it works for your practice comes down to a few things: how much you’re willing to spend, how competitive your area is, the quality of the landing page you’re sending patients to, and how well your front desk handles those patients when they call.

PPC has become expensive, so you need enough budget to compete and generate meaningful results. You also need a strong landing page that gives patients the information and trust they need to contact you, followed by a front desk team that can turn those calls into booked appointments.

If those pieces are in place and you’re tracking how many PPC patients actually book, show up, and generate revenue, you’ll have a much clearer picture of whether dental PPC is worth the investment for your practice.

FAQs - Dental PPC

Is dental PPC or dental SEO better for a dental practice?

Dental PPC can reach patients as soon as your campaigns are running, while dental SEO takes longer but can generate traffic without paying for every click. Many practices use both: PPC for more immediate visibility and SEO for longer-term growth.

How does PPC complement dental SEO?

PPC can complement dental SEO by helping your practice appear for important searches you don’t yet rank for organically. For example, Google Ads can reach people searching for dental implants while you work on improving your implant page’s organic rankings.

Should you manage dental PPC yourself or hire an agency?

Hiring a dental PPC agency can save your team the time it takes to manage campaigns, monitor spending, adjust targeting, and track results. PPC campaigns also need ongoing optimization as you learn which searches, ads, and services are actually producing patients. A company that specializes in dental PPC management should focus on improving those results over time, not just generating more clicks and leads.

How do you find a dental PPC company?

Start by looking for a company that understands how dental practices make money rather than one that only talks about clicks, impressions, and website traffic. When comparing dental PPC companies, ask how they track calls and form submissions, how often campaigns are reviewed, what reporting you’ll receive, and whether they measure how many PPC leads actually become patients.

If you’d rather have a team that specializes in dental advertising handle this for you, RevUp Dental can help you manage your campaigns and track whether your ad spend is actually turning into new patients.

How long does dental PPC take to work?

PPC can start generating traffic as soon as your ads are running, which is one of its main advantages over SEO. That doesn’t mean you’ll know whether the campaign is profitable immediately.

You need enough clicks, leads, appointments, and patient results to judge what is working. How quickly that happens will depend on your budget, market, services, and the number of people searching for those services in your area.

What dental services work well with PPC?

PPC can work for general dentistry, implants, Invisalign, cosmetic dentistry, emergency dentistry, and dentures. Focus on services with enough local demand, patient value, and room in your schedule for more patients.

What is a good cost per lead for dental PPC?

There’s no single ideal cost per lead for dental PPC. What matters more is how many leads become patients and whether the revenue they generate justifies what you spent.

Related Articles

Thumbnail_Best Dental Marketing Report

The Best Dental Marketing Strategies, According to Dentists Who Tried Them

We asked dentists across North America what dental marketing strategies actually worked for them. Here’s what they told us.

Read more
Dominate your local area with Google Ads for dentists. Attract new patients, boost ROI, and grow your dental practice with effective PPC and targeted campaigns.

Google Ads for Dentists: The Ultimate Guide for Dental Practices

Dominate your local area with Google Ads for dentists. Attract new patients, boost ROI, and grow your dental practice with effective PPC and targeted campaigns.

Read more
One Simple Strategy to Get More Dental Patients Cover

The #1 Way to Get More Dental Patients

Learn how to get more dental patients by improving staff communication using call-tracking, and building trust with patients.

Read more

Primary Sidebar

Footer

RevUp Dental

High-converting websites, Google Ads, and dental SEO that attract patients - plus call tracking that shows where you're losing them and front-desk training to book more.

Service

  • Dental Website Design
  • Google Ads for Dentists
  • Dental SEO
  • Dental Staff Training
  • Scorecard

Resources

  • Dental Marketing Library
  • Free Ebooks
  • Webinars
  • Video Hub

Company

  • About
  • Careers We're Hiring
1-866-530-2544 info@revupdental.com 33 Main St W, Grimsby, ON L3M 1R3, Canada
RevUp Dental © 2026 Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy