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? They do different jobs, and the right first move depends on the practice. Here is the 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 differently. People usually open those apps for content or friends, not to search for a dentist. A good ad introduces the practice and reminds someone about care they may already have been considering.

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 start with Facebook and Instagram using real video. It can reach a defined local audience, show the actual office and team, and create footage the practice can reuse across its online presence. Whether it fills the schedule still depends on the offer, market, follow-up, and available appointments.

That is the system I built at Stuart Dental Spa, where the office recorded 36 appointments booked in 90 days, from November 16, 2025 to February 13, 2026. The same period recorded 280 intake leads. These office-marked bookings cover all recorded Meta Leads Center sources, not only paid ads. They do not confirm attendance or treatment. It was work for a family-owned practice at no charge, not a forecast for another account.

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.

Some practices eventually use both

Over time, a practice may benefit from both. Facebook and Instagram introduce the office to local people, while Google reaches people already searching. If the budget only supports one channel, I would choose the one that best matches the treatment, market, and current source of demand. For many practices, that is Facebook and Instagram 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.