What Is a Good Budget for Google Ads? (Dental)

For dental practices, Google Ads can be one of the most effective ways to attract new patients — especially those ready to book an appointment. But how much should you spend? The right budget depends on your location, competition, and the types of treatments you want to promote.

Start with your patient goals

Your budget should reflect the number of new patients you want each month and the value of each appointment. A dental practice offering high-value treatments like implants or Invisalign may need to spend more to compete for those clicks, but the return can be significant.

• General dentistry: Lower CPCs, ideal for steady new patient flow.
• Cosmetic dentistry: Higher CPCs due to competition but higher treatment value.
• Specialized services: Orthodontics, implants, and veneers often require larger budgets.

Understand dental industry benchmarks

In most cities, the average cost per click (CPC) for dental services ranges from $4 to $15. Competitive markets like large metro areas may see CPCs go higher, especially for cosmetic procedures.

• General dental keywords: $4–$7 CPC.
• Cosmetic or implant keywords: $10–$15+ CPC.
• Emergency dental services: $8–$12 CPC.

Recommended monthly budgets

For most dental practices, starting with $1,500 to $3,000 per month gives enough clicks and data to optimize campaigns. Larger, multi-location practices or highly competitive areas may require $4,000 to $6,000 monthly to dominate search results.

Factor in testing and optimization

The first 60–90 days should include a budget for testing different keywords, ad copy, and landing pages. This is critical for finding what attracts the highest-quality patient leads.

When to increase your budget

• If your campaigns are delivering profitable new patient appointments.
• If you have the capacity to book more patients without overloading your schedule.
• If competitors are outranking you for high-intent keywords.

The bottom line for dental practices

A good Google Ads budget for dentists is one that supports steady, high-quality patient growth while staying profitable. Start with a number you can sustain, track your results closely, and scale once you see consistent returns.

Want to attract more high-value dental patients through Google Ads? Contact us for a custom strategy built for your practice.