How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Dental Practice

To get more Google reviews for dentists, the most reliable method is a simple, consistent system: ask satisfied patients at the right moment, make leaving a review effortless with a direct link, and respond to every review you receive. Done well, this lifts your local search visibility and builds the trust that turns searchers into booked patients. The catch in Australia is that dental practices must do this carefully, because health practitioner advertising is regulated by AHPRA and there are restrictions on how testimonials can be used.

The short version: Encourage genuine patient reviews on your Google Business Profile, never offer incentives for them, and do not republish those reviews as testimonials in your own advertising. Google reviews are fine to collect; reusing them as marketing claims is where AHPRA rules come in.

Why Reviews Matter for Dental Local SEO and Trust

When someone searches "dentist near me", Google decides which practices to show in the local map pack. Review signals are part of that decision. A practice with a steady stream of recent, genuine reviews sends Google a clear message that it is active, real and serving patients.

Reviews help in two distinct ways:

• Local ranking signals. Review quantity, recency and your overall rating all feed into how Google ranks local businesses. A profile gathering reviews month after month looks healthier than one frozen in time.
• Patient trust and conversion. Even when you rank well, the star rating and recent comments are what convince a nervous patient to choose you. Dentistry is a high-trust purchase, and social proof carries real weight.

Reviews also keep your Google Business Profile fresh. Each new review is a signal of ongoing activity, which supports the broader local SEO work that helps the dentists we help get found in their suburb.

AHPRA Advertising Rules Around Reviews and Testimonials

This is the part that makes dental review marketing different from most other industries, so it is worth getting right.

In Australia, advertising by registered health practitioners is regulated under the National Law and overseen by AHPRA and the Dental Board of Australia. One key provision restricts the use of testimonials in advertising of regulated health services. In practice, this is generally understood to mean a practice should not use patient testimonials that refer to clinical aspects of care in its own advertising, including its website and social media.

Here is the important distinction, framed as general guidance:

• Collecting Google reviews is encouraged. Patients leaving honest reviews on an independent platform like Google is not the same as a practice publishing testimonials in its own advertising. Google reviews are typically treated as patient-generated content on a third-party platform, and AHPRA has indicated practitioners are not responsible for unsolicited reviews they do not control.
• Republishing reviews as your own advertising is where the risk sits. Copying glowing patient reviews onto your homepage, embedding a curated testimonial widget, or quoting clinical praise in an ad can stray into prohibited testimonial use.
• Do not incentivise reviews. Offering discounts, entries into prize draws, or any reward in exchange for a review is both against Google's policies and a compliance risk.
• Do not solicit clinical testimonials. Asking patients specifically to describe treatment outcomes you can then advertise is the kind of activity the rules are designed to limit.

A safe posture for most practices: actively encourage genuine Google reviews, respond to them professionally, and keep them on Google rather than lifting them into your own marketing. Because guidance evolves and the line can be nuanced, always check the current AHPRA and Dental Board advertising guidelines and seek your own advice before building review content into advertising material.

How to Ethically Ask for Reviews

Most patients are happy to leave a review; they simply forget once they walk out the door. Your job is to make the ask easy and timely without crossing into incentives or pressure.

• Ask at the natural high point. The end of a positive appointment, when a patient comments that they were happy, is the right moment for the front desk to mention a review.
• Make it a normal, no-pressure invitation. A simple "If you have a minute, a quick Google review really helps other patients find us" is enough. Never tie it to anything they receive.
• Hand over a direct link. Use your Google Business Profile's short review link on a small card, a QR code at reception, or a follow-up message. Fewer clicks means more completed reviews.
• Keep it genuine and unprompted on content. Invite the review, but let the patient write whatever they want. Do not script the wording or steer them toward clinical claims.

The same principles that work for any local business apply here. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers the timing and wording that lift response rates.

Systems and Automation

Relying on memory means reviews trickle in unevenly. A light system makes the ask consistent without feeling robotic.

• Build the ask into your workflow. Add a review prompt to your post-appointment routine, so every happy patient is invited the same way.
• Use SMS or email follow-ups. A short message a few hours after the visit, with your direct review link, captures patients once they are home and relaxed.
• Connect your practice software. Many dental management systems and patient communication tools can send a review request automatically after an appointment is marked complete.
• Stay within the rules. Automate the invitation and the link, never an incentive. Keep messages factual and optional, and make it easy to ignore.

The goal is a steady, predictable flow of genuine reviews rather than an occasional burst, which looks more natural to both patients and Google.

Responding to Reviews

Replying to reviews shows future patients that you are attentive, and it keeps your profile active. A few principles keep your responses both helpful and compliant.

• Thank reviewers warmly but generally. Keep replies friendly without confirming clinical details that could breach privacy.
• Protect patient confidentiality. Never reveal that someone is a patient, what treatment they had, or any health information, even if the reviewer mentioned it first.
• Be consistent. Aim to respond to every review, positive or negative, within a few days.

Handling Negative Reviews

Every practice eventually receives a review that stings. How you respond matters more than the review itself, because prospective patients read the exchange.

• Pause before replying. Respond calmly and professionally, never defensively.
• Stay private about the patient. Do not confirm whether the person was treated, or disclose any clinical detail. A measured reply such as "We're sorry to hear this and would like to understand what happened. Please contact our practice manager directly" is appropriate.
• Take the detail offline. Invite the reviewer to call or email so the specifics are handled privately rather than in public comments.
• Report genuine policy breaches. If a review is fake, abusive, or breaches Google's policies, you can flag it for removal, though Google decides the outcome.
• Use feedback to improve. Recurring themes in negative reviews often point to a real fixable issue at the practice.

Dental Google Reviews Checklist

Use this as a quick, snippet-friendly reference:

• Google Business Profile claimed, verified and complete
• Direct review link saved and shared (card, QR code, follow-up message)
• Front-desk team trained to ask at the right moment
• No incentives, rewards or scripted wording offered for reviews
• Reviews left on Google, not republished as testimonials in your advertising
• Automated SMS or email request built into your post-appointment workflow
• Every review answered promptly, with patient confidentiality protected
• Negative reviews handled calmly and taken offline
• Current AHPRA and Dental Board advertising guidelines checked before any review marketing

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a dental practice ask patients for Google reviews in Australia?

Yes. Encouraging genuine, unprompted patient reviews on Google is generally acceptable, because reviews on an independent platform are treated differently from testimonials a practice publishes in its own advertising. The key limits are not offering incentives and not steering patients toward clinical claims. Always confirm against current AHPRA guidance.

Can dentists put Google reviews on their own website?

This is where caution is needed. Using patient testimonials in your own advertising, including your website, can fall under AHPRA's restrictions on testimonials for regulated health services. Many practices choose to keep reviews on Google rather than republish them as marketing. Check the current AHPRA and Dental Board advertising guidelines, or seek advice, before doing so.

How do Google reviews affect my local search ranking?

Review quantity, recency and your average rating are among the signals Google uses to rank local businesses, alongside relevance and proximity. A consistent flow of genuine reviews supports your visibility in the local map pack and helps convince searchers to choose your practice once you appear.

The Bottom Line

Google reviews for dentists are one of the most effective ways to build both local search visibility and patient trust, but the Australian regulatory context means they need a careful approach. Encourage genuine reviews with an easy, well-timed ask, automate the invitation without ever offering incentives, respond to everything professionally, and keep reviews on Google rather than turning them into advertising testimonials. When in doubt, check the current AHPRA and Dental Board guidelines before building review content into any marketing.

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Want to know how your practice looks in local search? Our free website audit reviews your Google Business Profile, local visibility and the on-page foundations that help Australian dental practices get found.