You know that practice three suburbs over? The one that seems to show up every time someone searches for a dentist in your area? You have been practising longer. Your clinical skills are better. Your patients love you. But somehow, they keep appearing above you in Google.
Take a look at their Google profile. Count their reviews. Now count yours.
That difference is likely costing you thousands of dollars every month in new patient enquiries.
The 3x Click Difference
The data is stark. Dental practices with 100 or more Google reviews receive three times more clicks than practices with fewer reviews. Not a few percent more. Three times.
Think about what that means for your practice. If you and a competitor both appear in local search results, but they have 120 reviews to your 23, potential patients are clicking on them three times more often. Those are real people, with real dental needs, choosing to call someone else.
And here is the frustrating part: you have probably provided excellent care to hundreds, maybe thousands of patients over the years. They would happily recommend you to anyone who asked. But they never left a review. And now that silence is actively hurting your visibility.
Quality Versus Quantity: What Actually Matters More
When dentists ask me whether they should focus on getting more reviews or better reviews, the honest answer is: both matter, but your star rating edges ahead slightly.
Your average star rating is a significant ranking factor in local search. Google wants to show people businesses that other customers have validated as trustworthy. A 4.9-star practice will generally outrank a 4.2-star practice, assuming other factors are equal.
But here is why 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. That statistic should hit home for you, because word-of-mouth has always been how dental practices grew. Your patients have trusted recommendations from friends and family for decades. Now those same patients trust strangers on Google just as much.
The reviews on your Google profile are not just a ranking signal. They are the new word-of-mouth. And unlike a recommendation at a barbecue that reaches one person, a Google review influences every single person who searches for a dentist in your area.
Why Recent Reviews Matter More Than Total Count
Here is something most practice owners do not realise: review velocity matters. Google pays attention to how recently your reviews were posted, not just how many you have total.
A practice with 80 reviews, all from three years ago, sends a different signal than a practice with 80 reviews that has received 15 in the last month. Fresh reviews tell Google that you are still actively serving patients, still providing good care, still relevant.
It also tells potential patients the same thing. When someone is choosing between two dentists and one has reviews from last week while the other has reviews from 2021, which one feels more trustworthy? Which one feels like they are still on top of their game?
This is why asking for reviews cannot be a one-time campaign. It needs to be woven into your ongoing patient experience.
Building a Review Generation System
The practices that consistently generate reviews are not doing anything magical. They have simply built a system that makes asking easy and consistent.
The best time to ask for a review is immediately after a positive patient interaction. Not a week later when they have forgotten. Not via a generic email blast. Right after they have experienced your care, when they are still feeling good about choosing you.
This could be a simple text message sent automatically after their appointment. It could be your receptionist mentioning it as they pay. The key is consistency: every satisfied patient should receive a gentle prompt to share their experience.
Make it easy. A direct link to your Google review page removes friction. People are busy. They want to help, but they will not hunt for your profile.
When Negative Reviews Happen
Every practice owner dreads the one-star review. That sick feeling when you see it appear. The frustration when it feels unfair. The temptation to ignore it or respond defensively.
Here is the reality: how you respond to negative reviews matters more than the review itself. Potential patients are watching. They know that no business is perfect, but they want to see how you handle problems.
A calm, professional response that acknowledges the concern and offers to resolve it privately shows character. It tells prospective patients that if something goes wrong with their care, you will handle it with professionalism.
Never argue publicly. Never get defensive. And never, ever reveal patient information in a response. Take the conversation offline and show grace under pressure.
The Visibility Gap Is Growing
That practice down the road with all the reviews? They are not slowing down. Every week they add more reviews, more social proof, more signals to Google that they are the trusted choice. The gap between you is not staying the same. It is widening.
The patients searching for a dentist right now are not seeing you. They are clicking on practices with more reviews, better visibility, and stronger social proof. And every one of those patients who books elsewhere is a patient who could have become a loyal, long-term part of your practice.
Check Where You Stand
Before you can fix the problem, you need to understand how big it is. How many reviews do you have compared to your competitors? What is your current star rating? How recently have you received reviews?
Our free Visibility Check shows you exactly where you stand in local search compared to other dental practices in your area. You will see your current visibility score, identify the gaps, and understand what is holding you back from the patients who are searching for you right now.
Because your clinical skills deserve to be seen. Your reputation deserves to be visible. And the patients in your area deserve to find a dentist who actually cares about their care.