Who this is for, and where to start
If you offer implants or aligners, one extra case a month can matter more than a lot of check-ups. These are big decisions that people tend to research before they enquire, which suits a good website. This guide is about getting those enquiries honestly, as part of the wider SEO plan for a dental practice. It's for practices that deliver the treatment themselves. If you're not an active Invisalign provider, Align's guidelines say the brand isn't yours to use, and you shouldn't be writing about it to win searches.
Everything below sits on top of the general GDC and ASA advertising rules, so read those first. This isn't legal or regulatory advice. Ask your indemnity provider about anything specific, and check the current guidance before you publish.
Implants: what you can and can't claim
Start with the title. The GDC's 13 specialty curricula don't include implantology, and the Dental Defence Union calls "implantologist" a common error. A dentist not on a relevant list can't say "specialising in", but can say "special interest in" or "experienced in", if it's true. Describe the training you've done. The GDC wants you to be clear about additional training rather than letting a primary qualification imply it.
Implants are physically invasive, and the CAP Code has rules for that:
- Qualifications (rule 12.3). Practitioners must have relevant, recognised qualifications, and the ASA can ask who supervises and gives the treatment.
- Independent advice (rule 12.3). You should encourage people to take independent advice before committing. A sentence on the page suggesting a second opinion does this, and it reads well to patients.
- No promises (rule 12.9). You need proof before suggesting a treatment is guaranteed, absolutely safe or free of side-effects. "Pain-free", "lasts a lifetime" and "no risk" all lean that way, and so does "permanent".
If you offer same-day treatment, The Dental Suite ruling shows it can be advertised with proper evidence. That practice held X-rays, a signed statement and 12 more cases, and the ASA didn't uphold the complaint.
Be careful with urgency. CAP's advice on cosmetic interventions says countdown clocks and claims like "hurry, offer must end Friday" shouldn't be used for cosmetic surgery, because they rush a serious decision. It isn't written about implants, but follow it anyway. The GDC adds that you must not exploit patients' trust or lack of knowledge.
Prices need care. Under rule 3.18, a quoted price must include non-optional charges that apply to all or most buyers, and rule 3.22 stops "from" exaggerating what's available. Say a made-up practice advertises "implants from £1,200", but most patients also pay for the scan, abutment and crown. That headline is a problem. Quote what a typical single-tooth case costs and list what's included.
Invisalign: using a trademark that isn't yours
Invisalign belongs to Align Technology, and your right to use it comes from your provider agreement. The rules below come from Align's brand guidelines for providers, which list the UK. The public copy we could open is dated 2020 and hosted outside Align's own site, so get the current version from the Invisalign Doctor Site before you rely on any detail. The guide says use is limited to active providers, and it lets Align withdraw permission.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Say "Invisalign clear aligners" or "Invisalign treatment", using the word as an adjective with a capital I | Use "Invisalign" as a generic word for all clear aligners |
| Name your practice in your own right, with your logo at least twice the size of the Provider logo | Put "Invisalign", "invi", "invis" or "align" in your practice name, or "Invisalign" in your domain or email address |
| Write your own factual description | Copy text or images from Invisalign websites or social accounts |
| Get logos and images from the Invisalign Asset Portal | Use the main logo, the flower on its own, or campaign slogans |
| Show your Advantage tier with the year it was earned | Add "Top 1%" to a logo or alter it |
| Include Align's trademark notice at the foot of the page whenever practical | Say "best", "most" or "only", or pair the name with "discount" or "cheap" |
| Say an offer comes from your practice and isn't sponsored by Align | Use the brand to promote other treatments or competing aligners |
Two things are easy to miss. First, the guide says Align's AdProofs team must approve materials you create using its brand assets before you publish them, with feedback typically taking up to five business days, and any corrections to non-compliant materials are at your expense. Second, it says you're solely responsible for following local rules and professional codes, and it includes an indemnity to Align. A signed-off design doesn't clear you with the GDC or the ASA.
A tier isn't a title. The guide's examples of what not to do include "Invisalign Expert" and "City's Top Invisalign Provider". And a GDC-registered dentist who isn't on the orthodontic list must not be described as an orthodontist, whatever their Diamond status says. Explain what the tier is in plain words rather than letting patients assume it's a qualification.
For Google Ads, Google says it won't restrict trademarks used as keywords, but may restrict them in ad text after a complaint from the owner. Align's guide also describes a separate approval route for ads, so ask Align what applies now. Non-provider practices shouldn't use the name at all.
Aligners: claims, assessments and younger patients
CAP's enforcement notice on braces and dental devices is the key document, and it's short. Claims such as "less painful" and "faster treatment" need high-quality trials on people, and it describes upheld complaints against several websites. One of them is the AcceleDent ruling, where "clinically proven" percentages weren't accepted. The notice is dated 2018, so check whether anything has changed for the product you offer. It suggests what you can talk about instead: how the appliance looks and how discreet it is, how it works, and materials, as well as ease of cleaning if you can show it.
That notice also gives "suitable for all ages" as acceptable wording about who can wear braces. But the GDC requires promotions on social sites to say that treatment may not suit every patient and depends on assessment. Use both ideas. Say who it's commonly used for, then that a dentist needs to assess them first.
An online smile check is a way to start a conversation, not an assessment. The GDC's statement on remote orthodontics says clinical judgement about suitability must rest on a full assessment and that, at present, there's no effective substitute for a physical examination. Word your forms to match.
If you sell aligners on looks, take care with teenagers. Rule 12.25 says ads for cosmetic interventions, meaning treatment primarily to change appearance, must not be directed at under-18s through media or context. We couldn't find a ruling that applies this to aligners, so ask your indemnity provider before running appearance-led ads aimed at younger patients.
Photos, reviews and proof
Before-and-after images are common here, and CAP's advice applies directly: hold documentary evidence they're genuine, permission and contact details, and make sure they're reasonably representative of what most patients will get. Pick your typical result rather than your best one. One old 2017 survey by a marketing company found 48% of people considering specialist treatment wanted to see such photos, while 34% said they were influenced by them, so they're useful but not everything.
On Google's side, Business Profile photos should represent reality. Its ads policy bars manipulated media and claims offering an improbable result as the likely outcome. In the Google Ads policies we read, we couldn't find one that bans before-and-after photos outright for dental ads, despite what some guides say. Expect ads to be judged on those rules, and check the current policy.
Reviews often mention treatments, but you can't script them. Google's policy says you shouldn't ask for specific content. If a patient mentions their implants in a review, your reply still can't confirm it.
Claims about numbers need proof too: "over 1,000 implants placed" (made up) is objective, so hold the evidence before you publish it.
What Google restricts on these treatments
Your Business Profile is a poor place for offers. Google's content policy restricts calls to action, pricing and promotions for services under local regulation, including health and medical devices. We couldn't find guidance on how strictly this is applied to dental posts, so keep "Invisalign from £X" on your own site.
On ads, Google lists invasive medical procedures, including surgical procedures, as a sensitive category. That means no advertiser-curated audiences, such as your own remarketing lists and Customer Match, although predefined Google audiences are allowed. Implants look likely to fall under this. Google doesn't name aligners, so check the policy if you get a disapproval. SEO versus Google Ads for dental practices covers when ads are worth it.
How to build the pages
Make one page per treatment, using the structure in our dental website SEO guide: who it suits, risks, alternatives, visits, fees and who does it. Then answer what your patients ask. For implants, that's usually what happens if bone is thin, what it costs in total and what follow-up looks like. For aligners, it's how long they're worn each day, what happens after treatment and what the retainer costs. Your clinicians can check all of these from experience, which is exactly what a generic page can't do.
Link each page to the clinician's profile, the fees page and your complaints procedure. These patients take time, so give them something to read and a low-pressure next step, such as a consultation with the fee stated. See how to get more private patients for the bigger plan.
Sojig, our product, can draft treatment pages and articles from real search data, marking where your facts are needed, and it tracks your rankings from each city you serve. It's priced in US dollars. It won't check your claims against the rules above or get your materials approved by Align, and it doesn't run ads. So if you've got no clinician to review drafts, or you need patients this month, it's the wrong place to start.