Your dental practice could be the best in your city, but if you have 23 Google reviews and the practice down the street has 350, guess who gets the phone call? Dental Google reviews are the single most influential factor in whether a prospective patient chooses you or your competitor. This guide will show you how to generate 15–25 new reviews per month using a system that feels natural — not desperate.
Google reviews impact your practice in three critical ways, and understanding all three explains why they deserve serious attention.
Google's local search algorithm considers review quantity, quality, and recency when deciding which practices to show in the Local Pack (the map listing at the top of search results). Practices with more reviews and higher average ratings consistently rank higher for "dentist near me" and similar searches. This is free, organic visibility that delivers high-intent patients without paying for ads.
An estimated 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses before making a decision. For dental practices — where patients are trusting you with their health and comfort — reviews carry even more weight. A practice with 200+ reviews and a 4.8-star average instantly communicates credibility. A practice with 15 reviews, no matter how glowing, looks unproven.
Reviews don't just drive traffic — they convert that traffic into phone calls and bookings. Studies show that businesses with 4.0–4.5 stars actually convert better than those with a perfect 5.0, because a mix of ratings looks more authentic. The sweet spot is a 4.7–4.9 average with a high volume of reviews. That combination signals both quality and credibility.
Timing is everything. Ask too early and the patient hasn't had a full experience yet. Ask too late and the emotional peak has passed. Here are the best moments to request a review:
The best time to ask is while the experience is still fresh but the patient has had time to leave the office and settle in. A text or email sent 1–3 hours after checkout catches patients at peak satisfaction — they've had a good experience, any numbness has worn off, and they're usually sitting somewhere with their phone in hand.
Train your team to recognize "review moments" — when a patient expresses gratitude, compliments the experience, or shares excitement about their results. When someone says "This was the best dental experience I've ever had," that's your cue. An in-person ask at that exact moment has a 60–70% conversion rate.
Patients who've just completed a multi-visit treatment (Invisalign, implants, cosmetic work) are your most powerful advocates. They've invested significant time and money, they're seeing results, and they have a compelling story to tell. These reviews tend to be longer, more detailed, and more persuasive than reviews from routine cleaning patients.
The most effective method, period. A genuine, face-to-face request from a team member the patient already likes has a much higher success rate than any automated message. The key is to keep it casual and specific:
"Mrs. Johnson, it was so great seeing you today. If you have a minute later, we'd love it if you could share your experience on Google — it really helps other patients find us. We'll send you a quick link by text to make it easy."
Notice the structure: personal connection → simple ask → explain why it matters → remove friction by promising a direct link. This formula works because it's warm, it gives a reason, and it requires almost no effort from the patient.
Text messages have a 98% open rate compared to 20–25% for email. For review requests, text is the highest-converting automated channel. Keep the message short, personal, and include a direct link that opens the Google review form.
Email works best as a follow-up to text for patients who didn't respond. Send a review request email 2–3 days after the text. Email allows for slightly more context and a warmer tone, but keep it under 100 words. The subject line does 80% of the work — make it personal and conversational.
"Hi [First Name]! Thanks for coming in to see us today at [Practice Name]. 😊 If you had a great experience, we'd really appreciate a quick Google review — it helps other patients find us! Here's the link: [DIRECT REVIEW LINK]. Thanks so much! — The [Practice Name] Team"
Subject: "How was your visit, [First Name]?"
"Hi [First Name],
Thank you for trusting us with your dental care! We hope your experience with Dr. [Name] was excellent.
If you have 30 seconds, we'd be so grateful if you could share your experience on Google. Your feedback helps other patients feel confident choosing our practice — and it truly means the world to our team.
[BUTTON: Leave a Google Review]
Thank you for being a valued patient!
Warmly,
The [Practice Name] Team"
"Hi [First Name], just a quick follow-up — if you have a moment, we'd love to hear about your recent visit. Your Google review helps us more than you know! 🙏 [DIRECT REVIEW LINK]"
Important: Never send more than two follow-ups. After two asks, stop. Pushing harder turns a positive experience into an annoying one.
Manual review requests work, but they're inconsistent because they depend on your team remembering to ask. Automation ensures every patient gets asked, every time, at the right moment.
Here's how to set up an automated review system:
Negative reviews happen to every practice. How you respond matters more than the review itself. A thoughtful, professional response to a negative review actually builds trust with prospective patients who are reading it.
Google allows you to flag reviews that violate their policies — fake reviews, reviews from non-patients, reviews with hate speech or threats, and reviews that are clearly meant for a different business. Don't flag legitimate negative reviews just because you disagree with them. Google rarely removes those, and it's a waste of time.
Google doesn't just count your total reviews — it tracks how quickly you're getting new ones. This is called "review velocity," and it's a ranking signal. A practice that gets 5 reviews per week consistently will outrank a practice with more total reviews but only gets 2 per month.
This is why automation matters. Manual systems produce bursts of reviews followed by dry spells. Automated systems produce a steady, consistent stream that Google's algorithm rewards.
Target numbers for South Florida dental practices:
If you're seeing 80–120 patients per month and using an automated review system, 15–25 new reviews per month is realistic. That's a 15–20% conversion rate on review requests, which is right in line with industry benchmarks.
There are several rules and ethical considerations to keep in mind when soliciting dental Google reviews:
The FTC requires that reviews reflect genuine, unbiased experiences. Don't selectively ask only happy patients for reviews — your system should ask everyone (you can exclude problem visits, but don't cherry-pick only the ecstatic ones). Don't coach patients on what to say or ask for specific star ratings.
Here's how to go from zero to a fully automated review generation system in 30 days:
By the end of 30 days, you should have a fully automated system generating 10–15 new Google reviews per month. By month three, as you refine your messaging and your team gets comfortable with in-person asks, expect that number to climb to 20–25. That's 240–300 reviews per year — enough to dominate any local market in South Florida.
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