How a new dental clinic finds patients: 9 steps to the first patient, with thresholds
How a new dental clinic finds patients in Türkiye comes down to a 9-step sequence that starts before opening: licence, Google profile, phone line, mobile page, first-month announcement, dentist name, reviews, weekly tracking and the patient threshold. Each step has a number, and hitting them brings first patients without breaking the advertising ban.
Split it into three periods: 3 steps before opening, 3 in the opening month, 3 across the first 90 days. Health promotion in Türkiye is limited by the regulation published on 12 November 2025; every step below stays inside it. Still, check the regulation and your dental chamber first.
In what order does a new dental clinic find its first patient?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Day −30 to 0: groundwork
- Day 0 to 30: announcement
- Day 30 to 90: tracking
The first patient rarely arrives through one channel; they search, see the profile, call and get directions. So order matters: groundwork first, then the announcement, then weekly numbers. The timeline treats opening day as zero; negative days are preparation, positive days measurement.
Day −30 to 0: groundwork
Licence, Google profile and phone line.
Day 0 to 30: announcement
Mobile page, opening notice, dentist name.
Day 30 to 90: tracking
Reviews, weekly numbers, patient threshold.
Which 3 steps come before opening?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 1. No promotion before the permit (threshold: 0)
- 2. Google profile ready 2–3 weeks before opening (threshold: 6 fields)
- 3. Phone line: call back within 15 minutes
Three jobs finish before opening: permits, the Google Business Profile and the phone line. No promotion yet. Announcing “opening soon” before the shutters go up can leave you stuck if the permit is delayed. Paperwork first, then the sign, then the announcement.
1. No promotion before the permit (threshold: 0)
Do not promote anywhere until the operating permit is in hand. Your opening date is fixed by the date on the document. Build the promotion calendar backwards from it.
2. Google profile ready 2–3 weeks before opening (threshold: 6 fields)
Google can show a verified profile with an opening date up to 90 days before that date. For a health facility, keep this window short and enter the date only once it is certain. How to fill category, name, address, hours, services and photos is covered in dental clinic Google category.
3. Phone line: call back within 15 minutes
The number on the profile must be answered during working hours. Return any missed call within 15 minutes at most. At a new clinic, an unanswered call is a patient turning away at the door.
Which 3 steps belong to the opening month?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 4. Mobile page loads in 2.5 seconds
- 5. Sponsored announcement: a 30-day window
- 6. The dentist’s name spelled the same in 3 places
The opening month is the one wide window the regulation gives new facilities: sponsored promotion and information on all platforms for the first month after the opening date. It exists to announce the opening; fees, discounts, prize draws and promised results remain banned.
4. Mobile page loads in 2.5 seconds
On a phone, Google’s page experience metrics count main content loading within 2.5 seconds as good. Show the address, map, hours, dentists’ titles and a one-tap call button.
5. Sponsored announcement: a 30-day window
Fit the announcement into these 30 days: name, address, hours, titles. Rule-compliant examples are in dental clinic opening announcement. After day 31, check the regulation before any sponsored promotion.
6. The dentist’s name spelled the same in 3 places
The name and title should match letter for letter on the profile, the website and the chamber register. Patients often search for the dentist, not the clinic, and three spellings leave them unsure.
Most common mistake: Announcing an “opening discount on examinations” in the opening month. Sponsored promotion is open, but discount information stays banned. One advert placed to get the till ringing can bring an inspection report in month one.
Which 3 steps fill the first 90 days?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- 7. Reply to reviews within 48 hours, no incentives
- 8. Three numbers a week, for 12 weeks
- 9. Calculate the monthly patient threshold
After the opening month, the work turns into steady tracking. Reviews get rule-compliant replies, and three numbers are written weekly and compared with the threshold at month end. By day 90 you hold a 12-week table, and decisions come from it, not from a hunch.
7. Reply to reviews within 48 hours, no incentives
Answer organic reviews within 48 hours without mentioning the treatment. No discount or gift for reviews; Google forbids it, and the regulation bans turning satisfaction into promotion. The general value of reviews is covered in why Google reviews matter.
8. Three numbers a week, for 12 weeks
Every Monday, write three figures: profile calls and direction requests, phone appointment requests, and first examinations held. The profile’s performance screen gives the first two; the third is in your appointment book.
9. Calculate the monthly patient threshold
Divide monthly fixed costs by the average contribution per patient. The result is the patients a month needed to stay afloat, detailed next.
How many patients a month do you need, and how is the threshold calculated?
The formula is one line: monthly fixed costs ÷ average contribution per patient = patients needed per month. Fixed costs cover rent, staff, fees, accounting and equipment instalments. Contribution is the treatment fee minus materials and lab costs. The figures below are hypothetical.
| Item | Example value | Your value |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fixed costs | TRY 150,000 | …… |
| Average contribution per patient | TRY 5,000 | …… |
| Patients needed per month (150,000 ÷ 5,000) | 30 | …… |
| Per week (30 ÷ 4.3) | about 7 | …… |
| Per working day (6-day week) | about 1.2 | …… |
Match the gap to a step
Low searches mean step 2; many calls but few bookings mean step 3. Bookings with no-shows mean directions and reminders.
Which tactics break health promotion rules?
Many shopkeeper tactics are banned for clinics. The regulation bans advertising, fee and discount information, prize draws and gifts, unsolicited messages and content that steers patients. Provincial commissions inspect and regularly scan social media, the internet and the press.
- Fees, discounts or “free first examination” style price information.
- Calls, texts, emails or messages without the person’s consent.
- Prize draws, gifts, bring-a-friend rewards and similar incentives.
- Using patient thanks and reviews as promotional material.
- Superiority and result claims such as “best”, “only” or “painless guaranteed”.
- Content that directly or indirectly steers patients to the clinic.
How do you fill in the weekly tracking template?
The template has 12 rows and 4 columns, and one row is filled every Monday. In week four the month’s total is compared with the threshold; by week twelve the trend is clear. For the broader 90-day plan, see new dentist practice.
| Week | Calls + directions | Appointment requests | First examinations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | …… | …… | …… |
| 2 | …… | …… | …… |
| 3 | …… | …… | …… |
| 4 (month total) | …… | …… | …… / threshold |
| 8 (month total) | …… | …… | …… / threshold |
| 12 (month total) | …… | …… | …… / threshold |
Getting the setup done in one place
The Website Recipe in the Get Visible Online campaign sets up the profile, mobile page and visitor tracking together: TRY 36,000 + VAT, upfront and fixed for 3 months, with a joint review after month one. Details are on the campaign page.
Quick Summary
- No promotion before the permit.
- The Google profile is ready 2–3 weeks before opening.
- Sponsored promotion is allowed only in the first month.
- Missed calls get a reply in 15 minutes, reviews in 48 hours.
- Three numbers a week are recorded for 12 weeks.
- Threshold: monthly fixed costs ÷ average contribution per patient.
Short Glossary
Patient threshold: The patient threshold is the calculation used to find how many patients a month a clinic needs to cover its fixed costs.
Sponsored promotion: Sponsored promotion is the publishing format used to show content to a wider audience on a platform in return for payment.
Operating permit: The operating permit is the official approval document used to allow a private health facility to start accepting patients.
Next Step
To set up the profile, mobile page and tracking within the rules, apply for the Get Visible Online campaign. Fill in the needs form and get the recipe that fits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Add a business opening date
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Say weekly first examinations are 4 and the threshold is 7: a gap of 3. The gap points to the weak step: few searches, unanswered phones or unbooked visits.
Replace it with what the regulation allows: address, hours, titles and preventive oral health information. The full picture is in new dental clinic promotion.
For a health facility, sponsored routes such as Google Ads and Meta Ads are squeezed into the opening month, so a new clinic usually starts with the profile and mobile page.
Record “how did you find us” at the first visit: Google, recommendation or walking past. It gives the numbers meaning.
Under the health promotion regulation, for the first month after the opening date, on all platforms. Fee, discount and campaign information stays banned.
Google allows asking for reviews based on genuine experience without incentives; reviews in exchange for discounts or gifts are banned. The regulation also bans using satisfaction statements in promotion. Check with your chamber for your own case.
No. The package is TRY 36,000 + VAT, upfront and fixed; TRY 43,200 with 20 percent VAT (check the current rate on your invoice). Ad recipes need a budget paid to the platform; the Website Recipe needs none.
Updated: October 2026