Dental social media marketing: what to post, what to avoid and what it's for
Dental social media marketing works best as proof, not a shop window: posts that show your team, your practice and how you treat people, so a patient who finds you on Google feels safe enough to book. Pair it with a strong Google profile and steady reviews, use paid social ads for specific treatments, and follow the patient privacy rules, which differ in the US, UK and Australia. Below: which platforms to use, what to post each week, what you can and can't share, how to reply to comments, and how to tell whether it's working.
Does social media marketing work for dental practices?
Yes, as trust-building, but rarely as the main source of new patients on its own. A patient who finds you on Google may well check your social pages before booking, to see who they'd be dealing with.
- Organic posts keep you in mind with existing patients and show newcomers a real, friendly team.
- Paid social ads can bring enquiries for specific treatments, such as aligners, whitening or implant consultations, aimed at people near the practice.
- Your Google profile and reviews do most of the work of being found. Our local SEO plan for dentists covers that side.
Which social media platforms should a dental practice use?
Start with Facebook, Instagram and your Google Business Profile posts, and do them well before adding more. One platform kept up every week beats four left to go quiet.
| Platform | Best for | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Local families, community news, events, reviews of your service | Low: one or two posts a week | |
| Team, practice and short video; treatment explainers | Medium: photos and short videos | |
| Google Business Profile posts | Offers, events and news shown on your Google listing | Low: one post a week |
| YouTube Shorts or TikTok | Short answers to common questions (“does whitening hurt?”) | Higher: needs someone comfortable on camera |
What should a dental practice post on social media?
Mostly people and answers: your team, your practice and plain answers to the questions patients ask at the front desk. A simple weekly rhythm is easier to keep than a big campaign.
| Day | Post idea | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Meet the team: one person, their role and something human about them | Nervous patients want to know who they'll see |
| Wednesday | A question answered: cost ranges, what happens at a check-up, payment plans | Answers the doubts that stop people booking |
| Friday | Behind the scenes: sterilisation, new equipment, the reception team | Shows care and cleanliness |
| Monthly | Community: a school visit, charity day or local sponsor | Makes you the local practice, not just a business |
Can a dental practice share patient reviews and photos on social media?
Only with care, and the rules are different in each country. In short: get explicit written consent before posting anything about a patient, and in Australia don't use clinical testimonials in advertising at all.
| Country | What the rules say | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| United States | HIPAA requires a patient's written authorisation before their health information is used for marketing, with few exceptions. In 2022 a California practice paid $23,000 after disclosing patient information in replies to online reviews. | Get a signed HIPAA marketing authorisation before using a patient's photo, story or review; never confirm someone is a patient in a reply |
| United Kingdom | Health data is special category data under UK GDPR. The GDC's social media guidance says you must be careful not to share identifiable information about patients without their explicit consent, and must not post information or comments about patients. | Explicit, written consent for any patient image or story, saying where it will appear; no comments about patients in replies |
| Australia | Ahpra says the National Law doesn't allow testimonials to advertise regulated health services, and that a practice's own social media page promoting its services counts as advertising. Comments about customer service or communication style aren't testimonials and may be used. | Don't share reviews about treatment or outcomes; non-clinical comments (“friendly reception team”) are fine if shared complete and unedited; manage or turn off reviews on pages you control |
Turning reviews into posts is a good idea in the US and UK when the review mentions service rather than treatment and you have the reviewer's written consent (in the US, a signed HIPAA marketing authorisation); Flexi Local's review post maker does this in a click. In Australia, keep to non-clinical reviews, shown in full and unedited.
How should a dental practice reply to comments and reviews on social media?
Quickly, politely and without confirming the person is a patient or mentioning any treatment. Thank people for kind words, and move any complaint offline to a named person.
Thank you for getting in touch. We take every concern seriously and would like to talk this through properly. Please call [practice manager] on [number] so we can help.
Our page of dentist review examples and replies has privacy-safe replies for every star rating, and the same rules apply to Facebook and Instagram comments.
Should a dental practice run paid social media ads?
Yes, for specific treatments with a clear next step, and only if someone answers enquiries fast. Boosting general posts rarely brings bookings; an ad for one treatment, shown to people within a short drive and linked to a page with prices and a booking form, can.
- One treatment per campaign, with a landing page that answers cost, process and who it suits.
- Tight location targeting around the practice.
- The same consent and testimonial rules as organic posts; in Australia, no clinical testimonials in ads.
- Track enquiries and booked consultations from each ad, not likes or reach.
Our local ads service runs Facebook, Instagram and Google ads on your own accounts, with every enquiry tracked in a monthly report.
How do you measure dental social media marketing?
By enquiries and booked appointments that came from social, plus whether new patients say they checked your pages first. Likes and followers only tell you that people saw a post.
| Measure | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Enquiries and bookings from social | Tracked links, ad reports and a “how did you hear about us?” question at booking |
| Messages answered within the hour | Your inbox for Facebook and Instagram messages |
| New patients who looked at your pages | Ask at the first visit |
| Cost per booked consultation (ads) | Ad spend divided by consultations booked |
Want to see how your Google profile and reviews compare with nearby practices? Get a free audit: your Trust Score, the reviews you need to pass nearby practices, your map rank across your area and whether AI assistants recommend you.
Sources
- US HHS: Marketing (HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance), checked 12 Nov 2026
- US HHS: Resolution agreement with New Vision Dental ($23,000, disclosures in replies to online reviews), checked 12 Nov 2026
- ICO: What is special category data? (UK GDPR), checked 12 Nov 2026
- General Dental Council: Guidance on using social media (effective from 27 June 2016), checked 12 Nov 2026
- Ahpra: Testimonials, understand the requirements (testimonial tool), checked 12 Nov 2026
- Google Maps: Prohibited and restricted content (fake engagement and rating manipulation), checked 12 Nov 2026
Citing these figures? Please link to this page. If you spot a figure that's out of date, email hello@flexilocal.com.
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