How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Orthodontic Practice (Within the Rules)

To get more Google reviews, a practice has to ask. The practices with the most reviews are usually not the ones with the happiest patients. They are the ones that ask, consistently, at the right moment. A good review process is simple: ask every patient, make it easy, and never reward or filter. That last part is not only good manners. It is required by Google’s policies and by a federal rule.

In this article

• What the rules say
• A process to get more Google reviews
• What not to do
• What about reviews from minors?
• How many reviews do you need?
• Wording you can use
• Setting up the link and the QR code
• Give each person a part
• A weekly and monthly rhythm
• When reviews slow down
• Consent and privacy when you ask
• When a negative review arrives
• An illustrative example
• Mistakes to avoid
• Frequently asked questions
• A thirty-day setup plan
• How reviews fit into local search
• What to say to the team

What the rules say

The FTC rule on reviews and testimonials

The Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule in August 2024, which took effect that October. Among other things it prohibits:

• Fake reviews and testimonials, including ones attributed to people who do not exist or had no real experience
• Offering compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment
• Reviews from insiders, such as officers or managers, that do not clearly disclose the connection
• Suppressing negative reviews through threats or intimidation

The FTC says the rule allows it to seek civil penalties against knowing violators.

Google’s policies

Google’s content policy says merchants may not offer incentives in exchange for reviews, and may not “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.” Asking only the patients you expect to be happy, sometimes called review gating, falls under that.

This article is general information, not legal advice.

A process to get more Google reviews

Choose the moments

Orthodontic treatment has natural high points. The day braces come off or the final aligner is finished is the obvious one. The end of the first few months, when a patient sees visible change, is another.

Ask everyone at those moments

Make the request part of the appointment routine so it does not depend on anyone’s judgment of who is likely to be positive.

Make it one tap

Send a text or email with a direct link to the review form. A printed card with a QR code at the front desk works well for parents waiting.

Use neutral wording

“We would be grateful if you shared your experience on Google” is fine. “Please leave us five stars” is not. Do not suggest what to write.

Reply to every review

Thank the reviewer briefly. Do not confirm they are a patient or refer to treatment. See responding to reviews without violating HIPAA.

What not to do

• Gift cards, discounts or contest entries for reviews
• A tablet at the front desk that only shows the review link to patients who rated the visit highly
• Reviews written by staff, family or the doctor
• Buying reviews from any service
• Asking patients to remove or change a negative review in exchange for something

What about reviews from minors?

Many orthodontic patients are children. Direct requests to the parent or guardian, not the child.

How many reviews do you need?

There is no target number. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and patients tend to trust recent reviews over old ones. A steady flow each month matters more than a burst.

If you would like this set up and maintained, see orthodontic reputation management.

Wording you can use

The words matter less than the consistency, but a prepared script makes it easier for the team to ask. Each example below is neutral: it asks for an honest review and offers nothing in return.

Moment	Who asks	Example wording
In person, on the day braces come off	Doctor or treatment coordinator	“Congratulations. If you have a moment this week, we would be grateful if you shared your experience on Google. It helps other families find us.”
Text message the same day	Front desk	“Thank you for visiting us today. If you would like to share your experience, here is the link to our Google page.”
Email after a retainer check	Front desk	“We hope everything is going well. If you are willing to leave a review of your experience with us, you can do so here.”
Card at the front desk	Anyone	“Tell us how we did”, with a QR code

Do not add “five stars”, do not suggest what to write, and do not ask only the patients who seem happy. Where the patient is a child, address the request to the parent or guardian.

Setting up the link and the QR code

Your Google Business Profile provides a direct link to the review form. Find it in the profile’s option for asking for reviews, copy it and use the same link everywhere.

1. Save the link in the front desk’s text and email templates.
2. Turn it into a QR code and print it on a small card.
3. Test both on two different phones before you use them.
4. Check the link again whenever anything about the profile changes.

One tap should open the review form. Every extra step, such as searching for the practice or scrolling to find the button, loses a share of the people who meant to help.

Give each person a part

A process to get more Google reviews works when it belongs to named people, not to “everyone”.

Role	Part in the process
Doctor	Mentions the request at the natural high points of treatment
Treatment coordinator	Hands over the card and explains that the link will follow
Front desk	Sends the text or email the same day
Practice manager	Checks the count and the latest date each week, and replies to new reviews

Agree on the moments in advance. Most practices choose two: the day treatment finishes, and a point a few months in, when the first visible change has appeared. Asking at every visit feels like pressure. Asking at agreed moments feels like part of the service.

A weekly and monthly rhythm

When	Task	Time
Every day	Send the link to that day’s patients at the agreed moments	Two minutes
Every week	Reply to new reviews, briefly and without confirming anyone is a patient	Ten minutes
Every month	Record the total, the number of new reviews and the date of the latest one	Five minutes
Every quarter	Review the wording, the moments and whether every eligible patient was asked	Twenty minutes

The quarterly check often finds the same thing: the process works, but only on the days when one particular team member is in. Share the task so that it does not depend on one person.

When reviews slow down

A drop in new reviews usually has a simple cause.

• The person who sent the links has changed role or gone on leave.
• The link stopped working after a change to the profile.
• The team started asking only when a patient offered praise first.
• Requests are being sent days later instead of on the same day.
• Parents are being asked by email only, and the emails go unread.

Fix the cause and the flow returns. There is no need for a campaign or a contest, and a contest would break the rules in any case.

Consent and privacy when you ask

A review request is a message to a patient, so the usual rules about contacting patients apply.

• Send texts and emails only to people who have agreed to receive messages from the practice in that way.
• Keep the message general. Do not mention treatment details in a text or email.
• Never post a review on a patient’s behalf, and never offer the office tablet for patients to post under their own name while staff watch.
• Do not use a patient’s review in your own advertising without their written authorization.

If you are unsure how these points apply in your state, ask your own counsel. This article is general information, not legal advice.

When a negative review arrives

A practice that asks everyone will sometimes receive criticism. That is a sign the process is honest.

1. Wait a day before replying.
2. Reply briefly, thank the person for the feedback and invite them to call the office.
3. Do not confirm that they are a patient, and do not mention any detail of care.
4. Never offer anything in exchange for changing or removing the review.
5. If the review breaks the platform’s rules, report it through the platform.

Templates and the privacy rules behind them are in how to respond to patient reviews. A calm reply to a critical review often does more for a practice than another five-star rating.

An illustrative example

This example is invented to show the effect of consistency. It is not a forecast.

A practice has sixty reviews, and the most recent is a year old. Reviews used to arrive when a happy parent thought of it. The practice manager sets up a direct link and a QR card, agrees two moments in treatment with the doctor, and asks the front desk to send the link the same day.

Nothing else changes. Over the following months, new reviews arrive every few weeks instead of once or twice a year. Some are short, a few are detailed, and one is critical and receives a polite reply. A parent comparing practices now sees recent, believable feedback and a practice that answers it. No incentive was offered and no review was filtered, so nothing about the process puts the practice at risk.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking in bursts. Fifty reviews in a week followed by silence looks unnatural and helps less than a steady flow.
• Review gating. Sending happy patients to Google and unhappy ones to a private form is selective solicitation, which Google prohibits.
• Rewards of any kind. Gift cards, discounts, prize draws and charity donations in exchange for reviews are all incentives.
• Staff or family reviews. The FTC’s rule covers insider reviews that do not disclose the connection.
• Copying reviews to your website without permission. Ask first, and never edit the words.
• Ignoring other platforms. Google matters most for local search, but check what is being said elsewhere a few times a year.
• Arguing in public. The reply is read by future patients, not only by the reviewer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to get more Google reviews?

Ask every patient at the same point in treatment and send a direct link the same day. Most practices that have few reviews are simply not asking.

Can we offer a small thank-you gift?

No. Google’s policies prohibit incentives for reviews, and the FTC’s rule prohibits compensation conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment. The safest approach is to offer nothing at all.

Is it acceptable to ask only patients who had a good experience?

No. Google’s policy prohibits selectively soliciting positive reviews. Ask everyone at the agreed moments.

Can we ask patients in the office to leave a review before they go?

You can hand over a card or mention the link. Avoid standing over a patient while they write, and do not ask them to use a shared office device, which puts pressure on the patient.

Should children be asked?

Direct the request to the parent or guardian.

How many reviews should we aim for?

There is no target. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and patients tend to trust recent reviews. A steady monthly flow matters more than a number.

Do replies make a difference?

Yes. Google notes that replying shows you value feedback, and prospective patients read the replies. Keep them short and reveal nothing about the reviewer.

What if a competitor or a stranger leaves a false review?

Report it through the platform, reply once in general terms, and keep asking real patients. Genuine recent reviews are the best answer to an unfair one.

Can an agency run this for us?

An agency can set up the link, the templates and the monthly check, and can draft replies for you to approve. The request itself has to come from your team. See orthodontic reputation management and our Google Business Profile checklist.

A thirty-day setup plan

Week	What to do	Who
1	Copy the review link from the profile, create the QR card, write the text and email templates	Practice manager
1	Agree the two moments in treatment when every patient will be asked	Doctor and team
2	Brief the team, practice the wording and start sending links the same day	Whole team
3	Reply to every review received so far, including old ones that were never answered	Practice manager
4	Record the baseline: total reviews, new reviews this month, date of the latest	Practice manager

From the second month the process runs itself, provided someone checks the numbers. Put the three figures on the agenda of your monthly team meeting. What gets looked at gets done.

How reviews fit into local search

Reviews are one part of a larger picture. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help. They sit alongside the rest of the profile: the right category, accurate hours, complete services and real photographs.

Reviews also do a second job that has nothing to do with ranking. A parent who finds three practices on the map will read what other families say before calling any of them. Recent, specific reviews with courteous replies answer the question a website cannot answer for itself: what is it actually like to be a patient here?

That is why the aim is not to get more Google reviews at any cost. It is to make sure that the experience your patients already have is visible, in their own words, to the next family deciding where to go. For the wider local picture, see how to rank in the Google map pack.

What to say to the team

A short explanation helps the team ask with confidence. Something like this is enough: “We ask every patient, at the same two points, to share their experience. We never offer anything for it and we never choose who to ask. Good or bad, we reply to each one. It helps other families find us and it tells us what to improve.”