What are you allowed to say in any dental ad?
Anything true that does not break one of five limits in section 133 of the National Law. The same five limits apply to your website, your Google ads, your social posts and your signs.
An advertisement for a regulated health service must not:
- Be false, misleading or deceptive, or likely to be.
- Offer a gift, discount or other inducement unless the terms are in the ad.
- Use a testimonial, or something that looks like one, about a clinical aspect of care.
- Create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment.
- Encourage indiscriminate or unnecessary use of the service.
Those five limits are Ahpra’s own list (Ahpra, “Advertising and the law”, reviewed 2 September 2025). The maximum penalty is $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a body corporate, in every state and territory since July 2024. Read the longer explanation in the Ahpra advertising rules for dental marketing.
The 2020 guidelines are still the base. On 2 September 2025 Ahpra added a second document, for higher-risk cosmetic procedures. Its examples include dental veneers and cosmetic injectables. They do not name teeth whitening or orthodontics, and Ahpra says the list is not exhaustive. For those procedures, advertisements must use real images, must warn that results may vary, and face a stronger line on influencer testimonials. They must not target people under 18 (Ahpra news, 2 September 2025). Some agency blogs say the September 2025 changes tightened all of dentistry. They did not: they added a second document for a defined group of procedures.
Which ideas can you run this quarter?
Each idea below was checked against section 133. Veneers and injectables get the second check from 2 September 2025. Any idea that names a product gets a TGA line (next section). The page is a short list, not thirty ideas, because the owner needs a pass or fail on each one.
The second idea starts from the AIHW figures for a comprehensive oral examination in 2024–25 (report updated 6 August 2026). The three figures are medians, so they do not add up to each other.
| Idea | Say this | Do not say this | Count this |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Complete the Google Business Profile | The services, the hours, the suburb. “Taking new patients” only if it is true. | Clinical patient reviews pasted onto your website. “Best dentist in the suburb.” | New patients whose source is Google Maps. |
| 2. Publish the fee and the gap for a named item | The item, the fee, and what the health fund usually covers. For a special price such as “$99 exam”: what is included, who qualifies and the end date, shown before the patient books. | “Free checkup” with no terms. A discount with no usual price beside it. | Bookings that started on the fee page. |
| 3. Recall patients who are overdue | A service message: it is time for a check, here is how to book. | A promise that the visit will fix a condition. A scare line such as “don’t delay”. | Patients who returned. This is a return count, not a new-patient count. |
| 4. A first-visit page for parents | The ADA’s advice on when a child’s first visit should be, with the source. | A claim that the visit will prevent decay. | Bookings that came through the page. |
| 5. A page that answers one expensive question | Facts and ranges with a source and a date. Implant cost, what to do in an emergency and what a gap is are the questions patients ask. | “We are the cheapest.” “Pain free.” | Bookings where that page was the first one the patient saw. |
| 6. Ask for a referral, without a clinical quote | A line at the desk: “If you know someone looking for a dentist, we would be glad to see them.” Any offer carries its terms. | A patient’s comment about their treatment or results. | Patients who answer “referred by a patient” when asked how they found you. |
| 7. Emergency search ads, only while a person can answer | The hours the phone is answered, and the number. | A 24-hour emergency ad when the practice closes at 5pm. That ad is misleading. | Calls and bookings during the hours the ad runs. |
| 8. One page for the suburb the practice is in | The suburb, the street address, the hours and the registration details of the dentists. | A grid of pages for every suburb and service you do not serve. | Bookings that came from that page. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Sources for the ideas: Ahpra, “Advertising and the law”, reviewed 2 September 2025; AIHW, report updated 6 August 2026; The Xyro, 3 June 2026 (emergency ads only while the phone is answered); Meaningful Agency, 15 September 2026 (the questions patients ask). The agency pages are opinion, not a study.
Which popular ideas should you leave out?
You have probably been sent some of these. Most come from US dentists and US agencies, where the rules differ. An Australian practice that copies them can teach itself an offence.
- Before-and-after smile galleries, including Reels. Section 133 limits clinical outcome photos and testimonials. For veneers and cosmetic injectables, the 2 September 2025 guideline adds its own image rules. A US list of dental marketing ideas (MedFlowX, 21 April 2026) recommends before-and-after Reels. An Australian page (Practice Boost, 23 January 2026) explains how to caption gallery photos. Neither fits the Ahpra rules. A photo of the room, the team or the building is a different thing and can stay.
- Influencer treatment stories. Ahpra’s post of 2 September 2025 says the changes strengthen the ban on testimonials from social media influencers for this kind of advertising.
- “Best dentist in [city]”, “painless”, “guaranteed” and “Hollywood smile” as an outcome promise. The test is whether the claim is misleading or creates an unreasonable expectation. There is no official banned-word list. Say what you can prove instead: qualifications, suburb, hours, “results vary”, “we will explain the risks at the consultation”.
- Advertising compassionate release of super as the way to pay. ADA Policy 6.9 (last review September 2025) says a dental advertisement should not advertise that scheme or push it as the way to fund treatment.
- A time-limited scare. Ahpra’s summary of the requirements (reviewed 2 September 2025) says “don’t delay” and “for a limited time only” can be unlawful when tied to an unsubstantiated claim that health will suffer.
- A 30-item list made to rank the agency that wrote it. You do not need thirty ideas. You need eight you can check.
When does the TGA apply, not just Ahpra?
When the ad names a product. The TGA does not regulate the promotion of a health service alone. If an ad refers to a therapeutic good, or to a class of goods, it can be treated as an ad for that good (TGA, last updated 18 June 2026). Ahpra regulates the service. The TGA regulates the product.
- Cosmetic injectables. The TGA says most contain prescription-only substances and must not be advertised to the public. Do not name the medicine, the brand, the acronym or a nickname. A dental practice that offers injectables advertises a consultation, not the medicine.
- Teeth whitening. ADA Policy 2.2.8 (last review September 2025) says only a registered dental practitioner should use or supply the stronger whitening products, and it attributes the strength limits to the Poisons Standard. The current instrument commenced on 1 October 2026 (F2026L01327). Do not print a strength in an ad until you have read the current line yourself. You can say that a consultation will decide if whitening is suitable, and that results vary.
- Aligners and other devices. The TGA says most medical devices can be advertised to the public if the Advertising Code is met, and personalised devices have their own page (last updated 16 December 2025). The safe shape is a service sentence: “we provide clear aligner treatment”. Keep a provider-tier badge, a claim that a brand beats braces and a smile transformation photo off the ad until someone has checked section 133 and the Advertising Code.
How do you know an idea brought a patient?
Ask every new patient how they found you, and log the answer next to the booking. The full method is in how to get more new dental patients. For paid ads, see why dental Google Ads don’t convert, the cost of Google Ads for dentists, the best keywords for dental Google Ads and how much to spend on marketing.
Questions
Can a dental practice use before-and-after photos?
Not as advertising of a clinical result.
Section 133 bars a testimonial about a clinical aspect of care, and a photo that shows a clinical outcome can work the same way. A practice should leave smile galleries off its website, its ads and its social posts.
For veneers and cosmetic injectables, the 2 September 2025 guideline adds image rules on top of section 133. Images must be real, the ad must warn that results may vary, and it must not target people under 18.
A photo of the room, the team or the building is a different thing. It does not claim a clinical result, so it can stay.
Can we quote a Google review?
Only when the review is about service, not about symptoms, treatment or outcome, and the practice is the one publishing it.
A review that says the team was friendly, the waiting room was calm or parking was easy is not about a clinical aspect. A review that says treatment worked, pain went away or a smile looks better is a clinical testimonial, and it must not appear in your advertising.
The same applies when you copy a review into a post, onto your site or into an ad. Check each one before you publish it. If you are unsure, leave it out.
Can we offer a new-patient special?
Yes, if the terms are in the ad where the patient sees them before they book.
Section 133 bars an inducement unless the terms are stated. The terms are:
- what is included
- who can use it
- when it ends
- the usual price, if you claim a discount
The offer must also not push treatment the person does not need. A “free checkup” with no terms fails the first test. A special that bundles extra treatment to a checkup can fail the second.
Can we advertise veneers the same way we advertise a checkup?
No. Veneers get a second check.
A checkup advertisement sits under section 133. Veneers sit under section 133 and also under Ahpra’s guideline for higher-risk cosmetic procedures, in place from 2 September 2025. Ahpra’s examples for that guideline include dental veneers.
In practice that means real images only, a clear warning that results vary, no influencer testimonials, and no advertising aimed at people under 18. Do not describe the result as a promise. Advertise the consultation and the information a patient needs to decide.
Can we name a teeth-whitening percentage?
Not on this page, and not in an ad until you have read the current Poisons Standard line yourself.
Whitening strength limits come from the Poisons Standard, which is a TGA matter, not a marketing one. ADA Policy 2.2.8 (last review September 2025) says only a registered dental practitioner should use or supply the stronger products. The current instrument commenced on 1 October 2026 (F2026L01327).
What the practice can say is that whitening is discussed at a consultation, that the dentist will decide if it is suitable, and that results vary. Do not tell the public to buy a high-strength gel.
Can we say we are the best dentist in the suburb?
No, unless you can prove it. A superlative you cannot prove is misleading.
Section 133 bars advertising that is false, misleading or likely to be. “Best” is a claim about quality that cannot be measured, so it rarely survives that test.
Say what you can show instead:
- the suburb and the street address
- the opening hours
- the registration of each dentist
- that results vary, and that risks are explained at the consultation
Those lines are true, and a patient can check them.
Do educational posts count as advertising?
They can. Ahpra’s definition of advertising is wide.
If a post promotes the practice to the public, it is advertising, even when it reads as a tip or an explainer. A post that says a treatment fixes a problem is a clinical claim, and a clinical claim on Instagram is still a clinical claim.
Write educational posts as information, with sources, and keep patient stories and results out of them. Check any post that names a product against the TGA section above.
Are these rules different on Google Ads and on the website?
No. Section 133 applies to both, and to every other place you advertise.
A Google ad, a landing page, an Instagram post and a sign in the window all have to meet the same five limits. A product named in any of them can bring in the TGA as well.
One difference is space. An ad has few words, so the terms of an offer and the “results vary” line need to be on the page the ad leads to, where the patient sees them before they book. Why a compliant ad can still fail to book is covered in why dental Google Ads don’t convert.
Sources
How this page was made. Drafted with AI assistance from the sources below, each read on the date shown.
- Ahpra: advertising guidelines, in force from 14 December 2020Retrieved 12 October 2026
- Ahpra: advertising and the law (the five limits and the penalties)Reviewed 2 September 2025
- Ahpra: summary of the advertising requirementsReviewed 2 September 2025
- Ahpra news: new guidelines for cosmetic procedures2 September 2025
- Ahpra: do’s and don’ts for advertising higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures (PDF)Retrieved 12 October 2026
- TGA: advertising health services that involve therapeutic goodsLast updated 18 June 2026
- TGA: advertising personalised medical devicesLast updated 16 December 2025
- TGA: the Poisons StandardPage updated 1 October 2026
- Federal Register of Legislation: Poisons Standard instrument F2026L01327Commenced 1 October 2026
- Australian Dental Association: Policy Statement 6.9, advertising in dentistryLast review September 2025
- Australian Dental Association: Policy Statement 2.2.8, teeth whiteningLast review September 2025
- Australian Dental Association: the oral habits of Aussie families (survey of 25,000 adults)30 July 2025
- AIHW: oral health and dental care in Australia, summaryUpdated 6 August 2026; 2024–25 data
- The Xyro: dental marketing strategies in Australia (agency opinion)3 June 2026
- Meaningful Agency: marketing for dentists, the full 2026 growth guide (agency opinion)15 September 2026
- MedFlowX: 30 dental marketing ideas (US list, cited as advice to leave out)21 April 2026
- Practice Boost: top 30 dental practice advertisement and marketing ideas (cited as advice to leave out)23 January 2026
Related reading. Ahpra advertising rules for dental marketing, how to get more new dental patients, why dental Google Ads don’t convert, Google Ads cost for dentists, best keywords for dental Google Ads and how much to spend on marketing.
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