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Cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening marketing
Cosmetic treatment is where dental marketing is most tempting to overdo, and where the advertising rules bite hardest. Done carefully, it is also where a clear, honest clinic stands out.
The patient
What people want to know.
People asking about whitening, veneers or a smile makeover want to see what is possible, what it costs and whether it is safe for them. They are often comparing a dental clinic with cheaper non-dental options.
A clinic's strongest message is the plain one: an examination first, a registered practitioner, and advice about what suits the patient's own teeth.
The work
What we build.
A page per treatment. Whitening, veneers, bonding and the rest each get their own page, explaining the process, the limits and the alternatives (website design and management).
Images handled properly. Photos of the rooms, the team and the process do a great deal of work without any patient results at all.
Seasonal campaigns. Small Google and Meta ads at the times of year people think about their smile, with any offer worded correctly.
The rules
The four places cosmetic advertising slips.
Before and after photos. They must be genuine and unedited, and it must be clear the treatment caused the result (Ahpra summary). Lighting, angle and make-up should match between the two.
Expectations. A Hollywood smile or a shade count that not every patient will reach creates an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, which section 133 prohibits.
Offers. Whitening is the treatment most often discounted. The terms and conditions must be stated with the offer, and Ahpra's guidelines list undisclosed restrictions such as expiry or eligibility as problems.
Injectables. Where a dental clinic also offers cosmetic injectables, the TGA guidance says the advertising must not refer to prescription medicines, directly or indirectly. See our guide to advertising cosmetic injectables.
Questions
Common questions.
Can we post whitening results on Instagram?
Genuine, unedited before and after images may be used with care. A caption quoting the patient about how pleased they are with the result would be a testimonial, which cannot be used in advertising.
Can we advertise a whitening special?
Yes, if the terms and conditions are stated in the advertisement itself, including who it applies to and when it ends.
Can we say our whitening is safe?
Ahpra's guidelines say understating risk is misleading, so an unqualified safety claim is one we would avoid. Explaining that an examination comes first, and why, is both accurate and reassuring.
- Dental implant marketing
- How a regional dental clinic can market dental implants: clear pages, local search and measured ads, written inside Ahpra advertising rules.
- Clear aligner and orthodontic marketing
- Marketing clear aligners and orthodontic treatment for regional dental clinics, with titles, claims and product names checked against Ahpra and TGA rules.
- Emergency dental marketing
- How a regional dental clinic gets found for emergency searches: accurate hours, a clear emergency page, urgent-search ads and after-hours call handling.
- Ahpra advertising rules for dental websites
- A plain-English guide to the Ahpra advertising rules that apply to a dental clinic's website, with each point linked to the official source.
- Google reviews for dentists
- Can a dentist ask for Google reviews, reply to them or share them? A plain-English guide to Ahpra's testimonial rules and Google's review policy.
Next step
Start with a practice check.
Tell us about your clinic and where you think it stands. Your first practice check is free. We reply within one business day, weekends excepted, and we meet every clinic on a video call before any work begins.