Facebook and Instagram ads

Meta ads run on Facebook and Instagram. Unlike search ads, they reach people who aren’t looking for a dentist at that moment. That makes them weaker for urgent needs and better for things people don’t search for until someone puts the idea in front of them.

What Meta ads are good for

• A new practice launch or a move: telling the neighborhood you exist, where you are and when you open.
• Offers, such as a new-patient exam offer or a whitening promotion, stated honestly with the terms.
• Elective services people think about for a while, such as clear aligners or cosmetic work.
• Awareness of something new: a new dentist, Saturday hours, a sedation option, a second location.

If someone has a toothache tonight, they’ll search Google, not scroll Instagram. Keep emergency and high-intent services on search and give Meta a different job.

Creative

On Meta the image or video does most of the work. What tends to fit a local practice:

• Real people: the dentists and team, the front of the building, the reception area. Stock photos of perfect smiles look like every other ad.
• Short videos of a dentist explaining what a first visit is like, or a team member showing where to park.
• One clear message per ad and one clear action: call, book, or claim the offer.

Never feature an identifiable patient, including before-and-after photos and testimonials, without written authorization that covers advertising. The compliance guides cover authorizations.

Audiences

For a local practice, the most important setting is location: the area around the office your patients come from. Beyond that, keep targeting broad and simple, and let the creative and offer pick out the right people. Never try to target people by a health condition, and don’t write ads that imply you know something about the viewer’s health, such as “Embarrassed about your missing teeth?” Meta’s advertising standards restrict ads that assert or imply personal attributes, including health; check the current policy. The rules and privacy chapter explains why uploading patient lists is a bad idea.

If you advertise open positions, such as a hygienist role, Meta treats employment ads as a special category with its own targeting limits. Check the current rules before running them.

Comments and messages

Ads collect comments, sometimes from patients, sometimes complaints. Someone should check them daily. Reply the way you would to a review: warmly and generally, without confirming that anyone is a patient or mentioning their care, and move anything specific to a phone call. Hide or report spam and abuse. The reviews and reputation guide covers safe replies.

Measure Meta the same way as everything else: booked and seen new patients, not likes or reach.