The Power of Google Ads for Dental Practices (Without Wasting Budget) - May 2026 CCDS E NEWS

 

The Digital Chairside

Marketing insights, explained like you’d explain treatment to a patient.

The Power of Google Ads for Dental Practices (Without Wasting Budget)

By Kayla Mauldin, Founder, Firelight Marketing
Former dental professional with 23+ years of industry experience

When dental practices consider advertising online, Google Ads is often one of the first platforms that comes to mind. It promises quick visibility and the ability to reach patients actively searching for care.

But there’s also hesitation—and for good reason. Many practices have tried Google Ads before and felt like they spent money without seeing meaningful results.

The truth is, Google Ads can be incredibly effective for dental practices—but only when it’s approached with the right strategy and expectations.

Why Google Ads Works for Dentistry

Unlike social media, where patients are casually scrolling, Google Ads targets people who are actively searching for a solution.

These are high-intent searches like:

• “Emergency dentist near me”
• “Invisalign consultation”
• “Tooth pain relief dentist today”

This means your practice is showing up at the exact moment a patient is ready to take action.

For dental offices, that level of intent is powerful. It shortens the decision-making process and often leads to higher-quality inquiries.

Where Most Campaigns Go Wrong

The biggest mistake practices make with Google Ads is treating it like a set-it-and-forget-it solution.

Common issues include:

• Targeting too broad of an audience
• Sending traffic to a generic homepage instead of a focused landing page
• Not tracking calls, forms, or conversions
• Running ads without clear messaging or intent

Without proper structure, even a well-funded campaign can produce poor results.

Google Ads is not just about being seen—it’s about being relevant.

The Importance of Targeting the Right Services

Not every service needs to be advertised equally.

High-performing dental campaigns often focus on:

• Emergency dentistry
• High-value procedures (implants, crowns, Invisalign)
• New patient exams or offers

These services align with both patient urgency and practice growth goals.

By narrowing the focus, practices can allocate budget more effectively and avoid spreading resources too thin.

Landing Pages Matter More Than the Ad

Getting a patient to click on your ad is only the first step. What happens next determines whether they convert.

A strong landing page should:

• Clearly match the intent of the search
• Explain the service in simple, patient-friendly language
• Build trust with reviews, visuals, and transparency
• Make it easy to call or request an appointment

If a patient clicks on an ad for “emergency dentist” and lands on a general homepage, there’s a disconnect—and often, a lost opportunity.

Tracking Is What Turns Ads Into Strategy

One of the biggest advantages of Google Ads is the ability to track performance.

Practices can see:

• How many people clicked on an ad
• How many called or filled out a form
• Which services are generating the most interest

This data allows for continuous improvement. Campaigns can be adjusted over time to focus on what’s working and eliminate what’s not.

Without tracking, advertising becomes guesswork. With tracking, it becomes a system.

Google Ads Should Support—Not Replace—Your Marketing

Google Ads works best when it’s part of a larger strategy.

Practices that combine ads with strong SEO, positive reviews, and a well-built website tend to see the best results. Ads can drive immediate traffic, while other efforts build long-term visibility and trust.

Think of Google Ads as a way to fill short-term gaps while your broader digital presence continues to grow.

The Takeaway

Google Ads can be a powerful tool for dental practices—but success comes from clarity, focus, and ongoing refinement.

When campaigns are built around patient intent, supported by strong landing pages, and guided by real data, they can consistently bring in high-quality new patient opportunities—without wasting budget.

Kent Burnett, DDS: Serving Organized Dentistry and Providing Family-Friendly Care in Corvallis - Coastal Cascades Dentist Society February 2026 Member Spotlight

 

 

Dr. Burnett is currently a member of the Coastal Cascades Dentist Society council and was integral to the merger of the membership of the Southern Willamette and Lane County Dental Societies.  He also serves on the Oregon Dental Association Board of Trustees. He serves on these boards to express his gratitude for the opportunity to become a dentist and to say thank you.  Why did he decide to become a dentist in the first place? A friend suggested that he should become a dentist. At first, he resisted the idea, but he liked the idea of working with his hands and making a decent living. Most of all, the pursuit of dentistry was a challenging goal for him to achieve.

Dr. Burnett was born in Missoula, lived in Utah while his father worked at Weber State, and he went to dental school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Early in his career, he worked as a dentist with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Tribal Health Department.

Dr. Burnett ended up in Oregon after he and his wife decided not to move back to Utah due to the high number of dentists there and to avoid snow. After working in Eugene with a friend, he ended up finding a dental practice in Corvallis in 2001. The practice seemed like a good deal, but he struggled to rebuild the practice during economic turndowns associated with 9/11 and 2007.  He recommends that new dentists pay attention to Return On Investment (ROI) before making big purchases. Regardless of the initial challenges, Kent has enjoyed being a dentist. The favorite part of his job is chatting with long-time patients and seeing them through all the many stages of their lives. He thinks this is funny because he generally likes being alone. 

One of  Dr. Burnett’s favorite activities outside of work is taking a quiet scenic drive and continuing his family's tradition of “grey-lining,” which involves traveling on less-used roads to discover unique places. He also enjoys gardening and enjoys the challenge of growing a vast variety of different plants. Once, he grew a 12 foot tall Greenhouse to grow bananas.

Dr. Matthew Collins, DMD: A Young Dentist's Transition to Practice Ownership, Reprinted from CCDS November/December 2025 Newsletter

Dr. Matthew Collins bought his new Springfield practice, Two Rivers Dental Group, in July of this year. Previously, he had worked at Smiles Dental and a couple of Aspen Dental Locations. Although taking on practice ownership involves a lot of hard work, this was made easier due to support from another local dentist. Dr. Terri Baarstad, who has her own full-time practice,  has helped Dr. Collins by providing mentorship regarding business practices, giving advice on navigating insurance issues, and sharing patient pools. 

Dr. Collins was born in Southern California, studied at California State University Channel Islands before going to dental School at the University of Nevada.  He graduated from dental school in 2019. Early on, Matthew had a strong interest in science and anatomy. Although he initially focused on becoming a surgeon, he soon discovered that working in a hospital setting was not a good fit for him. 

Matthew’s mom is a hygienist and invited her son to come watch the dentist at work to see if dentistry would be something he would like. “So I went in there, and then, I was just like, this is pretty cool. I just kind of clicked.” He also liked that as a dentist, he could continue to learn new skills and you get to be a business owner.

Dr. Collins decided to move to Oregon because it promised to be a good place to raise a family. In addition to the slower pace of the Pacific Northwest, Matthew said,” I love the seasons. I love the green and the rain, all the water and mountains.” 

Dr. Tyler Peterschmidt, DDS: Showcases His Art at PNW Dental, Reprinted from CCDS November/December 2025 Newsletter

One of the first things one notices when they walk into Pacific Northwest Dental is the beautiful wall-sized nature photography throughout the office space.  Dr. Tyler Peterschmidt has found that displaying his own artwork, which began as a personal hobby, has grown into a conversation starter with his patients. He started taking pictures about six years ago, teaching himself through YouTube. At first, he was a bit shy about sharing his art. He first hung up a picture and didn’t tell anyone it was his, and let it sit there and waited to see how people responded. Now he is proud of his work and has photos in all the operatories. Now, instead of shying away from sharing his personal interests, he uses his photos as a way to connect with his patients, and some even buy his prints.

Dr. Peterschmidt’s mother recognized his potential for dental work when he was given a kit of dirty old Roman coins to restore. Tyler enjoyed the fine detail work coin restoration took, and his mom associated his talent with the work that dentists do.  Since he has an aunt who is a dentist,  Tyler was able to shadow her and he also benefited from clinical volunteer opportunities and soon decided that dentistry is the career he wanted to pursue. In addition to enjoying dental work, he found being your own boss and the ability to build your own culture and work environment appealing. 

Dr. Peterschmidt partnered with Dr. Watkins when Dr. Joe Jensen retired. Their partnership is based on shared values and complementary skills. Dr. Peterschmidt has been drawn to oral surgery, participating in advanced training on implants, bone grafting, soft tissue surgery, and periodontics. Whereas Dr. Watkins has done training on sleep apnea devices. Dr. Peterschmidt said that they mesh well in terms of our business relationship and their easy-going personality style. They also have both embraced in house technology, such as doing their own scanning and 3D printing.

In Memoriam: Dr. Stanley Clawson Promoted Comradery While Bringing Laughter and Joy to Our Dental Community (June 11, 1933 – March 8, 2025) Reposted from May/June Newsletter 2025

 

Dr. Stanley Clawson and Dr. Robert Carmichael share a laugh while celebrating Stanley's 91st birthday at the 2024 retiree luncheon.

Dr. Stanley Clawson, who passed away on March 8, 2025, at the age of 91, leaves behind a legacy of laughter and community in the dental world.  

Dr. Clawson practiced dentistry for 30 years and was known for his sense of humor. Dr. Bob Carmichael says that he never saw any of his patients because they stayed with them. Stanley would joke that he did not need antiseptic because he numbed his patients with humor: “They were laughing the whole time he was working with them!” 

In a time when lawyers and doctors were creating group practices with professional partnerships, Dr. Stanley Clawson formed a group practice with doctors Minser & Day, thereby contributing to elevating dental practices in the Eugene area to the same level of professionalism as other types of practices.

At dental society meetings, Dr. Clawson would tell everyone to turn off their cellphones and get to know the people around them. He would also remind dentists that they were not competitors, saying that he did not want their patients as he had enough for himself. He encouraged dentists who had extra patients to give them to the newer dentists.

Dr. Clawson also partnered with Dr. Brinkman and Dr. Hanson to create a store: Grape and Grain. This venture allowed Stanley to travel Europe to find items to sell in their store. He also traveled to Tibet with his wife, collecting yak butter and wine made by Monks.

During the time Grape and Grain was in business, Dr. Clawson would organize Christmas parties for the dental society, which included fancy attire and a big dinner. Grape and Grain would donate various gifts from all over the world. Dr. Clawson would emcee the event, and Dr. Burr and Dr. Carmicheal would dress up as gift-giving elves.

Outside of his dentist office, Stanley enjoyed many outdoor activities, such as helicopter skiing, windsurfing, sailing, and tennis. Later in life, he honed his skills as a woodworking craftsman.

(Information from interview with Dr. Bob Carmichael and Register Guard Obituary)

Member Spotlight: Dr. Rachel Meek Serving Tribal Members at Siletz Community Health Clinic Repreinted from CCDS March/April 2025 Newsletter

Coastal Cascades Dentist Society welcomes Dr. Rachel Meek to its council. Her position on the council reflects our efforts to have wider representation throughout our new, larger geographical area, as she is currently working for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians near Newport. Dr. Meek is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and she actively seeks opportunities to use advocacy and her work as a clinical dentist to address the need for care in native populations, particularly children. 

Dr. Meek is also actively involved as a leader at the State association level. Her involvement began as an ODA liaison while she was a student studying dentistry at Oregon Health and Science University. She is currently serving on the ODA’s Legislative Task Force and its Regulatory Advisory Council. 

Although Dr. Meek did not initially think she would pursue a career in the medical field, after working as an orthodontic assistant and volunteering on service trips, she decided that dentistry offered a way for her to truly help others’ health. She also discovered that there are not that many native dentists, which led her to work at the Siletz Community Health Clinic after graduating. Plus, she wanted to stay in Oregon. 

In addition to dentistry, the health services encompass all health services on the reservation, including medical, pharmacy, and laboratory services. There is also a natural health area featuring various herbs and spices to help alleviate common ailments. This holistic approach to health facilitates collaboration between dentists and other medical professionals, enabling them to refer patients to one another for specialized care.

Member Spotlight: Dr. Matt Schapper, Focused on Family and Serving Others, Reprinted from CCDS January/February 2025 Newsletter

Dr. Matt Schapper is the first dentist in his family. He was looking for a career that would allow him to help serve others' needs. At first, he thought this could be medicine until he took Dr. Joseph Mirci's pre-dental class at the University of Utah. Dr. Schapper shadowed at his office and was a Teacher's Assistant for his class for a couple of years. After that, he went to  Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia. While at his General Practice Residency at the University of Utah Hospital, his brother Dane shadowed him a few times and pursued dentistry, going to Temple University as well. They practice together at Complete Dental Health LLC in Albany and Dental Health PC in Corvallis.

Since Dr. Schapper grew up in Springfield, he has plenty of family in Oregon and decided to start his career here with Dr. Kendell Wood for 12 years until he retired. After Dr. Wood Retired retired, Dr. Schapper's brother came to join the practices. The brothers have similar schooling and training and work well together in patient care and treatment. Dane has a background in Business and Accounting which helps them manage both locations utilizing the same systems to help both offices operate consistently. Most of the time the doctors are at different locations, but sometimes work together on Fridays when only one of their locations is open.

When asked what he likes best about working in the Corvallis/Albany area, Dr. Schapper responded that he enjoys seeing the diversity of patients: "Students from Oregon State to families and individuals who have grown up here their whole lives, or maybe transplants to Oregon. I enjoy getting to know my patients, what they are up to, and their interests overall. I think having a better understanding of who our patients are helps to provide care better tailored to their needs."

Dr. Schapper and his wife, Ashley, have four children: 13-year-old twins, a 9-year-old son, and a 5-year-old daughter.  As a family, they go on camping trips and vacations to visit family here or in Utah. During summertime, they also try to take full advantage of outdoor activities, enjoying Oregon's beauty. Dr. Schapper looks forward to seeing if his children will be interested in dentistry when they are older; for now, they enjoy sports and music. In addition to family activities, Dr. Schapper enjoys golfing with friends and trains for triathlons.