Google Reviews for Dentists, How to Ask and Reply Safely
Getting more Google reviews for dentists comes down to asking every patient at checkout, by text, with a direct link, from the person the patient liked. Replying is where practices get in trouble, because a reply that confirms someone is a patient is a HIPAA problem.
If nearby practices seem to have more stars and newer dates than yours, or a one-star review just showed up and you're not sure what you're allowed to say back, both fixes are below.
This post gives you the request text, the rules Google enforces, a reply template and a setup list for this week.
- Ask every patient for a review by text within an hour of checkout, with Google's direct review link.
- Google's review policy bans incentives, asking only happy patients and reviews from staff or family.
- A reply must never confirm the reviewer is a patient or mention any treatment.
- HHS settled with dental practices for $23,000 in 2022 and $10,000 in 2019 over review replies.
- Fla. Stat. 466.019 treats a practice website as advertising, so quote reviews exactly as written.
How should a dental office ask for Google reviews?
Ask at checkout, by text, within an hour, with the link that opens the review box directly. The visit is fresh and the phone is already in the patient's hand.
Here's what I set up:
- The direct link. Google Business Profile gives you a short review link and a QR code under "Ask for reviews." Use that, not a link to your Maps listing, so one tap opens the star picker.
- A text, not an email. An email the next day gets buried. I set the text to fire from the checkout step in the practice's CRM.
- The person they liked asks. If the hygienist spent 45 minutes with the patient, the hygienist asks and the text follows. In my experience the ask means more coming from that person than from someone at the desk they just met.
- Everyone gets asked. Sending the link only to the patients you think were happy is review gating, and Google's policy says businesses may not "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers."
Keep the text this short:
Thanks for coming in today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other patients find us: [link]
Skip the review tablet at the front desk. Google's review policy says businesses shouldn't pressure people to leave reviews while they're on the premises. A review written on the office Wi-Fi from a shared device looks like what it is.
- Use the short link from "Ask for reviews" in Google Business Profile
- Send it by text within an hour of checkout
- Have the person the patient spent time with ask first
- Send it to every patient, not only the happy ones
- Offer nothing in return: no discounts, gifts or raffles
- No reviews from staff, former staff or family
- No review tablet at the front desk
- Reply without confirming a visit or naming a treatment
Source: Google review policy and Google Business Profile Help
What rules apply to Google reviews for dentists?
Google's review policy bans incentives, selective asking and reviews from staff or family. It prohibits offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" in exchange for a review, for changing a review or for removing a negative one.
That covers the raffle for a whitening kit, the $10 gift card and "leave a review and get entered to win."
Reviews from employees, former employees and family count as a conflict of interest and can be removed. A profile padded with team reviews can lose them.
A free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. You get a written Method Plan for the cases you want, with the first fixes in order. It's yours to keep whether we work together or not.
How should a dentist respond to a negative review?
Reply without confirming the person was ever a patient, without mentioning any treatment, and with an invitation to talk offline. That's the whole template.
HIPAA treats the fact that someone is your patient as protected information. In 2022 the HHS Office for Civil Rights settled with a California dental practice for $23,000 after it responded to Yelp reviews with patient names, insurance details and treatment information. In 2019 a Dallas practice paid $10,000 under its resolution agreement with HHS for the same kind of reply.
OCR's director called disclosing protected health information in review responses "a clear NO," as TechTarget reported.
- $23,000California dental practice, 2022 settlement
- $10,000Dallas dental practice, 2019 settlement
Source: HHS Office for Civil Rights resolution agreements
What should the reply say?
This is the reply I give practices:
Thank you for taking the time to share this. We take every piece of feedback seriously and we'd like to understand what happened. Please call our office manager, [Name], at [number] so we can talk directly.
What's not in it: "I'm sorry your crown didn't fit," "our records show you canceled twice," "you were seen on March 3." Each one is a disclosure. Even "we're sorry your visit went that way" confirms a visit.
If a review looks fake, flag it through the profile and move on. Don't write "you were never our patient," which is the same disclosure in reverse.
I'm not a lawyer or a dentist, so have your compliance officer approve the template before the desk uses it.
How fast should you reply?
I'd reply to every review, good and bad, within two business days. Google's Business Profile help calls replying to reviews a best practice.
Never argue. People reading the profile are judging how you handle the complaint, not the person who wrote it. To me, a short, calm reply that names a person and gives a phone number tells a reader more about the office than another five-star review.
Can a dentist put Google reviews on the practice website?
Yes, if you don't edit them and you treat the page as advertising. Fla. Stat. 466.019 defines an advertisement to include websites and social media and bars anything misleading. A reviews page that quotes only the five-star ones with the wording changed is a risk.
Pull them in with a widget that shows them as written, or quote them exactly with the reviewer's first name and the date. The reviews page is one of the pieces covered in dental website design that turns searches into exams.
What to do next
In the Double Jaw Method™, the top jaw is thinking: name the patient you want more of. The bottom jaw is action: attract them and wow them. Reviews work on both jaws: they describe, in patients' own words, who you treat, and they help attract the next patient like them. A Method Review applies both jaws to your practice.
The same steps work for orthodontic practices and oral surgery practices, where the person who books the visit is often a parent or a referred patient.
- In Google Business Profile, click "Ask for reviews" and copy the short link.
- Write the checkout text. Keep it under 160 characters with the link at the end.
- Set it to send automatically from your practice software or CRM one hour after checkout.
- Read your last 20 replies. If any mention a treatment or a date, or confirm a visit, edit them today.
- Put the reply template on a card at the desk and name one person who owns replies.
Reviews are step two of five in how to get more dental patients. The Double Jaw page for dentists covers where they fit in the full new-patient program.
FAQ
How many Google reviews does a dental office need?
There's no set number. To a patient reading the profile, recent reviews and replies say more than a big total that stopped growing months ago.
Can a dentist ask patients for a review on Google specifically?
Yes. Asking for a Google review is fine. What you can't do is offer anything for it or ask only the patients you expect to be happy.
Should staff who reply to reviews have HIPAA training?
Yes. Anyone who replies to reviews is handling patient information and should be covered by the practice's HIPAA training. Ask your compliance officer or counsel to confirm the workflow.
What if a patient leaves a bad review about price?
Use the same template. Don't quote the fee or explain the treatment plan in public. Invite the call and handle it on the phone.
Can a dentist delete a bad Google review?
No. You can flag a review that violates Google's policies, and Google decides whether it comes down. The rest you answer.
Book a Method Review
If your reviews have stalled or your replies worry you, book a Method Review: a free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. You get a written Method Plan with the first fixes in order, yours to keep whether we work together or not.
