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How Much Should a Dental Practice Spend on Marketing?

December 3, 2025

Most established dental practices invest somewhere between 5% and 10% of revenue in marketing, with practices actively chasing growth — a new location, a second chair, a new associate — often pushing higher. But the right number for your practice depends less on a percentage and more on one figure most dentists never calculate: what a new patient is actually worth to you. Here’s how to budget intelligently.

Start from patient lifetime value

A new patient isn’t worth one check-up — they’re worth years of six-monthly visits plus the treatments that follow, often several thousand dollars over their time with you, before you count the family and friends they refer. Once you know that number, your marketing budget stops being a guess. If a patient is worth $2,500 to your practice over time and it costs you $150 to acquire one, that’s an exceptional return — and a reason to spend more, not less.

What the channels cost

Google Ads: dental keywords are competitive; expect meaningful cost per click on high-value terms like “dental implants”, offset by the value of the patients they win.
SEO: an ongoing investment that builds an asset — no per-patient cost once you rank, and it compounds.
Website: a conversion-focused practice website is a foundational cost everything else depends on.
Google Business Profile & reviews: the highest-ROI channel in local dental marketing, and largely a discipline cost rather than a media cost.

The number that matters: cost per new patient

Forget vanity metrics like clicks and impressions. The figure that tells you whether marketing is working is cost per new patient — total spend divided by new patients acquired — measured against that patient’s lifetime value. Track it by channel so you know where your best patients come from and can put more budget behind what works. For the wider budgeting framework across any service business, see our guide to what a service business should spend on marketing.

When not to spend more

Don’t pour budget into a leaky practice. If your website doesn’t convert, your phones go unanswered, or your online reviews are thin, more advertising just makes those weaknesses more expensive. Fix conversion first — it’s the cheaper win. Once the foundations are solid, scaling spend against a known patient value becomes a confident decision rather than a gamble. To attract those patients efficiently, start with how to get more dental patients and the full marketing for dentists guide.

Want a budget built around your numbers?

We’ll help you work out your true cost per new patient and where to invest for the best return. Start with a free audit. Call (02) 8357 4899 or book your free audit and consultation.

Hear from The Author

Rebecca Jacobs

Rebecca Jacobs is a highly skilled content writer and SEO specialist with a passion for crafting engaging and compelling content. With her expertise in search engine optimisation, she brings valuable insights and strategies to enhance online visibility and drive organic traffic. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of audience needs, Rebecca delivers high-quality, tailored content that captivates readers and delivers measurable results. Her ability to conduct thorough keyword research and optimise content ensures maximum visibility and ranking potential. Rebecca stays at the forefront of the ever-evolving digital landscape, constantly honing her skills and keeping up with the latest trends and best practices in SEO. She is adept at crafting persuasive copy, optimising meta tags, and implementing on-page SEO techniques to improve website performance.