Facebook and Instagram ads
Facebook and Instagram ads for dental practices.
Blake runs Meta ads himself for dentists, orthodontists and oral surgeons: the audience around your office, the creative, the page the click lands on and the tracking that shows which ad booked each consult.
Free, 15 minutes by phone or Zoom, with Blake.
The short answer
How should a dental practice run Facebook and Instagram ads?
Run them for care people choose for themselves, like clear aligners, implants or a child's first orthodontic visit, and show them to people near your office. Lead with real video of your doctor and team, send each click to a page with one clear way to book, follow up the same day, and judge every ad on booked consults. Meta's health ad rules shape the wording and the tracking.
By Blake Hickey, founder of Double Jaw Marketing.
Where Meta fits
Search first, then the people who aren't searching yet.
Google search catches the patient who is already looking. Facebook and Instagram reach the adult who has thought about straightening their teeth for a year but hasn't typed it in yet, and the parent scrolling after the kids are in bed. That's why Blake leads with dental SEO and dental PPC and Google Ads, then adds Meta for the care people choose on their own time.
What the work covers
Meta ads built around one booked consult.
Every piece points at the same thing: a patient on your calendar, with the ad that sent them written down.
Who sees your ads
People within driving distance of your office, set by location and age. Meta removed detailed targeting tied to health topics, so the ad itself has to speak to the right person.
The creative
Single image ads, graphics, illustrations, infographics and video, built around your real doctor and team. Blake can film and edit the video himself.
Where the click lands
A page on your website for the one service in the ad, with your phone number easy to tap and one way to book.
Lead forms, when they fit
Meta's instant forms keep people inside Facebook or Instagram. They make sense when someone on your team can call each lead back quickly.
Tracking by booked consult
Calls and leads traced back to the ad that sent them, so your monthly report shows booked consults, not just clicks and likes.
Rules built in
Copy written with Meta's health ad standards and your state's dental advertising rules in mind. Your attorney makes the final call.
Examples
Match the ad to the patient you want.
A few ways a goal turns into an ad. Your plan starts from the cases you want more of.
| Goal | The ad | Where the click goes | What it's judged on |
|---|---|---|---|
| More adult clear aligner starts | A short video of the doctor explaining how treatment works at your office | Your clear aligner page, with an exam calendar | Booked consults, then starts |
| More implant consults | The doctor answering the cost question, with what changes the price | Your implant page, with a consult request | Booked consults by source |
| Parents booking a first orthodontic visit | A walk from the front door to the chair, with the team saying hello | Your first-visit page for parents | Booked first visits |
| Wisdom teeth consults | The surgeon explaining what the first visit looks like | Your wisdom teeth page, with a consult request | Booked consults by source |
The rules
What Meta's health ad rules mean for your ads.
- Talk about the care, not the person.Meta's Personal Attributes standard prohibits ads that assert or imply a person's health condition, so a headline like "Missing teeth?" is out.
- Never make people feel bad about themselves.Meta's Health and Wellness standard bars ads that imply or try to create negative self-perception, and cosmetic procedure ads must target people 18 and older.
- Health targeting options are gone.Meta removed detailed targeting options tied to sensitive topics, including health causes, in early 2022. Location, age and the ad itself do the work now.
- Tracking has limits.Meta restricts some of the website data it accepts from health and wellness advertisers, so booked consults are counted in your own system too.
- Patient photos need written permission.A patient's photo in an ad needs their signed HIPAA authorization. Blake would rather put your doctor and team on camera.
- Your state's rules apply too.Dental advertising rules cover your social ads as well as your website. Florida practices can start with the dental ad claims checklist, then have their attorney review the creative.
The longer guide: Facebook ads for dentists, what works and what wastes money.
How Blake works
Let patients meet your team on their phone first.
I know what it's like to research treatment long before calling an office. On my way to jaw surgery I sat through consults with dentists, orthodontists and surgeons, and I noticed every first impression. A good Meta ad gives a patient that first impression before they ever walk in.
I run the ads myself: the audience, the creative, the landing page and the tracking. I can shoot and edit the video too, so your ads show your real office and your real team instead of stock footage.
Your ads account is yours. I'll help you set it up in your practice's name and work inside it, so if we ever part ways, everything stays with you.
See what Blake would change in your ads first: book a free review
Questions
Questions practices ask about Facebook and Instagram ads.
Do Facebook ads work for dental practices?
They can, for care people choose for themselves, like clear aligners, implants or a first orthodontic visit. Results depend on your market, your offer, your website and how fast your team follows up, so Blake judges every ad on booked consults and tells you what he sees on the free review.
Should we use a Meta lead form or our website?
It depends on your front desk. Meta's lead forms keep people inside Facebook or Instagram and are quick to fill out, so they fit when someone can call each lead back quickly. A page on your website asks a little more, and the patient has seen your office and your next step before they book. Blake sets up the one your team can follow up on.
How much do Facebook ads cost?
Your ad budget is paid to Meta directly and is never part of the fee. Blake helps you set it from the number of consults you want each month. Monthly plans start at $1,500 a month, with the price in writing before anything starts. Pricing subject to change.
Can we use before-and-after photos in our ads?
Meta allows some before-and-after images for cosmetic procedures when the ad doesn't try to make people feel bad about themselves, and any patient photo needs that patient's signed authorization. Blake would rather put your doctor and team on camera. Your attorney makes the final call on what your ads show.
Who owns the ad account?
Your practice does. Blake helps you set up the Meta business account and ad account in your practice's name and works inside it, so if you ever part ways, everything stays with you.
What happens on the free review?
It's 15 minutes with Blake by phone or Zoom. He looks at what your practice uses now, like your website, ads, phones and follow-up, and tells you what he would change first. You leave with a written plan, whether or not you hire Double Jaw.
See also: Dental SEO · Dental PPC and Google Ads · ChatGPT ads for practices · Dental video marketing · The Double Jaw Method
Sources: Meta Advertising Standards, Health and wellness · Meta Advertising Standards, Personal attributes · Marketing Brew, Meta to restrict targeting of certain groups for advertisers (Nov 2021) · Search Engine Land, Meta ads restrictions for health and wellness · 45 CFR 164.508, HIPAA authorizations. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice.
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