Google Ads vs Facebook Ads for Dentists: Which Should You Run First?

Dentists ask me this all the time: should I run Google or Facebook? The honest answer is that they do two different jobs, and the right first move depends on your situation. Let me break down the real difference without the jargon.

Google catches demand, Facebook creates it

Here is the core idea. Google Ads catches people who are already looking. Someone types dentist near me or emergency tooth pain into Google, and your ad shows up at that exact moment. They already want a dentist. You are just making sure they find you instead of the practice down the street.

Facebook and Instagram ads work the other way. Nobody opens Instagram looking for a dentist. They are watching videos and catching up with friends. Your ad interrupts that, and if it is good, it plants the idea: this looks like a great local office, maybe I should finally get that cleaning, or fix that tooth I have been ignoring. Facebook creates demand that was not actively there a second ago.

What each one is good at

That difference drives everything else.

• Google is great for high-intent, ready-now patients: emergencies, pain, someone new in town who needs a dentist this week. Fewer people, but they are ready to book.
• Google gets expensive per click in competitive areas, and it can only reach as many people as are actively searching. There is a ceiling on demand.
• Facebook is great for volume, for filling the schedule steadily, and for selling services people are not urgently searching for, like implants, veneers, and Invisalign. It reaches far more people for less.
• Facebook lives or dies on the creative. Boring ads get ignored, which is why real video of your practice matters so much there.

So which do you run first?

For most practices, I usually start with Facebook and Instagram, built on real video. Here is why. Facebook gives you volume and reach for less money, it lets you show off your actual office and team to build trust, and the video you shoot works across your whole online presence, not just the ads. It is the engine that fills the schedule.

That is the system I built at Stuart Dental Spa, and over about 90 days it produced 280 intake leads, with 146 worked into the sales pipeline. Those are leads and pipeline, not patients, but that volume is the point: Facebook is what generates a steady flow to work with.

Google Ads is a strong addition once the foundation is running, especially if you want to catch emergency and ready-now searches. I run it as a layer on top, not usually the first thing. If your practice leans heavily on emergencies or you are brand new in a market and need patients this week, that changes, and Google might come first. Tell me your situation and I will tell you straight.

The best answer is both, in the right order

Over time, most practices benefit from running both. Facebook fills the schedule and builds your brand in the community. Google catches the people ready to book right now. Together they cover both halves of how patients find a dentist. But if you are starting with one, start with the one that builds a foundation you can see and reuse, and for most practices that is Facebook with real video.

Whatever you do, do not spread a small budget thin across both from day one. It is better to do one well than two badly. Pick the right first move, get it working, then layer the other one on.