Dental marketing: how to get more dental patients within Ahpra rules

New dental patients usually come through three doors: a Google search for a dentist nearby, a recommendation from family or friends, and a reminder from a practice they have visited before. Growing practices keep all three open instead of waiting on word of mouth.

Competition is close. The AIHW counted about 21,000 registered dentists in 2024, with about 84% of employed dentists in group or solo private practice, and Jobs and Skills Australia puts dental practitioner employment at 23,500. When several practices sit within a short drive, being easy to find, trust and book decides who gets the call.

A dental practice can promote its services, hours, team and booking options, provided the advertising is not false, misleading or deceptive, uses no testimonials and does not encourage unnecessary use of services. Ahpra's guidelines have applied since 14 December 2020, and the Dental Board repeated its warning in May 2024. Ahpra defines a testimonial as a recommendation about clinical aspects such as symptoms, diagnosis, treatment or outcomes.

You win the emergency toothache search by appearing in the Google map results for "emergency dentist" near the patient, then answering when they ring. Someone with a cracked molar at 7pm taps the first practice that looks open, has decent reviews and shows a phone number. Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and relevance and prominence are the two you can influence.

• List your real emergency arrangements on your Google Business Profile and website.
• Build an emergency page covering broken teeth, swelling and lost fillings, with one clear way to book.
• Keep public holiday and weekend hours current, because a profile that says open when you are closed costs trust.
• Decide who answers after hours: an on call dentist, a message service or an AI receptionist.

New families usually choose a dentist by searching near their new home, checking reviews and photos, and looking for signs the practice is good with kids and easy to reach. A 2026 BrightLocal survey of US consumers found 47% would not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% look for reviews from the last three months, so a steady flow of recent patient reviews matters.

• A children's page that explains the first visit
• Parking, public transport and accessibility details
• Real photos of the entrance, reception and treatment rooms
• Health fund options and any early, late or Saturday hours

Recall reminders and online booking keep the chairs full by bringing existing patients back for check ups and cleans without the front desk ringing each one.

Online booking lets a patient book at 10pm from the couch, so the front desk starts the morning with a fuller book instead of a phone queue, so the day runs to time, so you get home for dinner with your family.

The Privacy Act covers health service providers regardless of turnover, so patient details in booking and messaging tools fall under it. If a reminder also promotes something like whitening, it becomes a marketing message under the Spam Act, needing consent, clear identification and an unsubscribe actioned within 5 working days.

Calls the front desk cannot answer often go nowhere, because many callers will not leave a message. In a 2025 CallRail survey of 1,000 US consumers, a vendor study, only 42% said they leave a voicemail, and 21% said they immediately call another business.

An AI receptionist can answer overflow and after hours calls, take details, request an appointment and pass urgent cases to a person. In a 2025 YouGov survey for Twilio, 84% of Australians said an easy transfer from an AI agent to a human is important, so set the handover rules first and check where any tool stores health information. The missed calls guide covers text back in more detail.

1. 1Search "emergency dentist" from your suburb and note who appears above you in the map results.
2. 2Check your Google Business Profile hours, holiday hours, categories, photos and booking link.
3. 3Remove any clinical review copied onto your website or social media.
4. 4Ring your own practice at lunchtime and after 5pm to hear what a new patient hears.
5. 5Read the Google review rules guide, then take the free 15 second lead score quiz to see where new patient enquiries slip away.