If you spend enough time around dental marketing agencies, you’ll hear plenty of hype about Facebook ads. Some even push Facebook as your primary patient acquisition strategy.
But here’s the honest truth: Facebook ads are rarely your best first move.
I’ve reviewed campaigns with 80–90%+ spoilage rates. Most of the so-called “leads” are unqualified, unmotivated, and unlikely to become new patients.
That’s not to say Facebook doesn’t have a place in your marketing strategy—it absolutely does. But we need to be clear about what it’s good for, what it requires, and what you need to avoid.
Let’s break it down.
Editor’s Note:
This is the third post in our Dental Advertising Series. If you missed the first two, you can start with:
- Google Ads for Dentists: How to Make It Work (And Spot the Nonsense)
- Advertising for Dental Practices 101: What You Need to Know Before You Spend a Dime
How Facebook Ads Actually Work
Unlike Google Ads, which target people actively searching for a service, Facebook and Instagram ads work by interruption.
Your ad shows up while someone’s scrolling through their feed. It may be relevant, interesting, or timely—but the user didn’t ask for it.
That means you’re almost always dealing with softer intent and a longer buying cycle.
The Real Strengths of Facebook Advertising for Dentists
There are places where Facebook ads shine—when used the right way.
- Reactivation and retention campaigns
- Promoting community events or giveaways
- Referral incentives
- Fun, engaging brand-building content
- Re-targeting previous website visitors or leads
- Bottom-of-funnel urgency offers (when paired with proper funneling)
In other words, Facebook is great for brand presence, nurturing, and staying top of mind. It can support your overall marketing effort, but it shouldn’t carry the full weight of new patient acquisition.
The Lead Quality Problem
Symptom: You’re getting tons of leads, but almost no one answers the phone.
What this might mean: Your campaign is using Facebook’s built-in lead form ads. These pre-fill a user’s contact info with one click—which means people submit without reading or caring.
These leads are often:
- Unaware of your location
- Not ready to book
- Surprised when you call
- Unreachable
I’ve seen dental teams burned out and demoralized trying to call dozens of low-intent “leads” that never respond.
What a Good Facebook Ad Campaign Requires
If you’re going to use Facebook effectively for patient acquisition, here’s what you must have:
- A multi-step funnel: awareness → engagement → offer. You can’t skip ahead.
- Custom landing pages: Don’t use Facebook’s native lead forms. Direct traffic to a real landing page with clear messaging and next steps.
- Solid follow-up systems: Call, text, and email—within minutes. You need software, trained staff, and discipline.
- Targeted audience segments: Don’t blast your DMA. Stay local. Stay specific.
When Facebook Ads Get Dangerous
Too many dental marketing companies use Facebook because it’s easy and cheap to produce a high volume of leads—whether they’re any good or not.
Some agencies build Facebook campaigns using broad interest targeting and wide geo-radii. That might work for a practice with 10+ locations in a major metro. But for a single-location office in a tight local market? That’s a recipe for poor performance.
Even worse, when the leads don’t convert, these agencies often blame your staff for poor follow-up.
Here’s the reality: If your ad platform produces leads that aren’t qualified, don’t engage, and burn out your team, the problem isn’t your front desk. It’s the campaign.
So What’s the Best Practice?
Use Facebook ads strategically:
✅ As a complement to Google Ads, not a replacement
✅ To stay visible, not as your only path to new patients
✅ To build brand trust, not just generate low-quality form submissions
And if you want to use Facebook for new patient campaigns?
- Build a funnel
- Own the landing page
- Automate the follow-up
- Set expectations with your team
Final Thoughts
Facebook ads have their place in a modern dental marketing strategy. They can be powerful tools for awareness, engagement, and reactivation.
But they are not a shortcut to new patients.
If your agency is pushing Facebook as your primary channel, showing you a giant pile of leads, and expecting your team to do all the work from there—you need to ask better questions.
In our next post, we’ll compare digital advertising channels head-to-head so you can better decide where to focus your budget based on your goals.
Stay tuned.