How to Get Dental Reviews (Without Feeling Like You’re Begging)
Knowing how to get dental reviews is a critical skill for successful practices. Online reviews are more than a digital pat on the back. They’re
Marketing
How to get more patients for your orthodontic practice
As an orthodontist, you face unique marketing challenges. Referrals from general dentists have long been the backbone of ortho practice growth. But with more GPs offering aligners in-house, those referrals aren’t as reliable as they used to be. Meanwhile, patients are being lured by direct-to-consumer aligner brands that promise convenience and low prices. The result? Standing out and staying profitable takes more than just clinical excellence. It takes smart, intentional marketing.
That’s where we come in.
At Patientli, we help orthodontic practices across the country attract new starts, build strong referral networks, and position themselves as the trusted choice in their communities. We created this guide to give orthodontists, treatment coordinators, and practice managers the clarity and tools they need to build a brand that inspires trust, and a strategy that drives real results.
Too many orthodontic practices are using outdated tactics or generic marketing that doesn’t reflect their value as specialists. Without a strong digital presence and a clear point of differentiation, it’s easy to lose cases to GPs offering in-house ortho or to patients who don’t understand why seeing an orthodontist matters.
We built this guide to change that.
Inside, you’ll find proven, data-driven strategies to help you build a recognizable brand, strengthen relationships with referring providers, and attract patients who are actively looking for expert care. And if you’re not ready to invest in outside help yet, we’ll share effective DIY tactics to help you move forward confidently until you are. Hopefully with us, but there’s no pressure.
We also believe orthodontic marketing should be transparent and empowering. Whether you’re opening your first location or optimizing a well-established practice, this guide is designed to help you make smarter decisions, avoid wasted spend, and grow with confidence.
This guide outlines the exact strategies that drive new patient growth in orthodontics today, backed by industry research and real-world results. It’s full of actionable tips, updated insights, and best practices—and we’ll continue to evolve it as the market shifts.
Bookmark this guide or subscribe for updates, so you’re always one step ahead.
The way people choose an orthodontist has changed dramatically in the digital age. Referrals still matter, but they’re no longer the only factor. Whether a patient hears about your practice from a dentist, a friend, or a Google search, they’re almost guaranteed to research you online before they ever reach out. Today’s patients are more informed, more selective, and more empowered than ever.
Today’s patients don’t follow a linear path to find an orthodontist. Some are referred by their general dentist but want to “double-check” online before moving forward. Others start with Google, browse social media, or ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Many compare multiple providers, even across treatment types (like clear aligners vs. braces), before making a decision.
During their search, most prospective patients will:
For orthodontic practices, this means showing up consistently and confidently across all digital channels is essential. If you’re hard to find or your digital presence doesn’t reflect your expertise, prospective patients may simply move on to the next option.
of patients use reviews to evaluate providers
Source: SoftwareAdvice
of millennial patients validate a provider’s recommendations with their own research.
Source: Harmony Healthcare
If a patient is considering orthodontic care they’ll scrutinize every provider on their radar. Especially one who’s weighing their options between an ortho specialist, aligners from their family dentist, or an online service. Your practice will likely be compared to others that may have a stronger online presence or a more aggressive marketing approach.
What makes patients choose one practice over another?
✅ Easy to find – You show up where they’re looking: on Google, social media, and local directories
✅ Highly rated – You’ve got great reviews, a polished before-and-after gallery, and real patient testimonials that speak to outcomes and experience
✅ Professional & polished – Your website is modern, informative, and reflects the value of working with a specialist
✅ Convenient to connect with – You offer online scheduling, transparent information, and a smooth, friendly communication process
And the journey doesn’t end once they book. Patients will continue to form opinions about your practice based on how well you communicate, how easy it is to schedule or reschedule appointments, and how supported they feel throughout their treatment.
In a world where even specialists are facing growing competition, optimizing every step of the patient journey, from the first click to the final retainer check, is what sets thriving ortho practices apart.
Imagine starting your day with a new ortho consult on the schedule. You’ve probably thought about how to make them feel at ease—how your team will greet them, how you’ll talk through treatment options, and how to make the experience feel exciting rather than overwhelming. You want to earn their trust and turn that initial visit into a long-term patient relationship.
But here’s the truth: that first impression has already happened.
With nearly half of patients spending two or more weeks researching providers, they’ve already developed expectations about your practice before they’ve met you, spoken to your staff, or even picked up the phone. Their perception is shaped by your website, online reviews, social media presence, and even how you stack up against other options like their general dentist or a mail-order aligner brand.
And when it comes to orthodontics, there’s often an added challenge: patients aren’t just choosing a provider. They’re deciding whether to pursue treatment at all.
Orthodontics is often seen as elective, expensive, and time-consuming. Many patients expect a long, clinical, or confusing process, and many more may not fully understand the value of seeing a specialist.
Common associations include:
❌ High costs and unclear pricing – “Is this going to be worth it?”
❌ Cold, outdated experiences – “Braces are for teenagers” or “The office felt kind of old-school”
❌ Confusion about the value of what you do – “Does my child really need an orthodontist? Their teeth look good enough to me.” or “Those Instagram ads said I can just get aligners in the mail.”
If your brand blends in with every other orthodontic office or doesn’t clearly convey your unique value, patients may not even get far enough to discover what sets you apart.
The most forward-thinking orthodontic practices understand that your brand is your real first impression. It’s what shapes a patient’s expectations before they step through the door. It’s also your best opportunity to stand out, build trust, and start the conversation on your terms.
A strong brand helps you:
✅ Look and feel different from other orthodontic providers and aligner brands
✅ Build trust before a patient ever schedules a consultation
✅ Replace fear or hesitation with clarity, confidence, and even excitement
A prime example of branding done right is Tend, a dental startup that has raised over $200 million and opened 30+ locations across the East Coast.
Tend isn’t succeeding by accident—it’s winning patients by reinventing the way dental care is perceived.
Their approach?
The result? Patients click more, engage more, and book more—all because their first impression feels better than what they expect from a typical dental office.
And when those patients finally arrive, they walk in excited instead of anxious. This means Tend’s providers don’t have to work as hard to overcome skepticism—they can focus on delivering an experience that cements long-term trust and loyalty.
Patientli Looks are a shortcut to world-class branding for dental practices. Designs for logos, websites, marketing materials and much more.
You don’t need a $200 million budget to build a brand that resonates.
At Patientli, we help orthodontic practices craft brands that build trust, stand out, and drive growth, within a budget that’s comfortable. With Patientli Looks, you can choose from professionally designed brand identities tailored to modern healthcare and make them your own.
✔️ Choose a Look that fits your practice vision
✔️ Customize it to reflect your values and voice
✔️ Launch with a strategy designed to connect and convert
Because when your first impression is thoughtful, polished, and full of personality, patients won’t just find you, they’ll choose you.
Long before a new patient ever steps into your office for a consult, they’ve already visited your website and formed an opinion about your practice.
For orthodontists, a great website isn’t just a digital brochure. It’s the foundation of your growth strategy. It powers your SEO, acts as a landing zone for ads and referral traffic, and helps patients understand why expert orthodontic care is worth the investment.
A high-performing website does more than just look polished. It builds trust, answers questions, and converts visitors into consultations. And to do that well, you need a few key components.
Your homepage is your first (and often only) chance to make an impression. In a competitive space where patients are comparing orthodontists, dental offices offering aligners, and online options, your homepage needs to immediately showcase your expertise, your approach, and your value.
An effective homepage for an orthodontic practice includes:
✅ Striking visuals – Professional photos of your team, modern office, and happy patients (especially teens and adults in clear aligners or braces)
✅ Clear, educational messaging – Explain who you help, the treatments you offer (like braces, Invisalign®, and early intervention), and why seeing a specialist matters
✅ SEO-friendly content – Include keyword-rich, well-written text that helps search engines understand your services and location
This is where your story starts. Make sure it reflects the professionalism and care you deliver every day.
Patients don’t just search for “orthodontist near me.” They often look for specific treatment options like “Invisalign for teens,” “braces for adults,” or “early orthodontic care.” Creating dedicated pages for each of your key offerings helps you:
✅ Rank higher in Google for targeted searches
✅ Educate patients on the benefits of supervised orthodontic care
✅ Differentiate your expertise from GPs or DIY alternatives
Each treatment page should:
This is where you start shifting patient perception and steering them away from one-size-fits-all solutions.
Orthodontics is a long-term relationship. Patients (and parents) want to know who’s guiding their treatment journey, so your bio matters more than you might think.
✅ Add a professional, friendly photo that makes you look approachable
✅ Include credentials and specialties, but also personal details that show who you are (think: favorite local spots, community involvement, family life)
✅ Highlight your experience with the treatments you offer (e.g., “Certified Invisalign® Provider” or “Specialized in early orthodontic treatment for children ages 7+”)
These pages help humanize your practice and reassure visitors that they’re in expert hands.
A blog for your orthodontic practice isn’t just a place to post updates. It’s one of the most powerful tools for patient education and SEO.
Many orthodontic patients, especially parents and adults seeking treatment, have questions before they’re ready to book. A strong blog helps them get informed, feel more confident, and take action.
✅ Break down treatment types—e.g., “Braces vs. Invisalign: What’s Right for You?”
✅ Answer common questions—like “Is orthodontic treatment worth it as an adult?” or “When should my child see an orthodontist?”
✅ Help patients understand the true value of your care—like the benefits of a phased approach for younger kids and how specialist care can improve airways or reduce future dental costs
✅ Address misconceptions—like the belief that orthodontics are purely cosmetic or a luxury service
Regular blog content helps you stay top-of-mind, increases your visibility in search, and positions you as a trusted source in your community.
Orthodontists rely on referrals from dentists, happy patients, and parents in the community. Make it as easy as possible for all of them to take action.
✅ Offer both online booking and easy-to-find phone numbers
✅ Place contact options prominently across every page
✅ Include a special callout for referring dentists to make it simple for them to connect and send patients your way
Bonus: Consider a referral form that makes it frictionless for GPs to refer a case, especially if they’re debating whether to treat in-house or send to a specialist.
Patients are more likely to use their phone than their desktop when they’re looking for an orthodontist, whether it’s a mom comparing options while waiting in the school pickup line or a college student researching Invisalign.
✅ Mobile-responsive design is critical for user experience and SEO
✅ Ensure quick load times and click-to-call features
✅ Keep forms and navigation clean and easy to use on smaller screens
A mobile-optimized website ensures you’re not missing out on bookings, especially from your busiest (and most tech-savvy) prospective patients.
Your website should reflect your high standards. That includes fast load times, intuitive navigation, and accessibility for all users. If your site is slow or hard to use, patients will leave before you ever get a chance to talk with them.
✅ Google favors fast-loading, accessible websites in search rankings
✅ Patients expect smooth, frictionless browsing, especially on mobile
✅ Optimizing for accessibility (like alt tags and contrast ratios) shows care and professionalism
Your website is your digital home base, but even the best website won’t generate new patients on its own.
The most effective strategy is a comprehensive one. To truly see the difference in your practice, you need a marketing strategy that can drive the right kind of traffic to your website (and your front door) through:
✅ Orthodontic-specific SEO – Optimize for local keywords, treatments, and questions real patients are asking
✅ Paid search and social ads – Target parents, teens, and adults actively researching treatment
✅ Reputation management – Generate reviews from happy patients and maintain strong local credibility
✅ Content marketing – Share educational posts, treatment guides, and updates to stay relevant and build trust
With the right strategy, your website becomes more than a resource. It becomes your #1 driver for real growth.
A high-performing orthodontic website doesn’t just look good. It works overtime to attract the right patients, educate them on your value, and make it easy to take the next step.
🚀 Want a specialist-grade website built for growth? Explore Patientli’s custom branding & web design solutions built to help modern orthodontic practices stand out.
For orthodontic practices, local SEO is crucial for helping prospective patients and referring dentists easily find and choose your office. While traditional SEO focuses on broad visibility, local SEO zeroes in on optimizing your presence for nearby searches. This is especially important for orthodontics, because convenience will rank high for most patients since they’ll need more frequent recall appointments than with their routine dental care.
A strong local SEO strategy makes your practice more visible on Google Search and Maps, drives more website visits, builds trust with referring providers, and ultimately increases consultations and case acceptance. Although the technical aspects can get complicated, the right marketing partner will focus on a few core strategies to help your orthodontic practice stand out in a competitive market.
Google delivers search results in two main ways: traditional Google Search listings and Google Maps results.
For orthodontists, excelling in both areas is key, not just for attracting new patients, but for strengthening your referral relationships by proving your practice is easy to find, trusted, and highly reputable.
Google Search and Google Maps results are influenced by many of the same factors, though each weighs them a bit differently. Generally speaking, Google Search emphasizes a strong website presence and authority, while Google Maps prioritizes your Google Business Profile, proximity to the searcher, and your online reputation.
Regardless of these differences, building a strategy that supports both types of rankings gives your practice the best chance to get noticed by potential patients. Today’s patients rarely make decisions after just one search. According to Google’s own market research, patients conduct an average of 15 searches before booking a healthcare appointment. That’s why a well-rounded approach that helps you show up in both Google Search and Google Maps is critical for capturing new patients.
Let’s dive into some of the core elements that influence your visibility in both types of search results:
Impact on Google Maps Ranking : Highest | Impact on Google Search Ranking: Medium
Your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one of the most powerful assets in your local SEO toolkit. It’s the information hub Google uses to display your practice in search and map results, including details like your phone number, hours, services (like Invisalign, clear braces, or early interceptive treatment), photos, and reviews.
A fully optimized profile signals to Google — and to potential patients — that you’re a trusted orthodontic expert in your community. Keeping your information accurate, using all available features (like appointment links, service menus, and Q&A), and regularly updating your profile with posts and photos can significantly boost your visibility.
Beyond your Google presence, your online authority is shaped by external references, or “trust signals,” that reinforce your reputation.
Impact on Google Maps Ranking : High | Impact on Google Search Ranking: Highest
Your website is still the bedrock of your digital marketing efforts. While patients may first discover you through a referral, Google Maps, or Search, they often visit your site before making a decision, especially for specialized treatments like orthodontics.
A smart orthodontic SEO strategy includes:
Educational content also gives you an edge against DIY orthodontic options by reinforcing the benefits of seeing a specialist and informing patients about the benefits of orthodontics that go beyond cosmetics.
Impact on Google Maps Ranking : High | Impact on Google Search Ranking: Low
Reviews are critical for both building trust and boosting local rankings, particularly in Google Maps results. Patients are looking for social proof when choosing an orthodontist, and referring dentists also want to recommend providers with strong reputations.
Encourage happy patients to leave honest reviews on Google, Facebook, and Healthgrades, and take time to thoughtfully respond to all feedback. Many marketing agencies offer review management tools that make it easier to monitor and grow your online reputation.
Impact on Google Maps Ranking : Low | Impact on Google Search Ranking: Low
Google evaluates how users interact with your practice online. Metrics like click-through rates, time on site, and actions taken (calls, directions, bookings) influence how trustworthy and relevant your site appears.
A professional, easy-to-navigate website with strong calls to action like “Book a Free Invisalign Consultation” can improve these signals and help tip the scales in your favor. With orthodontics, where treatment represents a major investment, creating a frictionless online experience is especially important.
Impact on Google Maps Ranking : Low | Impact on Google Search Ranking: Low
Google personalizes search results based on a user’s location, past search history, and device. Proximity is a major factor, especially for mobile searches, meaning that even an optimized practice won’t show up everywhere.
A smart SEO strategy helps your practice appear prominently for both broad searches (like “orthodontist near me”) and hyper-local queries (like “braces for kids in downtown [city]”). This ensures you capture patients in your immediate service area while maintaining brand awareness region-wide.
While social media activity doesn’t directly boost SEO rankings, it plays a vital role in building brand trust and recognition. Many patients, especially young professionals worried about the look of their smile in the era of video chats and selfies and parents seeking orthodontic care for their children, will check your Instagram or Facebook to see real patient stories, practice culture, and team credentials.
An active, authentic social media presence can help patients and referring dentists feel more connected to your practice, increasing the chances they’ll choose (and refer) you over an online alternative.
The best local SEO strategies start with an honest evaluation of your practice’s current standing. An orthodontic office just starting out may prioritize reviews and local backlinks to build authority quickly, while an established practice with strong site traffic might focus on expanding service-specific content to outrank in-house clear aligner offerings from general dentists.
Understanding where you stand compared to competitors, and building a strategy around those insights, is how effective local SEO plans are built for orthodontists. It’s not just about ranking first; it’s about ranking where it matters most.
Maybe! Especially if you have technical skills, enough time, and a willingness to learn SEO tools. If you’re in a smaller or less competitive market, you might be able to manage your strategy yourself. But with orthodontics becoming increasingly competitive — with general dentists, online aligner companies, and other specialists competing for attention — working with a dedicated marketing partner is often the best way to maximize your investment.
One common mistake even tech-savvy orthodontists make is thinking SEO alone is enough. Patient journeys today are complex and non-linear. Most patients seriously consider at least two providers and take two weeks or more to make a decision.
To succeed, your marketing needs to cover every touchpoint in the patient’s journey:
If you’re looking for a partner who you can trust to manage your marketing strategy, Patientli can help. We recognize that SEO is foundational to practice success, so we include SEO services in our Starter plans and up. We believe in transparency in tactics and results, so all of our strategies are based on the tactics published in this post and on the best research available about how patients use search across their patient journey.
✅ Want a strategy that connects with patients across every step of their decision-making journey? See how Patientli can help your orthodontic practice grow.
Setting the right marketing budget for your orthodontic practice — and deciding who will execute it — is one of the most important business decisions you’ll make as an orthodontist. Whether you handle marketing in-house with a trusted team member or partner with a specialized agency, dedicating the right amount of resources will help you keep chairs filled, meet production goals, and grow your referral network with a strong reputation in the community.
A good rule of thumb is to allocate about 5% of your target annual production to marketing if you want to maintain steady new patient flow. But keep in mind, this is just a guideline. Your ideal budget depends on your market, your patient acquisition goals, and where your practice stands today. For example, orthodontists in competitive urban areas might need to invest closer to 6-7% to stand out online and capture leads, while established practices with strong referral pipelines might spend a little less and still see growth.
It’s all about finding the right balance. You want to invest enough to fuel your future growth without putting a strain on your practice’s day-to-day operations. Mature practices that have built strong visibility in Google search often rely less on paid ads and can shift more budget toward patient retention, reactivation, and reputation building. On the other hand, newer practices often need to set a robust budget to establish their presence quickly or find creative ways to stretch every marketing dollar until momentum builds.
Above all, the smartest thing an orthodontic practice can do is tailor the budget to its specific goals and choose the right person or partner to execute the plan effectively.
Before you start dividing up your budget across different channels, take a look at where the biggest slice usually goes: marketing labor. Whether you’re hiring an outside agency or building an in-house role, this decision will shape what’s left for ads, software, and other marketing initiatives. In general, orthodontic practices can expect to spend about 50-75% of their marketing budget on their service partner or marketing team member. For many orthodontists, working with a dental marketing agency turns out to be more cost-effective than hiring a full-time staffer or trying to build an in-house marketing team that can handle visual design, SEO, website construction, and all the other moving parts in a comprehensive strategy.
Of course, labor is just one piece of the puzzle. Your remaining budget will need to cover advertising, software tools, and marketing assets from content creation to local sponsorships.
Let’s look at an example. The Levin Group recently reported that the average yearly production per doctor in an orthodontic practice was $1,588,744, which means a multi-doctor practice could be bringing in 2-3x that in production each year.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s say a solo practitioner is producing around $1.5 million per year. Setting a marketing budget at 5% would mean $75,000 annually, or about $6,250 per month. This budget would typically cover your foundational marketing needs, including:
Every practice is unique, so how you allocate that budget should align with your specific growth goals and market conditions. A good marketing partner can help you fine-tune your plan to make sure you’re investing in the areas that will drive the biggest return.
While using a percentage of production is a solid starting point, your competitive landscape plays a big role in how much you should invest:
At the end of the day, a successful orthodontic marketing plan isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a strategy that evolves with your goals, your market, and your practice’s unique strengths. By focusing on the channels that move the needle, building a budget that supports sustainable growth, and partnering with the right experts, you can create a marketing engine that keeps your schedule full and your practice thriving.
Whether you’re looking to attract more cases, expand to new locations, or simply strengthen your presence in the community, the right marketing plan can help you get there. It’s not about spending the most. It’s about spending smart, with a clear strategy and consistent execution. And when you get that formula right, your practice won’t just grow, it will lead.
Knowing how to get dental reviews is a critical skill for successful practices. Online reviews are more than a digital pat on the back. They’re
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Many dental practices set goals like “30 new patients per month” without a clear understanding of where that number comes from, whether it aligns with
