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 without interruption 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 focus on [area of clinical interest]. I look forward to taking great care of you." Use "focus on" or "experienced with" rather than "specialize in" unless the dentist completed specialty training, and have your own attorney or dental board review how the announcement describes credentials.
A soft launch does not need a discount. Open extra appointment slots for the new dentist, feature them in a short welcome video, and give new patients a practice-branded care kit after their first visit. If you do want a promotional offer, have your own attorney or dental board review the wording, eligibility, and any disclosures before you publish it. Early momentum matters for new providers, and a simple, well-reviewed offer protects the practice long term.
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.
Sources
Pages accessed November 3, 2026. Guidelines change, so check them for current wording.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum marketing budget for a new practice?
There is no reliable universal percentage, so build the budget from your own goals. Start with how many new patients you need each month, how many your team can actually see, and what a new patient is worth to you based on your own records. Cover the basics first: a fast, clear website, a complete Google Business Profile (which is free) and accurate directory listings. Then give paid channels a fixed test budget, track the cost per booked patient, and move money toward what books patients.
How do I choose between agencies?
Talk to at least two or three. Ask for examples of their work, references you can call, the full contract terms including length and cancellation, every setup and monthly fee in writing, and whether you will own your website, domain, ad accounts and data if you leave. Ask how they measure results and how often you will see reports. Be wary of guarantees: Google's own advice on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a number one ranking on Google.
How do I train my front desk on lead conversion?
Phone calls are where much of your marketing turns into booked visits, so train for them. Write a short call guide: greet the caller, ask how they heard about you, answer their main question, and offer two specific appointment times. Role-play common questions about cost, insurance and availability. Track calls answered, calls booked and the source of each new patient, and review a few calls together each week.
Can one person run marketing for a multi-location practice?
One person can own strategy, brand standards and reporting, but each location needs someone who keeps its Google Business Profile accurate, replies to reviews and shares local news. Google's Business Profile guidelines ask multi-location businesses to keep names and categories consistent across locations, so a shared checklist for hours, photos and categories helps. Use shared ad accounts and one reporting view so you can compare locations fairly.
What happens to my marketing if my top dentist leaves?
Build marketing around the practice name rather than a single provider so it holds up when the team changes. When a dentist leaves, update your website team page, bios, photos and booking options, and your Google Business Profile details, then tell existing patients who will continue their care. When a dentist joins, add a bio and photo, announce it by email and social media, and update the same places.
What should a marketing calendar include?
Plan the year month by month: seasonal reminders (back-to-school checkups, using remaining benefits before year end), health observances such as National Children's Dental Health Month, which the American Dental Association sponsors each February, local events, and your own busy and slow seasons. For each item, add the content deadline, the email and social posting dates and any ad start and end dates, then review the calendar each quarter against what actually booked appointments.