How does a dental practice get recommended by ChatGPT?
The short answer
By making the practical facts patients ask about easy for AI to find and confirm. ChatGPT and Gemini shortlist practices that clearly state their services, hours, health fund arrangements, emergency availability and suburbs, with the same details on every directory they read. Most practices list these facts in only one or two places, which makes them easy to leave out.
Patients increasingly ask ChatGPT and Gemini to shortlist a dentist for them. Those answers name only two or three practices, so being one of them matters more than ranking ninth on Google.
What patients actually ask
The questions are practical and specific, and AI tools answer them by looking for practices that state those facts clearly:
- "Dentist open Saturday near Carindale"
- "Emergency dentist in Brisbane southside today"
- "Dentist in Kenmore that does HICAPS"
- "Family dentist near Wynnum with payment plans"
- "Dentist near me who's good with anxious patients"
If your hours, health fund arrangements, emergency availability and suburbs served aren't written down in plain words, an AI can't match you to the question.
The practice details AI looks for
| Detail | Where to state it |
|---|---|
| Every service as its own line (check-ups, children's dentistry, implants, clear aligners, emergency care) | Google Business Profile services, website services page |
| Opening hours, including Saturdays and public holidays | Every directory, identical everywhere |
| HICAPS, health funds, payment plans | Website text and profile description |
| Suburbs and nearby landmarks you serve | Website, in plain sentences |
| Emergency or same-day appointments | Profile, website, and your phone message |
| Parking, accessibility, languages spoken | Profile attributes and website |
Five fixes, in order
- Match your details everywhere. Practice name, address, phone and hours identical on Google, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Foursquare, HealthEngine or HotDoc if you use them, and your website.
- Claim the directories AI reads. Many practices have never claimed Bing Places, Apple Business Connect or Foursquare.
- Write the practical facts down. Services, hours, health funds, suburbs and emergency availability, as plain text on your website and in your profile description.
- Answer every review. Short, polite and neutral, with nothing about a patient's treatment.
- Check monthly. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the same five patient questions each month and keep the screenshots.
A note for Australian practices: health advertising rules restrict testimonials about clinical care. Patients can leave Google reviews, but check AHPRA's advertising guidance before you quote reviews on your website or social media, and never offer anything in exchange for a review.
Questions people ask
- Can our practice ask patients for Google reviews?
- Yes, if you ask every patient the same neutral way and offer nothing in return. In Australia, check AHPRA's advertising guidance before you quote or republish reviews anywhere you control, such as your website or social media, because testimonials about clinical care are restricted in health advertising.
- Which questions do patients ask AI about dentists?
- Mostly practical ones: who is open on Saturday, who takes HICAPS or a particular health fund, who does emergency appointments today, who offers payment plans, and who is near a suburb or station.
- Does AI visibility replace our Google Business Profile?
- No. A complete, accurate Google Business Profile is still the foundation. AI visibility adds the other directories and the plain-language detail AI tools look for.
- Can you guarantee our practice will be recommended?
- No. Nobody controls what ChatGPT or Gemini says. The work makes your practice easier to find and confirm, and a monthly check shows whether it's working.
Want to know what AI says about your business?
Email me your business name and town. I'll ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, send you screenshots of who they recommend, and list what to fix first. It's free, and you can do every fix yourself if you'd rather.