Dental practice opening marketing: a checklist for the first 100 days

A new dental practice needs one thing above all: patients who find their way in – and come back. Whether you are starting from scratch or taking over an existing practice, the first few months decide how well known you become in the area. Good dental practice opening marketing follows a plan, and this checklist sorts the key steps into three phases.

Phase 1: Before the opening

Set up your Google Business Profile. Most patients find their dentist through Google and Google Maps. Create the profile early, with the correct address, opening hours, phone number, photos of the practice and the opening date.

A website that covers the basics. Treatments, team, directions, opening hours, contact details and privacy policy. Add online booking if you can – many people book in the evening, when the practice is closed.

A consistent look. Logo, colours and typeface should look the same on the practice sign, website, appointment cards and promotional items. Anyone who has seen the practice once should recognise it everywhere.

If you are taking over: inform existing patients. A personal letter that explains the change and introduces the new team reduces uncertainty and helps you keep the patient base.

Phase 2: The opening

Open day. A tour of the practice, a chance to meet the team and ask questions: for neighbours and families, this is often the moment they decide on a new practice.

Local presence. A short piece in the local paper or community newsletter, notices in nearby pharmacies and shops (with their permission) and a post on your Google profile.

Something to take away. Everyone who visits the practice should leave with something in their hand that shows your name, address and phone number. Ideally something that doesn’t disappear into the next drawer.

Phase 3: The first 100 days

Collect reviews. Kindly ask satisfied patients for a Google review after their appointment. A small note at reception or a QR code on the appointment card is enough.

Build recall from day one. Every new patient should leave the practice with their next appointment. A dental recall card makes that appointment tangible.

Make referrals easy. New practices grow mainly through word of mouth. Give patients something they can pass on – a second card for family or colleagues, for example.

Local partnerships. Orthodontists, GP surgeries, physiotherapists and pharmacies nearby are natural partners for mutual referrals.

Promotional items for a practice opening: what is worth it

Budgets are tight at the start. That is why a promotional item that does several jobs at once pays off: business card, appointment reminder and small gift in one.

The Floss Card is exactly that kind of item. It has the format of a business card (85 × 55 mm, just 1.6 mm thin), contains around 10 metres of waxed dental floss and is printed full-bleed on the front and back with your practice design. Logo and practice name on the front; address, phone number and a QR code for online booking or your Google profile on the back.

• On your open day as a takeaway for every visitor.
• At reception as a business card for new patients.
• After a hygiene visit as a recall card with the next appointment.
• With partner practices as a card people are happy to pass on.

Production currently takes around four to five weeks from approval, so order your cards in good time before the opening date. From 500 pieces the card costs €1.20 net per piece, from 1,000 pieces €0.97, plus a one-off €65 for print preparation (as of October 2026, excluding VAT).

Worth keeping in mind: keep promotional items factual and have the practice name printed on them permanently. If in doubt about what is permitted, check with your professional body.

Your dental practice opening marketing checklist at a glance

1. Set up your Google Business Profile and add photos
2. Website with online booking
3. Consistent logo and colours on all materials
4. If taking over, inform existing patients personally
5. Plan an open day
6. Let the local press and neighbourhood know
7. Order promotional items in good time
8. Actively ask for reviews
9. Recall from the very first appointment
10. Partnerships with practices and pharmacies nearby

Conclusion

A successful practice opening isn’t a single day, but a plan for the first few months. Become visible, make a good first impression and make sure patients come back: in that order, a new practice grows step by step.

See what your opening card could look like in the card designer. No finished design yet? Send us your logo via no designer needed and we will design the card for you.