Advertising your dental practice can help attract new patients and grow your business, but it’s easy to accidentally make false or misleading claims. These can lead to serious consequences, like losing your dental license. Here’s what you need to know about false advertising and how to avoid it:
What is false or misleading advertising?
According to the California Dental Practice Act, licensed professionals cannot share any advertisements with false or deceptive content. This includes:
- Promoting ads that stretch the truth, like claiming to be “the best cosmetic dentist” without proof or making unsupported scientific claims.
- Using patient reviews that imply you are the best without clearly saying they are just personal opinions.
- Claiming titles or suffixes that you did not earn or qualify for. This also includes using vague or hard-to-verify titles.
- Advertising “painless” dentistry in a way that gives patients the wrong idea about what dental procedures are really like.
The Dental Practice Act also does not allow the use of edited photos, pictures of models or photos of real patients without explaining the procedures done. These can create false or unrealistic expectations of positive results.
Best practices for ethical advertising
All advertisements should be honest and easy to understand. To avoid making false or misleading claims about your practice, make sure that:
- All information you use should be accurate and supported by reliable scientific studies.
- Any statistics or price comparisons should be based on trustworthy data.
- Testimonials and reviews should be genuine and clearly show they are subjective opinions.
- You do not claim any unrecognized specialties or qualifications.
Pay special attention to online advertising. Online claims must be as truthful and clear as those in traditional advertising.
Words and images have power
Misleading advertising can have serious consequences for your dental practice, including the suspension of your license. Stay informed, stay ethical and don’t hesitate to seek help when needed.
