Building an Artificially Amplified Reputation vs a Naturally Earned one using Google Dental Reviews
How Solicitation, Review Automation, and Review Farms Can Distort Online Reputation —How Riverview Patients Can spot quickly offices that use them!
It has become increasingly common for dental practices to engage in aggressive reputation-building strategies that can significantly increase online review volume. These approaches may include frequent solicitation, automated or AI-driven review prompting systems, and third-party reputation services. While not all amplification involves fake accounts, the resulting review profiles no longer accurately reflect typical patient experience or voluntary feedback.
Dental offices use these tactics for search engine advantage over other practices doing it right to:
- cover up bad 1 star reviews
- increase 5 star ratings
- boost the review count
- influence the public
- increase their GOOGLE rank over other dentist
Interesting statistics for dental reviews!
- 95% of patients do not leave reviews.¹²
- Of the 5% that do leave reviews, dissatisfied patients are 21× more likely to post a 1‑star review than satisfied patients are to leave a 5‑star review.³
- On average, dental offices receive 1–2 reviews per month when patients post voluntarily and ethically.⁴
Why Dental patients are 21x more likely to leave Negative Reviews — and Why Amplification Happens
Dentistry is built around negative triggers. People usually come in pain. Treatment can be uncomfortable, expensive, time-consuming, and stressful. Shots hurt. Extractions hurt. Complications happen. Dentists can get backed up with difficult cases and run late. That’s the reality of clinical care.
Because of this, dentistry is especially vulnerable to negative reviews. Most satisfied patients never leave a review at all, while an upset patient is far more likely to post a 1-star review — often venting frustration rather than judging the quality of care. It’s like getting mad at a police officer for writing a parking ticket when you parked illegally.
Negative reviews also carry far more weight than positive ones. Marketing and SEO analysis consistently show that it can take dozens of positive reviews — sometimes as many as 40 — to rebuild public confidence after a single bad review 10 . Bad reviews stick, and they hurt visibility and trust.
This imbalance helps explain why some dental offices turn to review amplification. When a few negative reviews can damage years of honest work, solicitation, automation, and inflated review volume become tempting ways to dilute the damage and regain search rankings. That pressure doesn’t justify unethical behavior — but it explains why it happens.
When someone searches for the best dentist in Riverview using Google, the search engine algorithm goes to highest star review and highest review count 6. Dentists marketing their practices know this 5,6. In order to fix a low review count and low star rating. It's becoming popular 1. Solicit reviews 2. Bought reviews. Stellar reviews can turn a bad dentist (low star rated) into a great one ranking #1 page 1 in the area pushing better dentist doing it right to #100 and page 30 of a Google search
Soliciting reviews:
Soliciting is when a dental practice asks for reviews or gives incentives to get 5 star reviews. This can be gifts for reviews or using review boosting software to pump out review requests to patients' cell phones with direct links to leave only 5 star reviews at their Google business pages. Bribing (gifts), badgering (staff asking for reviews / cell phone links + Ai review boosting software), or even requiring 5 star review done before additional appointments can be scheduled are not unheard of and becoming more common. The result is a review that would have never happened in an honest ethical way.
Bought Google Reviews:
Dental offices may buy reviews from “review farms” that use different IP addresses to fool google into thinking it's coming from legit patients 7. This can happen as a one time dump or a slow steady feed to Google. The one time dump is easy to spot so more savvy SEO (search engine optimizing) marketing companies do the slow steady feed of fake reviews. The result is slow steady feed while they buy them under an advertising agreement with the review farm increasing the 5 star review count. This increases the authority score for Google and drives more of the unsuspecting public to their dental practices. Hard to believe but even dental offices are succumbing to moral and ethical decay.
Why Misleading Reviews Persist Despite Florida Law
Florida Statutes, Chapter 456 – Health Professions and Occupations, Section 456.41, prohibits any person from advertising or representing themselves in a false, deceptive, or misleading manner regarding services or professional qualifications. Violations can result in fines, and in severe cases, suspension or revocation of a dentist’s license. This includes buying reviews, incentivizing only positive feedback, or posting reviews under false pretenses.
Yet, some dental offices still maintain artificially amplified reputations. Several factors contribute to this persistence:
- Enforcement is reactive: Regulatory boards, like the Florida Board of Dentistry, generally act only after a formal complaint is filed. They do not proactively monitor every practice.
- Evidence is hard to collect: Tactics like AI-assisted reviews, slow feeds from review farms, or selective solicitation leave little concrete proof linking a dentist directly to illegal activity.
- Focus on patient safety: Boards prioritize clinical misconduct and patient harm over misleading reviews. Unless there is clear intent or repeated violations, penalties may be limited to warnings or fines.
- Legal gray areas: Aggressively soliciting reviews is often legal if no false claims are made. While buying reviews or offering rewards for only 5-star ratings is illegal, proving intent is challenging.
- Limited resources: State boards and the FTC have finite staff and must prioritize enforcement, often allowing misleading reputations to persist while larger patient safety issues are addressed.
As a result, even with strict laws in place, misleading reviews can continue to shape public perception, sometimes long before any regulatory action is taken.
Offices engaged in review amplification may use either of these tactics or a combination (solicitation/ baught) to achieve a higher search engine standing advantage ultimately to gain more patients and revenue.
They produce reviews that boost up the reputation that Under natural conditions would never be written!
Here is how to spot offices quickly using amplification tactics to boost reviews!
| Metric | Definition / Formula |
|---|---|
| Total Google Reviews (TGR) | Total number of reviews shown at the top of the Google Business Profile |
| Months of Reviews (M) | Number of months between the oldest and newest Google review |
| Average Normal Reviews (ANR) | M × 2(expected unsolicited reviews per month) |
| % Above Normal | (TGR ÷ ANR) × 100 |
| Normal Range | < 100% = Normal |
| Suspicious Range | > 200–300% = Likely artificially amplified |
| Estimated Patients Needed | TGR ÷ 0.05(assumes only 5% of patients leave reviews) |
Let's use some real examples as of 12-2025!
| Practice | TGR | Months of Reviews (M) | ANR (M × 2) | % Above Normal | Estimated Patients Needed (TGR ÷ 0.05) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL Dental Riverview | 793 | 30 | 60 | 1322% | 15,860 | Highly amplified |
| Brandon Dental Care | 2,905 | 96 | 192 | 1513% | 58,100 | Highly amplified |
| Riverview Dentistry | 1,229 | 97 | 194 | 633% | 24,580 | Highly amplified |
| Riverview Modern Dentistry | 412 | 24 | 48 | 858% | 8,240 | Highly amplified |
| New Image Gen. & Cos. Dentistry | 957 | 84 | 168 | 570% | 19,140 | Highly amplified |
| Riverview Family Dentistry | 294 | 28 | 56 | 525% | 5,880 | Highly amplified |
| Dentist of Riverview | 646 | 72 | 144 | 449% | 12,920 | Highly amplified |
| Riverview Dental Arts | 225 | 60 | 120 | 188% | 4,500 | Moderately amplified |
| Advanced Dental Care | 823 | 84 | 168 | 490% | 16,460 | Highly amplified |
| Chris A. Castellano DMD | 75 | 84 | 168 | 45% | 1,500 | Normal |
Is there anything being done about this to protect the public from bought reviews and unfair business practices ?
Yes 10-2024 the Federal trade commission passed law 16CFR part 465 8 prohibits:
- Reviews written by people who don’t exist, or who didn’t actually use the product/service
- Buying or selling positive or negative reviews
- Reviews paid for or incentivized with conditions (promised good review for reward)
- Insider reviews by employees/managers without disclosure
- Review suppression tactics (intimidation, threats, misleading presentation)
- Selling or buying fake social media influence like bot followers or views
If convicted offenses carry $51,000 fine per offense
Google though tighter automation and live monitoring is suspending accounts and suing violators of posting fraudulent reviews 7,9
Conclusion
A trustworthy dental reputation should be built on consistent clinical care and voluntary patient feedback — not on pressure, volume tactics, or artificial amplification. Patients are justified in considering whether a reputation shaped through amplification reflects broader decision-making of the dental practice! Our reviews are done by our patinets without the use of amplification tactics , AI solicitation software , or SEO review farms!
References:
1 Dental IQ- How Dental patients use online reviews
2. SEO Sandwich-Dentists SEO Statistics: 101 Key Google Search Stats
https://seosandwitch.com/dental-seo-stats
3. Local IQ- 90 online review statistics that will blow your mind for 2025
https://localiq.com/blog/online-review-stats
4. Dental Town- Google reviews your secret weapon for beating bigger dental practices
5. Dental Town - Do google reviews bring more patients
https://www.dentaltown.com/blog/post/23676/do-google-reviews-bring-in-more-patients?
6.Dentistry IQ-Why Your Dental Practice Needs More Google Reviews
7. Ap news- Google Pledges To Crack Down on Fake Reviews after UK investigation
8. Federal trade commission announces final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials
9.Google- We are taking legal action to stop fake review scams https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/legal-action-stop-fake-review-scams
10. Customer think- Do You Know Your Ratio of Positive to Negative CX Feedback?
https://customerthink.com/do-you-know-your-ratio-of-positive-to-negative-cx-feedback
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Frequently Asked Questions About Trusting Internet Dental Reviews
Can dentists buy Google reviews in Riverview, FL?
Yes, some dental offices use third-party review farms or automated systems. We only accept honest patient reviews without AI or paid amplification.How can I tell if a dental office’s reviews are genuine?
Look for a natural mix of reviews over time. Sudden floods of 5-star reviews may indicate manipulation.Why do dentists use review amplification?
Amplifying reviews artificially can hide negative feedback, boost star ratings, and improve search engine ranking. Ethical practices do not use these tactics.How does a 1-star review impact a dentist’s reputation?
Even a single negative review can heavily influence public perception. Studies show it may take dozens of positive reviews to offset one 1-star review.How do we handle reviews at our office?
All reviews come from actual patients, without AI or purchased reviews. Positive or negative, they guide us in improving care and building trust.Looking for the Best dentist in Riverview who gets honest organic patient review posts , check us out!
"Our reviews come directly from our patients — without amplification tactics, AI solicitation software, or SEO review farms. They reflect honest, traditional feedback.
I can sleep at night knowing every review was earned. God bless all my patients for their input, good and bad — it has shaped me as a dentist and guided the way we provide care here.
I firmly believe that solving a review challenge should never involve tactics that compromise trust in the profession. Real reputation is earned, not bought."
— Chris A. Castellano, DMD
