What Dentists Can Do About Fake or Defamatory Online Reviews

If you own a dental practice and have discovered unfair or fake online reviews about your clinic, you are not alone. Many dentists contact us after noticing that a handful of negative comments on Google or other review platforms suddenly begin to influence how potential patients perceive their practice.

When a review is inaccurate or defamatory, the impact can feel deeply personal. Dentists spend years building trust within their communities, and it can be frustrating to see misleading comments appear online for anyone to read. The good news is that you do not have to face this situation without support. Many dental practices encounter this problem, and there are practical steps you can take to regain control of your online reputation.

How Negative Online Reviews Can Damage a Dental Practice

Why Dental Practices Often Receive Unfair or Negative Online Reviews

Can SEO or Reputation Management Remove Negative Dental Reviews

Legal Options for Removing Defamatory Reviews About Dentists

How Dentists Can Restore Their Online Reputation After Negative Reviews

What Dentists Should Do If They Receive Defamatory Online Reviews

Speak With a Solicitor About Defamatory Reviews of Your Dental Practice

How Negative Online Reviews Can Damage a Dental Practice

This predicament was exactly where our client, Sharon (not her real name), found herself before reaching out to us. Sharon runs a network of five dental clinics across London. She built her practices through years of dedicated work, experienced clinicians and a strong reputation within the local community.

Over time, however, Sharon began to notice an increasing number of negative online reviews appearing across different platforms. At first, she treated them as occasional complaints. Every healthcare practice receives criticism from time to time. But gradually the tone and frequency of the reviews changed.

Some patients posted harsh criticism about treatments they had received. Others described situations in a way that did not accurately reflect what had happened in the clinic. A few comments went further and made statements about the practice that could easily mislead prospective patients.

As those reviews accumulated, Sharon started to see the real impact. Potential patients mentioned them during consultations. Staff members felt uneasy about the clinic’s reputation online. Sharon began to worry that years of hard work could be undermined by a small number of damaging posts and needed to know what you can do about fake online reviews.

Why Dental Practices Often Receive Unfair or Negative Online Reviews

Dental professionals often face this challenge more than many other businesses, and there are understandable reasons for this. Most patients visit a dentist when they are already in pain or distress. Anxiety about treatment often heightens their emotions. It is therefore our priority at Cohen Davis Solicitors to ensure you are able to protect your business's online reputation.

When someone arrives with a severe toothache or a complicated dental issue, the cause of the problem may not always be immediately obvious. Diagnosis sometimes requires careful examination and testing before the dentist can recommend the correct treatment. Even when dentists provide the right care, treatment itself may involve discomfort during the process or during recovery. For patients who already feel anxious, that experience can sometimes lead to frustration.

Today many people express that frustration online. In most cases, patients simply share their personal experience. However, some reviews cross a line and contain exaggerated claims, inaccurate statements or comments that unfairly damage a dentist’s professional reputation.

Can SEO or Reputation Management Remove Negative Dental Reviews

When Sharon first realised that the reviews were starting to affect her practice, she looked for a marketing solution. Like many business owners, she searched online for companies that specialised in reputation management for dental clinics.

She eventually hired an SEO agency that promoted its expertise in helping dentists improve their online presence. The agency worked on strengthening the digital profile of Sharon’s clinics. They created new content, attempted to improve search rankings and promised that these efforts would reduce the visibility of negative reviews.

SEO and reputation management can certainly play a positive role in strengthening a practice’s online presence. Publishing useful information and maintaining an active website can help prospective patients learn more about a clinic. However, these strategies often struggle to resolve one crucial problem: removing the harmful reviews themselves.

After six months of work and a significant financial investment, Sharon discovered that most of the negative reviews remained online. The marketing efforts had improved certain aspects of visibility, but they had not addressed the root of the problem. At that point, Sharon realised she needed a more specialist and precise solution, from experts who had ample experience in permanent removal of negative reviews.

Legal Options for Removing Defamatory Reviews About Dentists

Sharon came to us through a referral from a Harley Street plastic surgeon who had been working with our firm for several years. He had faced similar online reputation issues and knew our team specialised in internet and social media law.

During our first consultation, Sharon explained the situation affecting her clinics. We carefully reviewed the reviews and the platforms where they appeared. Some of the posts clearly contained statements that crossed into defamatory territory. Others breached the policies of the review platforms themselves or misrepresented events that had taken place in the clinics.

From there, we developed a clear legal strategy. We challenged the most harmful reviews through the appropriate platform procedures and legal channels. Business defamation on Google and other review platforms, such as Trustpilot and Yelp, can be addressed by them by removing posts when they contain defamatory statements or violate their own guidelines. 

Alongside that legal work, we helped Sharon strengthen the online presence of her clinics by creating authoritative content that highlighted the expertise and services offered by her dental teams. This combined approach began to change how the clinics appeared online.

How Dentists Can Restore Their Online Reputation After Negative Reviews

Once the most damaging reviews disappeared, Sharon noticed something surprising. The flow of new negative reviews slowed significantly.

 This pattern appears frequently when businesses face online reputation attacks. When a page becomes dominated by hostile comments, it often encourages further negative postings. Once those comments are addressed and we remove Google reviews, the cycle usually breaks.

At the same time, we worked with Sharon to develop a stronger digital presence for her clinics. We created structured content and individual websites that directed patients toward reliable information about the practice.

Gradually the search results began to reflect the true reputation of Sharon’s clinics rather than a handful of misleading posts. Patients once again focused on the quality of care offered by the practice. Over time Sharon saw a noticeable increase in enquiries and high-value treatments, and the morale within her team improved as the clinics’ reputation recovered.

What Dentists Should Do If They Receive Defamatory Online Reviews

If you run a dental practice and face damaging or false online reviews, it is important to remember that this situation is not unusual. Many dentists assume they must simply tolerate these reviews because they appear on large platforms such as Google. In reality, several legal and strategic options may exist depending on the content of the review.

Understanding those options often changes how a practice approaches the situation. The most effective first step usually involves speaking with an experienced solicitor who understands internet defamation, online review platforms and the legal mechanisms available to challenge harmful content.

Speak With a Solicitor About Defamatory Reviews of Your Dental Practice

If you are dealing with unfair online reviews about your dental clinic, seeking early legal advice can not only provide clarity and reassurance, but a real solution to the problem. A consultation with an experienced solicitor can help you understand whether the reviews may be defamatory, whether they can be removed, and expert, tailored legal advice after an online reputation attack.

In many cases, dentists find that the advice they receive during an initial consultation gives them enough direction to move forward confidently. If your dental practice faces a similar situation, you are welcome to contact us for an initial discussion. We regularly advise dentists and medical professionals who want to protect the reputation they have worked hard to build, and we will be happy to guide you through the options available.