How to respond to negative dentist reviews
A dentist's reply to a review has one extra rule above all others: never confirm that the reviewer is a patient and never mention anything about their care.
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Why dentists need to be careful
In the US, replies to online reviews have led to HIPAA enforcement. In December 2022 the HHS Office for Civil Rights announced a $23,000 settlement with a dental practice that disclosed patients' names, treatment and insurance details in replies to online reviews (HHS). OCR has also imposed a $50,000 civil money penalty on a dental practice over review replies (HHS).
In the EU and UK, health data is a special category of personal data under Article 9 of the GDPR (GDPR). The safe approach is the same everywhere: say nothing that is about the person.
The rules
- Thank the reviewer.
- Do not confirm they are a patient, even if they said so.
- Do not mention treatment, appointments, X-rays, insurance or payments.
- Use the same neutral wording for every review, so “we have no record of you” never gives anything away.
- Invite them to contact the practice directly and name a person or a number.
- Do not argue, and do not promise refunds or free treatment in public.
- Google reviews your reply before it appears (usually within minutes), shows it publicly as the business and notifies the customer, who can then edit their review (Google).
A reply you can reuse
“Thank you for your feedback. To protect patient privacy we can't discuss anyone's care here or confirm whether someone is a patient. We take every concern seriously; please call our practice manager on [phone] so we can talk.”
What not to write
- “We're sorry the filling we placed last week is still sensitive.”
- “Our records show you missed two appointments.”
- “Your insurance didn't cover the crown.”
- Anything that names a treatment, date or amount.
Example replies
Illustrative example, not a real review
Review (1★): Filling still hurts after two weeks and the receptionist was rude when I called.
Example reply:
Hi,
Thank you for your review. To protect patient privacy, we can't discuss anyone's care here or confirm whether someone is a patient. We take every concern seriously. Please call our practice manager on [phone] so we can talk it through.
– [Name], [Practice]
Illustrative example, not a real review
Review (2★): Waited 45 minutes past my appointment time.
Example reply:
Hi,
Thank you for letting us know. We can't discuss individual visits here, but we take every concern seriously and would like to hear more. Please contact [practice manager] on [phone].
– [Name], [Practice]
Illustrative example, not a real review
Review (1★): They charged me for a treatment I never agreed to.
Example reply:
Hi,
Thank you for raising this. For privacy reasons we can't discuss any patient's treatment or account in public. Please contact [name] on [phone or email] and we will look into your concern.
– [Name], [Practice]
Illustrative example, not a real review
Review (5★): Dr Lee was so gentle with my root canal, I wasn't scared at all!
Example reply:
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind review. Words like these mean a lot to our whole team.
– [Name], [Practice]
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Replies written for your real reviews
Paste your Google Maps link at checkout. We pick your 20 most recent unanswered 1–2★ reviews and write a calm, specific owner reply to each, in the reviewer's language, ready to paste into your Google Business Profile. Delivered by email, usually within 24 hours.
20 ready replies to your real bad reviews – €9 Sample PDF
Want the whole profile checked, not only the replies? The Google Business Profile audit is €19 (launch price, €49 from 1 Dec 2026).
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Sources
- HHS OCR: settlement with a dental practice over disclosures in online review replies (Dec 2022)
- HHS OCR: civil money penalty against a dental practice over review replies
- GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Article 9: health data
- Google Business Profile Help: Manage customer reviews
- Maps user contributed content policy
FAQ
Can I thank a happy patient for their treatment by name?
Keep it general. Thank them for the review without mentioning any treatment or confirming they are a patient.
What if the review is fake or from someone who was never a patient?
Use the same neutral reply and report the review to Google if it breaks the Maps content policy. Saying “you were never our patient” is itself a statement about a person's status.