How to ask dental patients for reviews? – A complete actionable guide 

When it comes to growth, one common question dental practices ask is: how to ask dental patients for reviews? Many clinics deliver excellent dental services but struggle to encourage satisfied patients to leave online reviews. Without a steady stream of patient reviews, even the best clinics risk losing visibility on Google and falling behind competitors in their local markets. 

The good news? Getting patients to leave a review doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right review strategy, you can automate requests, inspire patients with dental review examples, and ensure your dental offices stand out in local search results. 

In this blog, you’ll learn 10 actionable ways to ask patients for reviews, FAQs with ready-to-use answers, and why tools like Birdeye make the review process seamless and HIPAA-compliant.

Why patient reviews matter for dental clinics

Online reviews for your dental clinic directly influence how potential patients choose between dental practices. Research shows that over 90% of people check online reviews before booking a healthcare appointment, and dental patients are no exception.

Here are some more reasons as to how patient reviews impact dental reputation: 

• Trust and credibility: Online reviews (positive and negative) play a vital role in establishing trust in the market. While positive reviews act as social proof, making prospective patients more likely to trust your dental services, handling negative reviews showcases transparency from the organization. 
• Google visibility: Google reviews for dental practices enhance your rankings in local search results and Google Maps, helping you attract more patients who are searching for reliable healthcare providers. 
• Reputation growth: A strong dental online reputation, supported by consistent reviews, helps practices stand out in competitive markets and increase patient volume in their dental office.

How to ask dental patients for reviews: 10 strategies to follow

Seeing how patient reviews are one of the most critical factors in a dental clinic’s success, you need to know how to ask for them in a way that results in getting actual patient reviews on Google, Facebook, and other relevant platforms. 

In this section, we explore 10 tried, tested, and proven strategies that help you generate reviews for your dental practice seamlessly. 

Let’s get into it. 

1. Focus on providing an excellent patient experience

Many dental practices rush into asking patients for reviews without first ensuring a positive experience. If patients feel rushed, unheard, or uncomfortable, they are more likely to leave negative feedback. Happy patients naturally become advocates. Positive reviews highlight your commitment to care, which boosts your online reputation and attracts more patients.

Improving your focus on patient experience by providing a hospitable atmosphere, ease of booking appointments, efficient communication, and more can result in getting more Google reviews for your dental practice. 

Imagine a patient is in pain and seeking an emergency root canal appointment. Allowing them to instantly book an appointment and have their queries answered by a chatbot will ensure they have a positive experience from the start. Dental practices would not have to remind this patient to write a review; they would be more than happy to share their experience with other potential patients. 

2. Automate review requests

Asking patients for reviews manually is inconsistent and time-consuming. Staff may forget, or only ask occasionally, which leads to fewer reviews. Automated review requests ensure every patient gets asked at the right time, increasing review volume without adding staff burden. This builds a steady pipeline of real patient reviews.

Here is how you can automate requests  for your dental practice: 

• Use HIPAA-compliant review software, such as Birdeye, to automatically send requests via text or email after appointments.
• Embed a direct review link in these messages so patients can leave reviews quickly.
• Segment patients for personalized messaging.

3. Choose the right timing to ask dental patients for reviews

Asking too early (before treatment ends) feels intrusive, while asking too late means patients forget about the experience.  Timing affects response rates. A well-timed request captures patient sentiment when satisfaction is at its peak, leading to more positive reviews.

Dental practices must: 

• Request reviews within 24 hours of the visit when the experience is fresh.
• Generate review requests at key milestones for longer treatments (like orthodontics), such as after braces removal, when patients are most satisfied.
• Use reminders for patients who didn’t respond initially.

4. Personalize the review requests to dental patients

Generic, copy-paste messages don’t connect emotionally with patients. They often feel transactional and are frequently overlooked. Personalized requests feel authentic, encouraging more patients to leave reviews instead of brushing off the request. This creates a steady stream of positive reviews that highlight the patient experience.

Here is how it works: 

• Use patients’ names and reference the treatment they received (e.g., “We’re glad we could make your whitening session comfortable”).
• Segment messages for new patients vs. long-time loyal patients.
• Include the dentist’s name to make the request feel more personal.

When a dental practice in Dallas sends an email with the subject line: “How was your experience with Dr. Lee today?”, they are more likely to see a higher open and response rate compared to generic requests.

5. Encourage dental patients to review on Google and other niche platforms

Focusing only on one platform limits visibility. While reviews on your Google Business Profile for dental practices are critical, niche dentist review sites like Healthgrades, Zocdoc, and Yelp also influence potential patients. A diverse mix of reviews strengthens your dental online reputation across search engines and healthcare platforms. It also helps you reach prospective patients who rely on different review sites.

Your dental practice can strengthen its presence on multiple online review sites by: 

• Sharing direct links to multiple review sites in follow-up messages.
• Rotating requests so that one patient may get a Google review link, while another features Healthgrades.
• Displaying badges or signs in the waiting room to indicate where reviews are most helpful.

Prospective patients no longer just go to Google to find the best dental clinic. Search behavior now includes AI platforms such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. LLMs like to take information from multiple authoritative sources and having an equally strong presence on Google and online review sites featuring reviews from happy patients can help you outshine competitors in the AI searches as well. 

6. Inspire with dental review examples

Patients often want to share feedback but are unsure of how to write a good review for a dentist. This hesitation leads to fewer reviews. Inspiring helps patients write reviews with substance, not just “good service.” This enhances review quality and provides future patients with valuable feedback.

Here are a few ways to make this happen: 

• Share simple dental review examples in reminder emails or on your dental website.
• Suggest prompts like: “What did you like about your visit?” or “Would you recommend our dental services to friends?”
• Show anonymized dental reviews examples in the waiting room to inspire patients.

7. Use an omnichannel approach to ask dental patients for reviews

Relying solely on email or a single channel can reduce response rates. Some patients prefer SMS, while others respond better to email or QR codes. An omnichannel review strategy ensures no patient segment is left out. By meeting patients where they are most comfortable, you generate more reviews and build a stellar online reputation.

How to implement this review generation strategy:

• Combine SMS, email, and printed QR codes in the waiting room to give patients multiple options.
• For younger patients, prioritize getting patients to leave a review via SMS; for older patients, email often works better.
• Post direct review links on your dental website and social media channels.

8. Respond to all reviews to build trust in the process

Many clinics focus solely on collecting dentist reviews, but often overlook the importance of responding to them. Ignoring feedback can make patients feel undervalued. Patients and prospective patients notice when clinics engage with them. Review responses build credibility, turn negative reviews into opportunities, and show transparency, strengthening your practice’s reputation.

How to implement:

• Thank patients for positive online reviews publicly.
• Address negative feedback respectfully, without violating HIPAA guidelines.
• Use templates for common responses, but personalize them to match the situation.

Consider this scenario to understand the impact of responding to reviews: 

A patient left a bad review about long wait times. The clinic responded with an apology, explained the cause, and invited the patient to discuss offline. That professional handling not only softened the impact but also impressed potential patients reading the exchange.

9. Use HIPAA-compliant tools to ensure security, safety, and privacy

Many dental practices hesitate to send review requests digitally because of patient privacy concerns. Compliance isn’t optional for healthcare providers. Secure systems protect both patients and your practice’s reputation, making patients more willing to share honest feedback.

Here is what you can do: 

• Select HIPAA-compliant review software that encrypts data and protects patient information.
• Ensure review requests never reveal sensitive health details.
• Train staff on compliance so they avoid referencing treatment specifics in review requests or responses.

10. Share reviews on social media

Many practices collect reviews but fail to amplify them. Without visibility, even the best reviews don’t reach potential patients. Sharing reviews reinforces social proof, helps attract more patients, and extends the reach of your stellar online reputation beyond review sites. It also reminds existing patients of the importance of their feedback.

How to share reviews to incentivize other patients to write reviews: 

• Highlight positive reviews across social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
• Create posts or stories using real patient reviews (with consent).
• Embed review widgets on your dental website for ongoing visibility.

Conclusion: Turning smiles into stories that attract new patients

Asking patients for reviews is the foundation of a thriving dental practice. Every review captures the voice of your patients and helps prospective patients decide where to book their next appointment. And that is why dental practices need a solid strategy to ensure a steady stream of patient reviews across platforms. 

From personalizing requests to sharing dental review examples on social media, each strategy creates a cycle of trust, visibility, and growth. The real competitive edge comes from consistently collecting, responding to, and showcasing reviews in a way that highlights your care and professionalism.

FAQs on how to ask dental patients for reviews

Get more reviews for your dental clinics with Birdeye

Collecting reviews doesn’t have to be manual, inconsistent, or stressful. Birdeye is an AI company that helps dental practices automate review requests, ensure HIPAA compliance, and centralize feedback across multiple platforms, including Google, Healthgrades, Yelp, and more. With Birdeye’s GenAI tools, dental offices can:

• Send personalized review requests via SMS, email, or QR codes with direct review links.
• Gain more Google reviews and improve visibility in local search results.
• Manage dental review responses in one dashboard to protect your practice’s reputation.
• Use insights from patient feedback to increase patient volume in a dental office.

Thousands of dental practices already trust Birdeye to grow their reviews, attract more patients, and enhance their online dental reputation.

Ready to transform dental reviews into a growth engine for your practice? Book a Birdeye demo today and start turning every patient experience into a powerful story.