When a Dentist Leaves
Losing a dentist is a crisis. Patients who see your practice as "Dr. Smith's office" may panic and seek treatment elsewhere. Your job is to convince them your practice is bigger than any individual provider. You do this through communication, speed, and assurance. If you wait two months to address it, patients have already made new appointments elsewhere. You have one to two weeks to act.
Your marketing should never have positioned the practice around a single provider. But most practices do. Their Google Business Profile photo is the departing dentist. Their website testimonials are about Dr. Smith. Their ads feature the dentist's face. Now you are paying the price for that positioning. Do not make this mistake twice. Going forward, your marketing should emphasize the practice, the team culture, and the patient experience. Individual dentists are important, but they are one part of a larger team.
Notify Patients Immediately
Send an email to all patients within one business day of the departure. The message should be brief, professional, and forward-looking: "Dr. Smith has decided to pursue a new opportunity. We are grateful for the care she provided to our patients. We want to assure you that your treatment will continue seamlessly under Dr. [New Provider]. All of your records and treatment plans are securely stored with us. We are committed to the same high-quality care you have come to expect."
Include your phone number and encourage patients to call with questions. Do not be defensive or negative about the departing dentist. That looks unprofessional. Focus on continuity and reassurance. Patients want to know their care will not be disrupted. If treatment is mid-stream, confirm that the new provider has reviewed their records and is ready to take over. For patients who specifically requested the departing dentist, your front desk should call them personally to address concerns.
Post the same message on your Facebook page and Instagram. Do not hide the departure; it will come out anyway. Transparency builds trust more than silence.
Update All Online Listings
Update your Google Business Profile immediately. Remove photos of the departing dentist from the main profile. Add a new team photo that includes your remaining dentists and staff. Update the "Staff" section to reflect current providers. Google rewards fresh content, and this signals to patients and search engines that your business is actively maintained.
Update your website team page. Remove the departing dentist's bio, photo, and testimonials about them. If they had a dedicated service page, remove that too. Update your homepage if it featured them. Update your social media bios if they listed the dentist's name. This takes a day but prevents patients from seeing outdated information.
Update your ads on Google and Facebook. If they featured the departing dentist, pause them immediately and create new ads featuring your remaining team. Ads featuring someone who no longer works for you look unprofessional and hurt trust. Do not wait for these to expire naturally.
- •Google Business Profile: Remove provider from staff, add team photo, update hours if needed
- •Website team page: Remove bio, photo, and testimonials
- •Google Ads: Pause campaigns, create new ad creatives with remaining team
- •Facebook/Instagram: Update profile photo if it featured the dentist
Redesign Your Website
If your website was heavily dependent on the departing dentist's brand, this is your opportunity to reposition around the practice. Emphasize your team culture, your patient care philosophy, and your commitment to continuity. Add testimonials about the practice, not just individual providers. Feature team photos. Highlight the skills and experience of your remaining team members.
This is also a good time to update old or outdated website content. If your website has not been refreshed in 2-3 years, now is the moment. A fresh website signals to patients that your practice is thriving and moving forward, not declining. You are not replacing one dentist; you are strengthening the entire practice.
When a New Dentist Joins
Hire a professional headshot photographer to capture the new dentist's photo. Schedule this before their first day if possible. You need a high-quality, professional photo for your website, Google Business Profile, ads, and social media. Do not use a cell phone photo or an old headshot from their previous practice. Patients judge you partly by the professionalism of your team photos.
Write a compelling bio for the new dentist. Include where they went to school, their clinical interests, years of experience, and a personal touch (hobbies, family, why they chose your practice). A dentist who likes hiking and volunteers at community dental clinics is more relatable than a resume of credentials. Humanize them.
Build Momentum for the New Provider
Announce the new dentist in your email newsletter and social media. Create a "Meet the Team" post on Instagram and Facebook. Ask the new dentist for a personal message to patients: "Hi, I am Dr. [Name]. I am excited to join the team and meet you. I specialize in [area]. I look forward to taking great care of you." This personalized introduction builds connection before they even meet patients.
Consider a soft launch offer: "Book your first appointment with Dr. [Name] and receive 20% off your cleaning and exam." This incentivizes patients to schedule with the new dentist, building their patient base quickly. Early momentum is crucial for new providers.
Pro tip
Track appointment bookings with the new dentist in SmileTrak. You want to see their appointment volume rise over the first 3-6 months. If they are not booking, investigate whether there is a marketing issue, a scheduling issue, or a patient satisfaction issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum marketing budget for a new practice? +
Allocate 5-10 percent of projected revenue to marketing in year one. For a startup expecting 50K revenue, that is 2.5-5K per month. Prioritize website build (2-3K one-time), Google Business Profile setup (free), Google Ads for patient acquisition (1.5-2.5K monthly), and local directory listings (500-1K one-time). Adjust as you get early patient data.
How do I choose between agencies? +
Evaluate three agencies. Ask for case studies (preferably from dental practices), references, contract terms, and a 90-day trial. Watch out for long-term contracts, setup fees exceeding 3K, promised results that seem too good to be true, and agencies unwilling to share reporting access. Meet with them; you are buying service and partnership, not just digital ads.
How do I train my front desk on lead conversion? +
Front desk team is your highest-converting channel. Invest in training on phone script, objection handling, and appointment booking. Teach them to listen for pain points and position your services as solutions. Have them practice booking calls weekly. Reward them for high booking rates and new patient quality. Track which staff convert best and replicate their approach.
Can one person run marketing for a multi-location practice? +
Not well. Multi-location practices need centralized strategy with local customization. One person can oversee strategy, but you need local staff managing each location's Google Business Profile, responding to reviews, and gathering local patient feedback. Use centralized tools (SmileTrak, shared ad accounts) for consistency and analytics.
What happens to my marketing if my top dentist leaves? +
Your Google Business Profile, website, and ads should highlight the practice, not individual providers. When a dentist leaves, update GBP immediately. Notify patients via email and social media. Emphasize continuity of care. Update website photos and testimonials to reflect current team. New dentist leaves new patients; practice reputation persists if you manage the transition well.
What should a marketing calendar include? +
Plan the full year by month: seasonal campaigns (New Year resolutions, back-to-school checkups), awareness months (Dental Health Month in February), holidays, local events, and promotional pushes. Align with your practice's busy and slow seasons. Include content creation deadlines, ad launch dates, email campaign sends, and social media posting schedule. Update as you learn what works.