How to Get More Online Reviews for Your Dental Practice

Online reviews are the most powerful trust signal in dental marketing. Before booking with a new dentist, the majority of patients read Google reviews — and most won't even consider a practice with fewer than 10 reviews or a rating below 4.0.

Yet most dental practices leave reviews to chance. They receive them sporadically, fail to respond to negative ones, and miss the enormous opportunity that a systematic review strategy represents.

This guide shows you how to build a repeatable system that generates consistent, authentic reviews and turns patient feedback into a genuine competitive advantage.

Why reviews matter more than you think

Reviews affect search rankings

Google's local ranking algorithm considers three categories: relevance, distance and prominence. Reviews are a core component of prominence. Practices with more reviews, higher ratings, and recent review activity consistently rank higher in local search.

Specifically, Google evaluates:

• Total number of reviews — more reviews signal a more established practice
• Average rating — higher is better, but 4.7 looks more authentic than 5.0
• Review velocity — a steady flow of new reviews signals an active, popular practice
• Review content — Google reads review text. Reviews mentioning specific treatments help you rank for those terms
• Response rate — responding to reviews signals active management

Reviews influence patient decisions

The data is clear:

• 84% of patients trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
• Patients read an average of 7 reviews before choosing a dentist
• A one-star increase in Google rating can increase enquiries by 5–9%
• 53% of patients won't consider a business with fewer than 4 stars

Reviews provide honest feedback

Beyond marketing, reviews tell you what patients genuinely think — what you're doing well, where you're falling short, and what matters most to the people you serve.

Building a review collection system

Step 1: Make it easy

The biggest barrier to getting reviews is friction. Remove as many steps as possible:

1. Create a direct review link — In your GBP dashboard, find the "Ask for reviews" section to get your short review link
2. Make a QR code — convert your review link into a QR code. Display it at reception, in treatment rooms, and on printed materials
3. Add the link to communications — include it in appointment confirmation emails, post-treatment texts, and your email signature

Step 2: Ask at the right moment

Timing matters. The best time to ask for a review is when the patient is at peak satisfaction:

• Immediately after a positive comment — "I'm so glad you're happy with the result. Would you mind sharing that on Google? It really helps other patients find us"
• After treatment completion — not during ongoing multi-visit treatments
• At checkout — when the patient has just had a good experience and is in the practice
• Post-appointment follow-up — a text message 1–2 hours after the visit

Step 3: Train your team

Every patient-facing team member should be comfortable asking for reviews:

• Reception staff — "We'd love to hear your feedback on Google if you have a moment"
• Clinicians — "I'm really pleased with how this turned out. If you're happy, a Google review would mean a lot to us"
• Hygienists — often have the longest, most conversational patient interactions

The key is making it natural, not pushy. You're asking for honest feedback, not demanding five stars.

Step 4: Automate the follow-up

Manual asking works, but automation ensures consistency:

• Post-appointment SMS — sent 1–2 hours after the visit. Keep it short: "Hi [Name], thank you for visiting us today. If you have a moment, we'd love your feedback on Google: [link]"
• Email follow-up — if no review within 48 hours, send a gentle email reminder
• Practice management integration — tools like Doctify, ReviewTrackers, or Patient Plan Direct can automate review requests after appointments

Step 5: Track and improve

Monitor your review metrics monthly:

• New reviews received
• Average rating (rolling 30 days vs all-time)
• Response rate (aim for 100%)
• Review sources (Google, Trustpilot, NHS Choices)
• Common themes in positive and negative reviews

Responding to reviews

Positive reviews

Always respond. A thoughtful response shows other prospective patients that you care:

Good response template:

Thank you for your kind words, [Name]. We're delighted you had a positive experience with [dentist name/treatment]. We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment.

Tips:

• Use their name if they've shared it
• Reference something specific about their visit
• Keep it professional but warm
• Respond within 48 hours

Negative reviews

Negative reviews are inevitable and, when handled well, can actually strengthen your reputation. How you respond matters more than the review itself.

Response framework:

1. Acknowledge — "Thank you for sharing your experience, [Name]"
2. Apologise — "We're sorry to hear that your visit didn't meet your expectations"
3. Take it offline — "We'd like to understand more about what happened. Please contact us at [email/phone] so we can look into this personally"
4. Don't get defensive — never argue or dismiss the patient's experience publicly

What NOT to do:

• Ignore the review
• Respond emotionally or defensively
• Share clinical details (this violates patient confidentiality)
• Offer incentives to remove or change the review
• Post a generic copy-paste response

Fake or unfair reviews

If a review is genuinely fake (from someone who was never a patient) or violates Google's review policies:

1. Flag it through Google Business Profile
2. Respond professionally — "We cannot find any record of your visit. Please contact us directly so we can investigate"
3. Don't engage in a public argument
4. Google may remove reviews that violate their policies, but the process can take weeks

Review platforms beyond Google

While Google is the priority, other platforms matter too:

Trustpilot

• High domain authority — Trustpilot pages often rank for "[practice name] reviews"
• Patients trust the verification process
• Free basic listing available

NHS Choices

• Important for practices with NHS patients
• Reviews appear in NHS Find a Dentist results
• Less commonly used by patients but still indexed by Google

Facebook

• Reviews visible to patients who find you through social media
• Integrated with your Facebook business page
• Can't be filtered or hidden

Dental-specific platforms

• Doctify — popular with UK medical and dental practices
• WhatClinic — patients leave reviews when enquiring through the platform

Ethics and compliance

What you can do

• Ask any patient for an honest review
• Make it easy to leave a review (provide links, QR codes)
• Display review links in your practice
• Respond to reviews (positive and negative)
• Share positive reviews on social media (general quotes, with permission)

What you cannot do

• Offer discounts, freebies or payments in exchange for reviews (violates Google policies)
• Write fake reviews or ask staff/friends to write them
• Selectively ask only happy patients (this is technically "review gating" and Google prohibits it)
• Pressure patients into leaving positive reviews
• Delete or hide negative reviews (you can't, and attempting to looks worse)

GDC considerations

The General Dental Council has guidelines on advertising and patient testimonials. Ensure:

• Any testimonials you share don't make misleading claims about treatment outcomes
• Patient consent is obtained before using reviews in marketing materials
• Before-and-after photos used alongside reviews have explicit consent

Turning reviews into marketing assets

Once you've built a steady flow of reviews, use them across your marketing:

• Website — display a live Google review widget on your homepage and treatment pages
• Social media — share standout reviews as posts (screenshot with a "Thank you [first name]!" caption)
• Print materials — include review excerpts and your Google rating on leaflets and practice brochures
• Reception area — display your Google rating and selected reviews on a screen
• Treatment pages — feature reviews relevant to each specific treatment

Getting started: a 30-day plan

Week 1:

• Set up your direct Google review link and create a QR code
• Brief your team on how and when to ask for reviews

Week 2:

• Set up an automated post-appointment SMS with your review link
• Respond to all existing unanswered reviews (positive and negative)

Week 3:

• Train reception staff on the natural ask: after every checkout, mention reviews
• Add your Google review link to appointment confirmation emails

Week 4:

• Review your metrics: how many new reviews did you receive?
• Adjust your approach based on what's working
• Set a monthly target (aim for 4–8 new reviews per month per dentist)

Consistency is the key. A practice that generates 5 reviews per week will have 260 by the end of the year — a powerful moat that competitors will struggle to replicate.

Pearlie matches patients with clinics based on fit, not just proximity. Better-matched patients leave better reviews. Learn about joining Pearlie's clinic network.