As time goes on, more and more people look to online reviews for help in choosing a dentist, orthodontist or oral surgeon. Ratings and reviews are the new word of mouth and people take these recommendations and feedback, whether positive or negative, very seriously.

In fact, a 2015 Consumer Review Study showed that 92% Of Consumers Read Online Reviews For Local Businesses. Results of that same study revealed a whopping 87% of potential customers won’t even consider businesses with low ratings. A majority of consumers, 73% said they would form an opinion by reading 1-6 reviews.

These results highlight the need for a dental practice to keep a very watchful eye on their online reputations. Ratings and reviews must be monitored on a regular basis for prompt response and handling.

Here are some of the review websites that a dental practice needs to keep an eye on.

Google Places

As we all know, Google is the powerhouse of online search. Businesses listed on Google Places and their accompanying reviews show up toward the top of the page on Google and Google Maps searches.
Yelp

As the granddaddy of all social review and rating platforms, Yelp has about 100 million unique visitors per month. More and more of these visitors are looking here for reviews and ratings for medical and dental professionals. Yelp offers businesses instant email notification of reviews.
HealthGrades

According to the HealthGrades website, more than one million people a day rely upon Healthgrades to research, compare and connect with physicians and other healthcare professionals. They provide consumers with the information they need to make more informed decisions, including information about the provider’s experience, patient satisfaction and hospital quality.
RateMDs

RateMDs is the original doctors rating site. With over 2 million ratings, RateMDs is the source for all things health, including up-to-date doctor ratings and reviews, the latest health trends coverage, and medical specialties information.
Vitals

Vitals is a source for patients to find and connect with the best health care providers. With over 1 million doctor, dentist and medical facility profiles and over 6 million doctor ratings and reviews, this site offers plenty of information, based upon which a patient can make their decision about which dentist to choose.
BetterDoctor

As a different slant on the doctor ratings, BetterDoctor includes, amongst their other information, reviews, not by consumers or patients, but by other highly qualified doctors.
One more note: that same study mentioned above discovered that 80% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations by friends and acquaintances. Online reviews are important to all local businesses, and dental offices are no exception. Just a few positive or negative reviews make a world of difference. Knowing about the negative ones allows you to handle the difficulty promptly. Being aware of positive reviews that come in permits your practice to share these recommendations across your email and social media platforms.