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How we work

Advertising a dental practice has rules. We build them into the work.

Every page, post, photo and ad for a dental practice is health advertising under the National Law. The rules come from section 133, and the Dental Board and Ahpra explain them in their advertising guidelines. We write to those rules from the first draft. Then your practice checks and signs off before anything goes live.

Your practice is the advertiser, even when we write the ad. Ahpra and the Dental Board can't pre-approve advertising. Since July 2024, in every state including Western Australia, the maximum fine is $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a company. So we don't treat the rules as a final check. They shape what we write, what we photograph and what we switch off.

Section 133

The five rules, in plain English

The rule What it means for your practice How we handle it
Nothing false or misleading No claim a patient could misread. "Specialist" and "specialises in" are only for dentists with specialist registration. "Dr" needs the profession next to it, for example "Dr Lee (Dentist)". No comparisons with other practices that leave out important details. We check every title against the public register. We write "has substantial experience in" instead of "specialises in", and we add "(Dentist)" after every "Dr".
Offers state their terms Any discount, gift or "free" offer shows its full terms: who can use it, until when, and what it costs in total. Offers only go out with plain-language terms next to them, or one click away. We never hide the cost of a "free" offer in another fee.
No testimonials Patients can't be quoted about symptoms, treatment or results in your advertising, even with their permission. That includes reviews about treatment on your own website or social pages. We don't publish patient stories or reviews about treatment. Reviews about non-clinical things, like parking or a friendly front desk, are allowed.
No unreasonable expectations No "pain-free", "risk-free", "perfect smile" or guaranteed results. Before-and-after photos must be genuine, matched (angle, light, framing) and explained if altered. We describe what a treatment involves, not what it promises. Before-and-after images are only used with documented consent and matched photography, and we never retouch the result.
No encouraging unnecessary treatment No "act now", "don't miss out" or "limited time" tied to health. No prompts for regular visits that the dentist hasn't recommended for that patient. No urgency language, ever. Recall reminders follow the interval your dentist sets for each patient, not a blanket schedule.

Everything we offer

The rules, service by service

Your website

  • Every treatment page describes what the treatment involves and its risks. Nothing promises an outcome, and we don't list conditions a treatment "treats" or "helps with" unless acceptable evidence supports it.
  • Fees pages show total prices and what each price includes. Health fund information must be accurate.
  • Team pages use registered titles and say each person's profession. Recognised specialist titles are used only if the register shows that specialty.
  • Before anything goes live, your practice checks and approves every clinical statement.

Online booking and reminders

  • Booking confirmations and 24-hour reminders are service messages about a booking the patient made.
  • Recall reminders go only to patients who opted in (Spam Act 2003, Privacy Act 1988), at the interval your dentist recommends for that patient.
  • The guidelines list patient recall notices as advertising, so every recall message follows the same rules.
  • Booking forms ask only for what the appointment needs.

Photos of your practice

  • Everyone photographed signs a consent form, separate from any treatment consent.
  • We check the background of every shot for screens, charts, X-rays and appointment books. Small details can add up to identify a patient.
  • We don't photograph patients during treatment.

Google reviews and your Business Profile

  • Your Google Business Profile is advertising when you control it, so its description, photos and posts follow the same rules.
  • Asking patients for reviews isn't prohibited. Using reviews about treatment in your advertising is.
  • A star rating on its own isn't a testimonial. Review text is different: widgets that display it republish whatever patients wrote, including comments about treatment. So we don't embed review widgets, and we never repost or quote reviews about clinical care.
  • Review requests are optional. The ADA's view is that personal referral is a fairer way to recommend a dentist than social media, and some practices prefer to leave reviews alone.
  • If a review needs a reply, we draft a short response that confirms nothing about the patient and moves the conversation offline.

Social media posts

  • The same advertising rules apply to every post, story and reel.
  • No patient appears without explicit, written consent for that specific use.
  • We don't post photos of clinical treatment outcomes on social media. The ADA's social media policy names them as a privacy risk.
  • We don't share or "like" health claims that the evidence doesn't support.
  • No influencers or paid ambassadors.
  • Your team gets a one-page guide on keeping personal and practice accounts separate.

Meta ads and patient emails

  • Ads follow the five rules above, with offers showing their terms.
  • Ads for cosmetic treatments are not shown to people under 18.
  • Emails and messages go only to patients who agreed to be contacted, with an unsubscribe link in every email.
  • No urgency, no discounts without terms, and nothing that reveals a patient's treatment.

Cosmetic treatments: veneers, anti-wrinkle injections, fillers

These are "higher risk" procedures under a separate set of guidelines, updated in September 2025. On top of everything above:

  • Any ad that names a practitioner shows their registration number, for example "Dr G (DEN000456789) Registered dentist".
  • Before-and-after images are real, unedited, of patients who had the procedure, and say how long after treatment the photo was taken.
  • No images of people under 18, and no targeting of under-18s.
  • No influencers, no glamour or lifestyle imagery, no words like "artist" or "magic".
  • Risks and recovery are explained clearly, close to the treatment information.
  • Injectables also follow the Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA's) rules, so prescription medicine names never appear in ads.

Our method

Our pre-publish check

Before anything goes live, every page, post, image and ad goes through this list.

  1. 01Is every claim about a treatment supported by acceptable evidence, or is it left out?
  2. 02Are risks stated plainly, with no "safe", "pain-free" or "guaranteed"?
  3. 03Is every title correct, with no "specialist" without specialist registration and the profession after every "Dr"?
  4. 04Does every offer show its full terms and total cost?
  5. 05Is there any testimonial, review or patient story about treatment? If so, it comes out.
  6. 06Is there any urgency language, or a push for visits without clinical need?
  7. 07Do before-and-after images have documented consent, match each other and avoid retouching?
  8. 08Could anything in a photo identify a patient?
  9. 09For cosmetic treatments: is the registration number shown, are under-18s excluded, and are risks visible?
  10. 10Has the practice signed off the clinical content?

We keep a record of each check and each sign-off, so you can show what was reviewed and when.

Limits

What we don't do

  • We don't give legal or clinical advice. For a legal view on a specific ad, talk to your indemnity insurer or lawyer.
  • We don't promise that an ad is "Ahpra-approved". Ahpra doesn't approve advertising.
  • We don't publish patient testimonials, success stories or review widgets, whatever the platform.
  • We don't guarantee rankings, bookings or revenue.

Straight answers

Who is responsible if an ad breaks the rules, you or us?

Your practice is the advertiser under the National Law, even when an agency writes the ad. That's why nothing goes live without your sign-off, and why we keep a record of every check.

Can we ask patients for Google reviews?

Asking isn't prohibited, and a star rating on its own isn't a testimonial. What you can't do is use reviews about treatment in your advertising. So we don't embed review widgets that show patients' comments, and we never quote reviews about treatment on your site or social media.

Can we show before-and-after photos?

Only with documented patient consent, matched photography and no retouching. For veneers and other cosmetic treatments, the photo must also say how long after treatment it was taken.

Can our dentists be called "Dr" or "specialist"?

"Dr" is fine with the profession next to it: "Dr Lee (Dentist)". "Specialist" is only for dentists with specialist registration in that field, such as orthodontics.

Can we advertise a new-patient offer?

Yes, with clear terms: who can use it, until when, and the total cost. We don't use "limited time" or "act now".

Does Ahpra check our ads before they go live?

No. Ahpra and the Dental Board don't pre-approve advertising. We build the rules into the work, and your practice signs off before anything is published.

Start here

Not sure your current website follows the rules?

Our free audit includes an advertising check. We flag testimonials, specialist wording, offers without terms, urgency language and before-and-after images, and you keep the report.

Request a Free Audit See Website Care

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Sources

This page explains how we work. It is not legal advice. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.