You went to dental school to help people, right? Not to spend your days learning how to market your practice. But it doesn’t matter what an incredible dentist you are if your waiting room is constantly empty. 

Between treating patients, managing your practice, and keeping the business afloat, squeezing in time to craft a DIY dental marketing plan (and figuring out how to do that) can feel impossible.

You may not have the time to learn all the ins and outs of dental marketing, but that’s okay – because I have. I’ve worked with dozens of dental practitioners and seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t.

In this guide, I’ll share 9 field-tested marketing ideas for dental offices to help you attract more patients, grow your practice, and get back to doing what you love.

Why Trust Me?

I have helped small to medium-sized businesses boost their organic presence, attract new customers, and retain existing ones through a variety of marketing tactics, including blog posts, landing pages, case studies, and social media content.

If your dental services don’t appear for keywords like “dentist near me” or “best dentist in [Your City],” you’re losing out on potential patients.

These are high-intent patients who might switch to competitors if your website doesn’t show up in Google’s top three highlights.

To help my dental clients keep showing up, I focus on these essential on-page search engine optimization (SEO) tactics:

These are the low-hanging fruits that can uplift your rankings without much overhead.

To maintain a consistent pipeline of patients, build a community of potential patients through social media. You may not know how to market a dental office, but if you do know how to post on socials, this may be the easiest place to start. 

Your target audience (i.e., the people you want as patients) is statistically most likely to be hanging out on Facebook and Instagram due to their large user bases. That makes the iconic social media duo the most effective sites to quickly raise awareness about you and your practice. 

To build and grow your audience base, make sure you create content that your patients actually care about.

For example, Austin Millz, a pediatric dentist, shares helpful tips on how to take care of a toddler's dental hygiene. She uses Instagram Reels to show how to do it in real life with a detailed explanation in the captions.

Here are some more content ideas to get you started.

Reviews and referrals can be the difference between an empty chair and a packed schedule.

But here’s the thing: even if you offer outstanding care, reviews don’t always roll in on their own.

That’s why I focus on sharing feedback, a no brainer for patients using the following tactics.

Your future patients aren’t just Googling “dentist near me.” They’re also searching for answers to common concerns like “how to stop tooth sensitivity” or “when should my child get their first dental checkup.”

By creating content, you can answer these questions which build trust and attract new patients.

When I worked with a pediatric dentist, we launched a blog answering common patient questions. We also added an appointment button on each post, so when readers were ready to book, it took only a single click. Within a few months, traffic jumped 20%, and appointment bookings went up 10%.

Educational content works when it’s done right (make it short, simple, and fun). It helps you show up higher in search results when your desired patients search for answers. It also positions you as a trusted expert; people are more likely to trust someone who answers their questions in a way they can understand.

Check out the blog by Keshavarz Dentistry for inspiration. They do a great job breaking down practical dental tips for both kids and adults.

Paid ads on Google show up at the top of the results list. On Facebook, paid ads appear at the top of a person’s feed, as well as throughout as they scroll. That gives you quicker exposure than organic content (blog posts, your website, social media), which can take months or even years to show in the top of Google search results.

That makes paid ad campaigns one of the fastest dental marketing ideas to attract new dental patients, especially for the most in-demand services – teeth whitening, root canals, Invisalign, etc. – which are hardest to rank for organically. 

Without the right plan, though, ads can leave you bleeding money long before you fill your waiting room.

Here’s how I set up ad campaigns for dental clients to make sure every penny counts:

A well-timed promotion can bring new patients through the door and keep your pipeline full.

But, to make the offer work, it must be relevant, valuable for the audience, and economical for you.

When creating offers, I always make sure to create multiple offers for different patient types while keeping my client’s margin in good numbers.

Some examples to take inspiration from:

Also, don’t just create the offer. Actively market it.

Take Broadway Dental Clinic, for example. They promote new patient, student, and senior discounts on their Google ad landing page.

What’s better than being known in your neighborhood as the local dentist? Being known as the go-to expert in the field; the one people trust for real advice and care they can trust.

Hosting community events like workshops, seminars, or even virtual webinars, can help you become that expert. The more people see your face, and begin to associate it with useful, reliable information, the easier it is to turn curious locals into loyal patients.

I always tell my clients that a great event is no use if nobody shows up, right?

So, we focus equally on spreading the message.

Collaborate with local businesses, such as gyms, fitness centers, yoga studios, spas, or health food stores, to build awareness among a similar audience. The beauty of such partnerships is that both parties win.

With one of my clients, we ran a cross-promotional social campaign with a popular local gym. While they shared dental hygiene tips on their social media, we shared quick fitness pointers in our patient emails.

We also experimented with giveaway campaigns together: free teeth cleanings bundled with free personal training sessions.

Both campaigns expanded our reach to new customers and helped us build goodwill.

Which business are you more likely to trust: one you learned about from a friend, or someone else you trust? Or one you’ve never heard of? When you work together with other local businesses, you look more trustworthy. It also shows potential patients that you’re connected to your community, that you care.  And that helps you stand out.

No one jumps at the idea of a root canal, even when they need it. That’s why a little extra nudge can tip the scales in your favor to keep patients coming back to you.

Email is, hands down, the best channel to stay in touch as it’s cost-effective, accessible, and offers tons of ways to personalize your messaging.

For example, for one dental client, I used beehiiv to segment their patient list and set up automated email campaigns to boost patient retention and engagement.

I segmented the list into three buckets:

What I love about beehiiv is that everything from campaign tracking to subscriber segments lives under one roof. It saved us both time and overhead.

Not every dental practice marketing idea works the same for every dental practice. The best dental marketing strategies will depend on your location, budget, and business goals.

Consider these two examples from my clientele:

Dr. R., a general dentist in Vancouver, was struggling to attract new patients despite exceptional service. She wanted quick results and had the budget to spare.

I set up a Google Ads campaign, paired it with a new patient discounts landing page, and tested three versions of messaging and graphics over three months. By the second month, her website traffic climbed, and her appointment calendar doubled.

For a pediatric dentist who already had an existing Instagram following, I took a different route.

I helped him launch a playful “Tooth Fairy Tips” video series sharing bite-sized dental advice for parents and kids. Within three months, they gained over 1,500 local followers and booked more than 20 new patient appointments from social media engagement.

When you are getting your dental office marketing off the ground, look out for these common traps.

At the end of the day, marketing your dental practice is really about building trust. It’s about showing people you care and giving them reasons to choose you.

Not every dental practice marketing idea will be right for every practice, but here’s one move I’d bet on every time: build an email list and stay connected.

With beehiiv, you can manage your list, send targeted emails, and even run referral programs. Try it free for 30 days and watch your appointment book start filling up.