The practice down the street gets named because an AI assistant can read more clear, matching information about it than about yours: more reviews, a plain list of specialties, and the same name, address, hours and services everywhere. By the end of this post you will have a one-page comparison to fill in tonight, a fix order, and two safe review replies.
Patients ask in plain language, like "what is a good family dentist in [city] that is accepting new patients?", and health questions and provider questions often happen in the same conversation. The assistant answers with a few names. If yours is not one of them, the patient never sees a list of results to scroll.
Ask the question your patient asks, and write down who wins
Do this before you change anything. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Open ChatGPT and ask: "best dentist in [your town]".
- Ask: "dentist in [your town] accepting new patients".
- Ask: "[your top treatment] dentist in [your town]". Use implants, Invisalign, emergency care, whatever you most want to book.
- Ask each question two or three times. Answers change from run to run, so one result can mislead you in either direction.
- Write down every practice that is named, and whether you are one of them.
You now have your "neighbors": the practices that get named where you do not. Two is enough.
A side-by-side sheet shows why the neighbor wins
Build this table for yourself, one column per practice.
| Check | You | Neighbor 1 | Neighbor 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google review count | |||
| Date of newest review | |||
| Specialties named on the website | |||
| Own page for each specialty (yes/no) | |||
| Name, address, phone match on site and Google profile (yes/no) | |||
| Named in the AI answer (yes/no) |
Most of this is visible in minutes from the public Google listing and the practice's website.
Research on which dental practices get recommended describes the pattern: the practices that get named tend to have strong reviews across several platforms, detailed service descriptions, and clearly listed specialties like implants, cosmetics and emergency care. The ones that get ignored tend to have minimal reviews or unclear messaging.
Two gaps explain most of it: fuzzy identity and thin outside proof
Read your sheet through two questions.
Does the assistant know who you are? If your phone number is different on your website and your Google profile, or your hours are out of date, or "services" is one page with a bulleted list, a machine has a harder time pinning you down. Fix mismatches before you write anything new.
Does anyone outside your website say you are good at this? Reviews, directory listings and local mentions tie your practice to your city and your procedures. Assistants build their picture from your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your treatment pages and directory listings, and fresh, regular reviews count as a sign the practice is worth trusting.
Fix in this order: profile, specialty pages, then reviews
When a neighbor is named and you are not, work down this list. Stop when your sheet matches theirs.
- Mismatched details: fix first. Make your name, address, phone and hours identical on your website, Google profile and directories. It costs an afternoon and nothing else.
- A thin Google profile: next. List the services you actually offer, correct the hours, add recent photos. Our guide on how Google Business Profile affects AI assistants walks through the fields.
- One "services" page: split it. Give each specialty patients ask about its own page, with your town in the heading. A line that works as an opener: "[Treatment] in [town]: what it involves, how long it takes, and how to book at [practice name]."
- Same-day emergency care you never mention: say it. If the neighbor is named for "emergency dentist" and you offer it too, put it on its own page.
- Few reviews: start a steady ask. One request per visit beats a one-time push.
Your review gap is a number you can divide
Compare your review count with the neighbor's, and your newest review date with theirs.
Example: say the neighbor has 240 reviews with one from last week, and you have 60 with the newest from five months ago. The gap is 180 reviews and five months of silence. Spread over 12 months, closing it means about 15 new reviews a month. If your practice sees fewer than 15 patients a month who would say yes, plan for a longer runway, or aim to match their recency first.
No review count is known to guarantee a recommendation, so use the neighbor as your target and not a magic number.
A text a front desk can send to a patient after a visit:
Thanks for coming in today. If you have a minute, a short Google review about your visit helps other patients find us: [link]
Send that privately. Never post it, and never offer something in exchange for a review without checking the platform's rules first.
Reply to reviews with two lines that confirm nothing
This is where practices get hurt while chasing reviews. HHS's Office for Civil Rights has said social media is not the place for providers to discuss a patient's care, and that dentists must think carefully about privacy before answering online reviews. One practice, Elite Dental Associates, was fined $10,000 for putting a patient's full name, insurance information, treatment plan and costs into a reply to a Yelp review.
HIPAA bars you from disclosing a patient's information unless it is permitted or the patient authorizes it, and using it on social media takes signed written consent. A public reply that confirms the reviewer was a patient is already saying something about them.
Keep two templates and use nothing else:
- Positive review: "Thank you for the kind words. We appreciate you taking the time to write."
- Negative review: "We take feedback seriously. Please call our office at [number] so we can talk with you directly."
Rules for whoever answers reviews:
- No names, treatments, costs, insurance, dates or conditions in a public reply.
- Do not confirm or deny that the reviewer is a patient.
- Send every detailed complaint to a phone call, even when the reviewer is wrong.
- If you are unsure, do not reply.
Ask your own compliance contact to approve the two templates once. After that each reply takes under two minutes.
Mistakes that keep the neighbor ahead
| Mistake | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Changing the phone or name in one place only | Creates the mismatch that makes you harder to identify |
| One long homepage with every service on it | You get named for general dentistry and missed for the treatment a patient asks about |
| Buying or posting fake reviews | Reviews get removed and real patients lose trust |
| Defending the practice in public with details | A privacy violation, and a worse story than the review you were answering |
| Checking once and trusting the answer | You fix a problem that was a bad draw, or miss a real one |
Do this in the next ten minutes
Open ChatGPT and ask "best dentist in [your town]" three times. Write the names that show up, then open the top neighbor's Google listing and fill in the first two rows of the sheet: review count and newest review date. That gap tells you whether your first job is reviews or fixing details. The guide to checking whether ChatGPT recommends your business covers what to fix first once you know.
Run the free scan to see who gets named instead of you
If you would rather not run the questions by hand, run the free scan. It takes about a minute and shows whether AI assistants recommend your practice when patients ask about your treatments in your town, and who they recommend instead. The Fix Kit is $29 one time and Monitor is $19 a month if you want to keep checking, and the scan itself is free.
Frequently asked questions
Are patients really using ChatGPT to find dentists?
Some are. Patients ask assistants things like "what is a good family dentist in [city] accepting new patients?", often in the same conversation as a health question. You can see what your own town gets by asking the same question yourself.
How many reviews does a dentist need to be recommended by AI?
No review count is known to trigger a recommendation. Use the practice that gets named in your town as the target: compare review counts and the date of the newest review, then close the gap.
Does my website need a separate page for every treatment?
For the treatments you want patients to ask about, yes. A page for each specialty, with your town in the heading, makes it easier for an assistant to name you for that treatment and not only for general dentistry.
Can I reply to a patient's online review?
You can, but keep it generic. Never include a name, treatment, cost, insurance detail or date, and do not confirm the reviewer is a patient. Many practices use a thank-you line or a request to call the office. Check with your own compliance contact.
Do my name, address and phone number have to match everywhere?
Yes, as closely as you can. A different phone number on your website and Google profile, or old hours, makes your practice harder for an assistant to identify. Fix mismatches before writing new pages.
How long does the comparison take?
About 10 minutes for the three questions and the first two rows of the sheet. Ask each question two or three times, since answers change from run to run.
Does AI recommend your business?
Check free, results emailed in about 15 minutes: see whether AI names you, who it names instead, and why.
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