How Dentists Get Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Mode

By /

Key takeaways

  • Patients are asking AI tools which dentist to see. 45% of US consumers asked an AI tool for a local business recommendation in the past year, up from 6%.
  • AI answers name a short list, usually two to four businesses (BrightLocal).
  • In a study of 1,627 dental locations in Chicago, practices that AI mentioned averaged 643 reviews and those it never mentioned averaged 253. Star ratings were not a statistically significant predictor of a mention (Uberall).
  • To get named: complete your Google Business Profile, keep collecting specific reviews, give every treatment its own page, keep listings identical everywhere and check what AI says each month.

A patient with a cracked tooth does not want to compare twelve practices. They ask ChatGPT, “Who’s a good emergency dentist near me that’s open Saturday?” and they get a few names with a line about each. Then they call one. Here is how dentists get recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, and what to fix first.

Dental searches are also specific. Patients ask for a dentist for nervous patients, for implants, for Invisalign, for a child’s first visit or for a practice that accepts their insurance plan. The practice that is easy for AI to describe for that exact question is the one that gets named.

Are patients really asking AI for a dentist?

Yes, and the numbers are climbing fast. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 45% had asked an AI tool for a local business recommendation in the past year, up from 6% in 2025. ChatGPT was the most used (31%), followed by Google AI Mode (23%).

That survey is US-based. Patient behaviour in other countries will differ, but the way AI tools assemble answers works the same way wherever they operate.

They do not keep a list of approved dentists. The assistant turns the patient’s question into several searches, reads the pages and listings that come back and names the practices those sources describe clearly and consistently. Three sources matter most.

1. Your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile made up 28.5% of all citations in BrightLocal’s study of 200,085 local AI searches, and it matters most for Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews. ChatGPT uses it far less. Even so, your profile is the first place most patients look, so it has to be complete: every treatment listed as a service, accurate hours including emergency availability, a booking link, insurance and payment details, and recent photos of your real clinic and team.

Photos may matter more than you would expect. Uberall’s analysis of dental AI mentions found that the number of photos on a practice’s Google Business Profile predicted mentions more closely than star rating or number of locations did.

2. Reviews, especially how many and what they say

Patients read reviews before they book: 97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 68% will only use a business rated four stars or higher (US survey). For AI visibility, volume appears to matter most. In Uberall’s study of 1,627 dental locations in Chicago, practices AI mentioned averaged 643 reviews against 253 for practices it never mentioned, and no star rating on five review platforms reached statistical significance as a predictor of a mention.

That is one city and one company’s analysis, and it shows correlation, not cause. But it points the same way as common sense: a practice with lots of recent, specific reviews gives AI more to work with. Reviews that mention a treatment, such as a crown, an implant or an emergency visit, are more useful than a generic five stars.

3. Your website and the directories around it

BrightLocal found that business websites made up 42% of all AI citations, and that Yelp, Facebook and industry directories also appear often. ChatGPT in particular has ties to Yelp and Bing, which is one reason it often names different practices from Google’s AI tools. Your website needs clear pages that AI can quote, and your name, address and phone number must match everywhere.

Why do good practices get left out?

  • A Google profile that lists “Dentist” and little else, with no treatments, insurance or emergency hours.
  • One Services page that lists every treatment in a paragraph, with nothing specific to quote.
  • Few reviews, or reviews that never mention a treatment.
  • A different practice name, address or phone number on different sites, often after a move or a change of ownership.
  • No page for individual dentists, so there is nothing to show who treats patients and with what training.

Interestingly, size is not the advantage. Uberall reports that big dental groups made up just 4.4% of AI recommendations while independent practices took 72%, because independents tend to keep more detailed, location-specific information. Large groups often spread their data thin across many locations. If you run an independent practice, that works in your favour.

  1. Finish your Google Business Profile. Add every treatment as a service, set accurate hours including emergency availability, add a booking link and insurance details, and upload new photos of your real clinic and team regularly.
  2. Build a steady flow of reviews. Ask after every visit with a short text or email link. Invite patients to mention the treatment and what the experience was like, but never ask them to include health details.
  3. Give each treatment its own page. Emergency dentistry, dental implants, Invisalign, sedation dentistry, children’s dentistry and teeth whitening are different searches from different patients. Each page should explain what the treatment involves, who it suits, what to expect and how to book.
  4. Add a page for each dentist. Include qualifications, registration details where your regulator allows, experience and approach.
  5. Make your details identical everywhere. Check Google, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yelp, Facebook and the dental and healthcare directories for your country. Name, address, phone, website and hours should match.
  6. Answer patients’ real questions on your site. Add short answers to questions like what a first visit includes, whether you treat anxious patients, how much common treatments cost and which insurance plans you accept.
  7. Check what AI says every month. Ask ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your patients ask. Ask each three times, because answers change between asks, and note how often you are named and who is named instead.

What should dental practices be careful about?

Dentistry is regulated, and the rules differ by country, state or province, and regulator. Three areas need care.

  • Patient privacy. When you reply to a review, do not confirm that the reviewer is a patient or mention any treatment. Keep replies general. Privacy laws such as HIPAA in the US, privacy laws in Canada and the UK GDPR apply differently, so check with your regulator.
  • Advertising claims. Avoid promising outcomes or using before-and-after claims unless your regulator allows them. Clear, honest descriptions also read better to patients and to AI.
  • Reviews. Many regulators have rules about how you ask for reviews and how you use them in your own marketing. Check your dental board’s guidance first.

Reviews also benefit from replies. In BrightLocal’s survey, 80% of consumers said they were likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews, and 50% were unlikely to choose one that uses generic or templated replies. Keep your replies personal and privacy-safe.

Will AI recommend my practice every time?

No. BrightLocal found that repeat searches shared only 21 to 33% of the same businesses, and a business that appeared once showed up again in about half of later attempts. The goal is to appear often, not every time. That is why checking monthly matters more than checking once.

Most practices see movement in three to four months. Dentists get recommended once AI tools find the same facts in several places: a complete Google Business Profile, matching directory and insurance listings, recent detailed reviews and treatment pages that answer patient questions. Practices with strong reviews but thin websites often wait longest, because AI has little on the site itself to quote. Fix the treatment pages first and the reviews you already have start working harder.

Frequently asked questions

Does ChatGPT recommend dentists?

Yes. When a patient asks for a dentist, ChatGPT searches the web and directories and names the practices those sources describe clearly and consistently. The names it gives can change from one ask to the next.

Complete your Google Business Profile, collect steady reviews that mention specific treatments, give every treatment its own page, keep your name, address and phone number identical on every listing and check what AI says each month.

Do star ratings matter for AI recommendations?

They matter to patients, since 68% of US consumers will only use a business rated four stars or higher. But in Uberall’s dental study, no star rating was a statistically significant predictor of whether AI mentioned a practice. Review volume and photos were stronger signals.

How many reviews does a dental practice need?

There is no fixed number. In the Chicago study, mentioned practices averaged 643 reviews and unmentioned practices 253, but the right target depends on your market. Compare yourself with the practices that are named in your area.

Does this work outside the United States?

The approach is the same. The directories, review sites and advertising rules differ by country, so check which sources appear when you ask AI about dentists in your own area.

How long does it take?

In our experience, profile and listing fixes can start to show in a few weeks. New treatment pages usually take three to six months to build strength, and reviews build all the time.

Next step

Want to see what AI says about your practice today? We will ask ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your patients ask, and show you which practices are named instead of yours. Request your free AI visibility report, or see how we work with dental practices.

Related reading: How to get recommended by ChatGPT: 8 steps for any business, Why ChatGPT recommends some plumbers and not others, The HVAC map pack checklist, How chiropractors get new patients from Google and AI search, and how AI search visibility (GEO and AEO) works.

Sources