Negative Google reviews actually help dental practices appear authentic and trustworthy to potential patients, with Dr. Len Tau recommending practices embrace a reputation culture rather than pursue a perfect five-star rating.
- Practices with mixed reviews appear more authentic to patients than those with only five-star ratings.
- Reputation culture matters most -- ask patients about their experience at checkout and follow up via text or email three days later.
- Avoid collecting reviews in-office using QR codes or tap devices due to IP address tracking; use QR codes on business cards instead.
- Google only removes reviews that violate its terms, not based on dentist complaints about reviewer authenticity.
Most dentists take a negative review personally. Instead, says Dr. Len Tau, see it as a milestone. "Congratulations, you got your first bad review," he says. "You're officially a dentist."
In this episode of The DrBicuspid.com Podcast, host Kevin Henry talks with Tau, who practiced in Philadelphia for 23 years, sold review software to Birdeye in 2013, and has led its dental division for 12 years. He also hosts the Raving Patients podcast, runs the annual Supercharge business and marketing event, and offers per-review negative review removal through The Reviews Doctor.
Tau does not believe a practice needs to be a perfect five-star business. He finished his career with about 2,000 five-star reviews and 91 negative ones, roughly six a year over 15 years. Patients told Tau they chose his practice because his reviews looked "real."
He sees removal of a negative review as worthwhile mainly for a practice stuck at 4.8 stars and aiming for 4.9, where taking down one or two negatives can do the work of roughly 300 new positive reviews. Google removes a review only if it violates its terms, he says, not because a dentist says the reviewer was not a patient. Reviews from first-time reviewers, reviews with photos, and newer reviews are easier to remove. Reviews more than a year old are very difficult.
The bigger lever, Tau says, is a reputation culture. When a patient reaches the front desk, the first question should be "How was your experience today?" If the answer is positive, the team can ask for "feedback," a word he prefers to "review," because it sounds less like begging. He recommends a text or email follow-up at the end of the day, when patients are home and less distracted, and a single follow-up about three days later.
Google's rule changes since April 2026 turned some of his earlier advice upside down, he says, and that is why he rewrote his book, Raving Patients. The new edition runs more than 300 pages and aims to help practices be seen, trusted, and chosen, including in the age of AI. One example: Tau says practices should not collect reviews in the office, whether by QR code or tap device, because of IP address (a numeric designation that identifies its location on the internet) and location data. A QR code on a business card that patients take home is a better route.
Tau closes with a look at Supercharge, set for September 24-26, 2027, in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This year's event drew more than 280 dental professionals, and next year's theme is "Casino."
Learn more at drlentau.com or thereviewsdoctor.com.
Listen to the full conversation below.
