FAQ

  • Patient Questions

  • What is DR.Oogle?
    DR.Oogle is The Good Dentist Guide. We have 204,379 patient reviews and recommendations of dentists and dental specialists. Patient reviews of dentists and their personal feedback can help you when selecting a new dentist. You can also post your dental questions and receive dental advice from interested dentists in your location. DR.Oogle is a nationwide dentist directory and is a registered dental referral service in the State of California.
  • Why do you call it The Good Dentist Guide?
    DR.Oogle is devoted to discovering information about dental practitioners in your community who receive consistently positive feedback from patients. DR.Oogle strives to ensure reliability of positive user reviews and it has extensive compliance procedures to prevent dentist rankings manipulation by both patients and dentists. DR.Oogle does not dedicate its resources to discovering who the "worst dentist" in your community may happen to be!
  • Why do you review dentists?
    DR.Oogle does not itself review, rank, select or recommend dentists or dental specialists. All reviews on DR.Oogle are written and published by patients.
  • Why do you publish dentist reviews?
    All reviews on DR.Oogle are written and published by patients. Our goal is to create a public database of patients' feedback about dental practitioners. Such feedback can help other patients to make an informed decision when selecting a dentist.
  • How do you rate dentists?
    Dentist ratings are based upon opinions expressed voluntarily by patients in their reviews. The more often a dentist receives positive reviews, the higher their rating will be. This rating system ensures that dentists cannot achieve a perfect score on the basis of only one or two perfect reviews. Dental practitioners are ranked on a scale from 0 to 5. Dentists and specialists that have not received any reviews have no rating.
  • Do you receive payments for dentist rankings?
    We do not receive payments or any other form of compensation for dentist rankings. DR.Oogle has an obligation to patients who are relying on other patients' reviews to ensure authenticity and reliability of such reviews. DR.Oogle has extensive compliance procedures to prevent rankings manipulation by both patients and dentists.
  • Do you receive payments from dentists for patient referrals?
    Imposing fees dependent on the number of referrals (whether by click, phone or in person) is unlawful in the State of California. While DR.Oogle generates a number of new patient referrals to dentists and dental specialists, DR.Oogle does not charge fees for each new patient referral. DR.Oogle receives payments from dentists who wish to have a practice listing on DR.Oogle.
  • How reliable are other patients' reviews?
    If a dentist has only one or two positive reviews, such reviews may not be very reliable. When evaluating other patients' recommendations pay particular attention to the number of reviews, review language, time posted, dental treatment duration (days, months, years) and treatment specifics. If you are looking for a "gentle" or "sensitive" dentist and the reviews do not specifically mention that characteristic, do not assume that the dentist would necessarily possess it. Likewise, if you are looking for a dental practice that provides "thorough dental cleanings" - remember, the more reviews that practice has mentioning that specific information, the more reliable those reviews are. Note, if you had relied on other patients' recommendations and, in your opinion, they turned out to be inaccurate, come back and share your experience with other patients. Your feedback assists others in selecting a dentist.
  • Can I post multiple reviews about the same dentist?
    No. Your subsequent reviews about the same dentist are considered to be "spam". We may remove such reviews. Reviews posted by other members of your family must be sufficiently different to your review. Otherwise we will presume that they were duplicate reviews posted by yourself.
  • Can I post multiple reviews for different dentists?
    Yes. We encourage you to do so. Remember you cannot post more than 1 review per any one dentist or specialist.
  • Can I post a negative review about a dentist?
    Yes. When posting negative comments about dentists avoid making allegations of dental malpractice, insurance fraud or other serious malfeasance without valid determination or proof. DR.Oogle is not a State Dental Board and will not investigate the truth or merit of contentious claims and counter-claims made by doctors and patients. Additionally, you may not post reviews that have an exclusive purpose of causing damage to that dentist's personal or professional reputation, beyond offering your personal opinion of your dental treatment with that dentist.
  • My review was not posted. Why?

    DR.Oogle has an obligation to patients who are relying on other patients' reviews when selecting a new dentist to ensure authenticity, reliability and quality of reviews.

    DR.Oogle will not post:

    1. submissions that are too brief or that have little or no information about dental treatment you received;
    2. submissions that contain commercial material;
    3. submissions that appear to be "too good to be true" or "too bad to be true";
    4. user opinions that are based on a single dental evaluation or visit.

    Additionally, reviews posted by the dentist's family, friends, or business associates are not objective and are considered to be "spam".

  • My review was posted, but later xit was removed. Why?
    If DR.Oogle was informed that your review was false, offensive or harassing in nature or otherwise violated our Terms of Use, we removed it. Additionally, reviews may be removed following a dentist-initiated review removal procedure.
  • Parts of my review were deleted. Why?
    If DR.Oogle determined that parts of your review violated our Terms of Use, we deleted those parts, while leaving the remainder posted. For example, we may delete material which we know to be is false, offensive, inflammatory or harassing, or which discloses personal information or contains commercial solicitations. Additionally, the rating component of your review may be edited if your review did not provide sufficient detail to support your ratings.
  • Why am I being asked for my email address?
    DR.Oogle respects your privacy. An email address is optional and your review can be successfully posted without an email address. However, if a dentist or another person disagrees with your review we will try to contact you via email you to re-confirm some or all of the facts in your review. If you do not provide a valid email address some or all of your comments may be removed.
  • I have provided additional information about my review, why was it still removed?

    Most dentsits who receive positive patient reviews and feedback are pleased to see patients spreading their word-of-mouth reputation on the internet. However, DR.Oogle receives complaints and legal threats from some dentists too. In some instances, in addition to threatening DR.Oogle, dentists demand that DR.Oogle disclose the patient's identity so that they could pursue legal action against their own patients. DR.Oogle maintains as private and confidential all information concerning individuals posting patient reviews and will not release your information to dentists without a court order or a formal demand by another legal authority. (More Info: DR.Oogle Privacy Policy and Terms of Use)

    DR.Oogle is The Good Dentist Guide. DR.Oogle is devoted to discovering information about dental practitioners in your community who receive consistently positive feedback from patients. DR.Oogle strives to ensure reliability of positive user reviews and it has extensive compliance procedures to prevent dentist rankings manipulation by both patients and dentists. DR.Oogle does not dedicate its resources to discovering who the "worst dentist" in your community may happen to be. For patients with serious concerns about the conduct of certain dental practitioners we suggest contacting your State Dental Board.

  • Why can't I view reviews for my dentist?
    You must be a registered user to access reviews. To become a registered user click inside the menu above.
  • Why am I asked to pay to view dentist rankings and reviews?
    DR.Oogle is the Good Dentist Guide. It provides merit-based rankings of dentists and dental specialists. We do not sell online advertising. This means that dentists cannot buy a ranking on DR.Oogle. In order to view merit-based rankings and reviews you must register either by contributing a valid review or by creating a paid registration.
  • I am a paid user but still cannot read reviews for my dentist.

    Make sure you are properly logged in. To log in, first click on your city, then locate the listing page of the dentist whose reviews you wish to access, then click on "Sign In" button at the bottom left. If the menu on the left changes to say "Welcome" - you are correctly logged in and you can now view all reviews for the dentists in your location. Also, check that your browser cookies are not disabled or that your computer firewall or anti-virus software is not blocking cookies.

    If you are a dentist, but you have registered as a user, make sure you select the button "User" when logging in.

    If you are still having problems logging in, contact support.

  • How does the online patient registration work?
    The free online appointment request form is provided for your convenience only. We do not guarantee successful delivery of your appointment request. DR.Oogle is a nationwide dentist directory. We are not associated with the dental practice of your dentist. Some or all of our contact information for your dentist may be incorrect. On average, only about 90% of appointment requests are delivered successfully. Once you initiate transmission of your appointment request we use our best efforts to forward your request to your dentist's office in a timely manner. It is possible that your communication to your dentist may be delayed, lost, ignored or not transmitted. Regardless of our best efforts to contact your dentist on your behalf, you must contact your dentist directly to set up your appointment. For dental emergencies, phone or page your dentist directly. (Information about HIPAA is provided in the Privacy Policy above.)
  • How can I remove my Facebook photo?
    You can remove your Facebook photo by clicking on the menu above the post.
  • What is your phone number? I would like to contact you.
    DR.OOGLE IS A PUBLIC DENTIST DIRECTORY. YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH DR.OOGLE IS PUBLIC IN NATURE! You can contact our compliance team here.
  • Dentist Questions

  • Why do you call it The Good Dentist Guide?
    DR.Oogle is devoted to discovering information about dental practitioners in your community who receive consistently positive feedback from patients. DR.Oogle strives to ensure reliability of positive user reviews and it has extensive compliance procedures to prevent dentist rankings manipulation by both patients and dentists. DR.Oogle does not dedicate its resources to discovering who the "worst dentist" in your community may happen to be!
  • My office information is incorrect. How can I change it?
    DR.Oogle will remove incorrect information upon request from a dentist. However DR.Oogle does not update individual dentists' office information. It is the dentist's responsibility to maintain accuracy of their practice listing. Dentists may update their office information by registering above.
  • Remove my office information ASAP! I did not agree to be listed here.
    We do not remove dentists' public information. Just like with other directories and search engine services that may publicly list your name, your consent for inclusion of your name and specialty in our directory listings is not required. Your name and dental specialty is public information that has been made available by your State Dental Board for the purposes of verification of your dental license by patients. It is a condition of your licensure as a dentist by your State Dental Board that your license information which includes your full name and your location information is public. If you have retired, we can remove your practice information. To have your outdated practice information removed from DR.Oogle click here.
  • Who are "Recommended Dentists" and why is their information being displayed?
    DR.Oogle feels strongly about providing patients with information about dentists in their communities who receive high patient ratings. DR.Oogle will display information about high ranking dentists in your community prominently on its website, including on pages of other dentists in the same community.
  • How can I remove a negative review?
    DR.Oogle Review Removal Policy (Updated Dec 2017):

    1. Registered dentists can reply to reviews and to likes by clicking on "Reply" button located in their control panel. We encourage you to explain why you disagree with the reviewer.
    2. Dislikes that you disagree with cannot be removed because not everyone needs to like you. It is best to get more likes.
    3. Registered dentists may ask patients to retract their reviews by clicking on "Remove" button in their control panel. If the patient does not object to your request, their review of your practice will be removed.
    4. In case the patient objects to your request you will be able to contact the patient again until a satisfactory solution is reached bewteen you and the patient.
  • Do I need to pay to request removal of a review?
    No. We strongly discourage dentists from creating paid subscriptions in order to gain more leverage when requesting removals of negative reviews. The best way to deal with negative reviews is to receive new positive reviews from your patients.
  • Why was my review removal request unsuccessful?

    Below are possible reasons why your review removal request was unsuccessful:

    1. Review contained comments about your skill, your demeanor, the poster's treatment success, their pain, their cost (including billing and insurance handling), your office facilities and your office staff and employees (including your associates).

  • Do you notify dentists about User Reviews?
    We provide instant notification of user reviews to all registered dentists. If your email address is not listed you can provide by registering above.
  • My emails from DR.Oogle are sent to my Junk Email folder. How can I fix this?
    If you are using Windows Mail right-click on the email in question, select "Junk E-Mail", then click "Mark as Not Junk". If you are using web mail such as Gmail, Yahoo or AOL go into Junk E-mail settings and update your Junk email settings accordingly.
  • How does the online patient registration work?
    The free online appointment request form is provided for your convenience only. We do not guarantee successful delivery of your appointment request. DR.Oogle is a nationwide dentist directory. We are not associated with the dental practice of your dentist. Some or all of our contact information for your dentist may be incorrect. On average, only about 90% of appointment requests are delivered successfully. Once you initiate transmission of your appointment request we use our best efforts to forward your request to your dentist's office in a timely manner. It is possible that your communication to your dentist may be delayed, lost, ignored or not transmitted. Regardless of our best efforts to contact your dentist on your behalf, you must contact your dentist directly to set up your appointment. For dental emergencies, phone or page your dentist directly. (Information about HIPAA is provided in the Privacy Policy above.)
  • How do you rate dentists?
    Dentist ratings are based upon opinions expressed voluntarily by patients in their reviews. The more often a dentist receives positive reviews, the higher their rating will be. Dentists and specialists that have not received any reviews have no rating.
  • My rating is too low. How can I improve it?
    Our rating system is designed to favor dentists who receive multiple positive reviews. If you have only one positive review you cannot receive a perfect score on our system. The maximum rating that a dentist can achieve on our system based on a single positive review is between 2 - 4 stars out of 5, depending on the review. If you wish to improve your rating you may encourage your patients to post more reviews.
  • Can dentists manipulate their ratings?

    DR.Oogle has following fraud prevention practices to discourage dentists from manipulating their rating:

    • DR.Oogle makes an effort to ensure that each user only posts 1 review for each dental practitioner.
    • Dentists may not post or re-post any reviews or patient testimonials about themselves. All reviews must be posted by patients.
    • Reviews posted by the dentist's family, friends, employees and business associates are not objective and are considered to be "spam". We may remove them.
    • We consider reviews posted by patients in the dentist's office to be less objective than reviews posted by patients anonymously, without the dentist's knowledge, in the privacy of their own home. All patients are expressly warned against posting reviews from dentist offices.
    • Negative reviews posted by competing dentists, their family or employees are not objective and are considered to be "spam". We may remove them.
    • Reviews with little supporting detail that are 'too good to be true' are considered to be "spam" and we may remove them.
    • DR.Oogle may audit dentist reviews by contacting all posters and requesting them to provide additional information about their reviews. If more than half of posters posting reviews for your listing do not confirm their reviews, your listing may be suspended.
    • DR.Oogle may, without warning, change dentist rating, delete reviews and suspend practice listing of any dentist whose reviews, in our judgment, appear to have been manipulated.

  • Can my competitor adversely affect my rating?
    Negative reviews posted by competing dentists, their family or employees are not objective and are considered to be "spam". We may remove such reviews. Dentists found posting negative reviews about their competitors will be suspended. Additionally, reviews with little supporting detail, that seem 'too bad to be true' are generally classified as spam and may be removed. If you have specific evidence that a competitor had adversely affected your rating, please email us at email our support team.
  • Do you receive payments from dentists for patient referrals?
    Imposing fees dependent on the number of referrals (whether by click, phone or in person) is unlawful in the State of California. While DR.Oogle generates a number of new patient referrals to dentists and dental specialists, DR.Oogle does not charge fees for each new patient referral. DR.Oogle receives payments from dentists who wish to have a practice listing on DR.Oogle.
  • My free listing has been removed. Why is that?
    Free listings may be discontinued at any time and for any reason. We are at no obligation to provide your practice with free online advertising. If your free practice listing has been discontinued you may access information about becoming a participating dentist by logging in with your username and password above.
  • How can I dispute negative reviews if HIPAA prevents me from doing so?
    You may dispute reviews without providing specifically identifiable information about patients. Additionally, you may challenge specifically identifiable information in patients' reviews since that information has been already publically released by patients in this forum.
  • How can I add my photo to my practice listing?
    Registered dentists can add their photo to their practice listing. To add your photo log into your listing and click on "Edit Description" then click on "Office Photo".
  • How can I get listed as a Cosmetic Dentist?
    You will be eligible for consideration as a "Cosmetic Dentist" if according to patient reviews you consistently perform "cosmetic dentistry procedures", including dental veneers and esthetic front teeth crowns. (Similar considerations apply for eligibility as an "Implant Specialist".)
  • "Cosmetic Dentists" and "Implant Specialists" are not recognized by the ADA!

    ..."Cosmetic Dentists" category tracks actual patient experience and includes all general dentists and prosthodontists whose patients had consistently reported having dental veneers, esthetic crowns or other cosmetic procedures in their reviews. "Implant Specialists" category tracks actual patient experience and includes all general dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists and oral surgeons whose patients had consistently reported having dental implant procedures in their reviews."

    As is indicated in the above disclaimers, DR.Oogle does not use the terms "Cosmetic Dentists" and "Implant Specialist" to denote any specialty certification or accreditation by the ADA. Additionally, every practitioner included in our specialty rankings is listed with their exact dental specialty, eg. "General Dentist", "Prosthodontist", "Periodontist" etc. If you have further questions or comments concerning general dentists and specialists misrepresenting their actual certifications we suggest that you address those questions and comments to the ADA and to the dental specialty academies and associations who are entrusted with regulation of these matters.

  • How can I post a recommendation for a fellow dentist?
    Registered dentists can post recommendations for other dentists and specialists. Once you log into your account, proceed to the page of the dentist or specialist you wish to recommend. Click on "Recommend" button. Note, in order to avoid anonymous competitor spam, only positive peer recommendations are allowed.
  • How can I reply to dentist help requests?
    You can reply to patients by clicking on "Reply To This Patient" button located at the top of the patient's consultation. You may keep your identity confidential.
  • What is your phone number?
    DR.OOGLE IS A PUBLIC DENTIST DIRECTORY. YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH DR.OOGLE IS PUBLIC IN NATURE! You can contact our compliance team here.