Nobody wakes up wanting to go to the dentist. Most people are afraid to. And in a market full of practices, a patient who finally decides to book will call the one name they know and feel comfortable with. If no one knows your dentists and your staff, no one will choose you. Streaming video is how local practices fix that.
Most of your future patients are afraid of you
A 2025 study in the Journal of the American Dental Association surveyed 1,003 U.S. adults, matched to the census. 72.6% said they were afraid of going to the dentist: 45.8% moderately and 26.8% severely. Researchers had long assumed the number was closer to a quarter of Americans.
Fear changes how people choose. Anxious patients put off cleanings and only call when something hurts. When that day comes, they aren’t comparing prices on a spreadsheet. They’re looking for the practice that feels safe, and a practice feels safe when you already know the faces behind it.
That’s also why so many people aren’t being seen at all. About two in three U.S. adults (66%) visited a dentist in the past year, according to CDC survey data. The other third is a large group of potential patients waiting for a reason to trust someone.
72.6%
of U.S. adults are afraid of going to the dentist. The practice they choose will be the one that already feels familiar.
A crowded market where everyone looks the same
There are 202,485 professionally active dentists in the U.S., about 59.5 for every 100,000 people, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute. In South Florida, a patient can drive past several practices on the way to work, and most of them say the same things: gentle care, the latest technology, new patients welcome.
When every practice makes the same promise, patients fall back on what they recognize. Online reviews help: a 2023 survey of U.S. patients by Dandy found 67% of people looking for a new dentist read online reviews, mostly on Google. But reviews only help a patient choose between the names they’re already looking at. They don’t put you on the list.
The names people know in dentistry are the ones that advertise
In our post on awareness, we showed how Starbucks and Dunkin’ dominate the coffee market by being the first names people think of, not by being cheaper. Dentistry works the same way.
Ask someone to name a dental office they’ve never visited, and there’s a good chance they’ll say Aspen Dental, or ClearChoice for implants. Aspen Dental has grown to more than 1,000 offices in 45 states, and it has built that recognition with national and local TV, radio, search and social media. Those patients didn’t meet the dentists first. They met the brand on their TV.
A local practice doesn’t need a national budget to do the same thing in its own community. It needs to be seen by the households within driving distance, consistently, by the people who live there.
Why streaming is the place to be seen
Americans now watch more streaming than broadcast and cable combined. In May 2026, streaming reached a record 48.6% of all U.S. TV viewing, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. That’s where your future patients are relaxing in the evening.
Streaming TV (also called connected TV, or CTV) gives a local practice what broadcast TV couldn’t:
- Neighborhood targeting. Your commercial runs in the ZIP codes around your office, not across the whole state.
- The right households. Reach parents for a pediatric practice, adults 50 and up for implants, or younger adults for cosmetic work and whitening.
- A budget that fits a practice. You pay to reach the households you want, not the whole market.
- A big screen. Your team, your office and your patients’ smiles on the TV in their living room, not a banner in the corner of a phone.
Measuring results is part of the plan. We track website visits, calls and appointment requests from the households that saw your commercial. Our post on how to know your TV ads are working explains how.
Video is how you take the fear out of the first visit
A commercial does something no list of services can: it lets a nervous patient meet you before they walk in. They see your dentist smile, hear how your hygienist talks to a child, and see what the waiting room looks like. By the time they call, you’re not a stranger.
The message depends on the practice:
- Implants. A big decision with a big price tag. Explain the treatment in plain language and show the dentist who will do it. Our implants commercial below is an example.
- Pediatric dentistry. Parents are choosing for their kids. Show a friendly team, a fun office and a calm child in the chair.
- Cosmetic dentistry. Patients are buying confidence. Show real results (with patient permission) and the experience of getting there.
- Family and general dentistry. Show that you’re close by, easy to book and gentle with nervous patients of every age.
See more on our Dental Marketing page.
Stay consistent, all year
Patients don’t need a dentist on your schedule. They need one when a tooth cracks, a child turns three or they finally decide to fix the smile they hide in photos. The practice that stayed on their screen all year is the one they call. That’s why we recommend a level you can sustain for twelve months, even when business slows. Our post on advertising in a downturn shows what happens to businesses that go quiet.
How Sunray Media Consultants helps dental practices
We help local dentists stand out with everything under one roof:
- Commercials and dentist videos. We script, shoot and edit commercials that introduce your dentists and staff and explain your treatments. See our dental work.
- Streaming, TV and radio. We plan and negotiate the media buy and target the households around your office.
- Google, social and local search. We make sure that when your commercial makes someone curious, they find your practice, your reviews and an easy way to book.
- Monthly reporting. We review calls, appointment requests and website traffic with you every month and move money toward what’s working.
If no one knows your dentists and your staff, no one will choose you. Let’s change that. Book a free marketing diagnostic and we’ll show you how your practice can become the name patients in your neighborhood know and trust.
Sources
- Heyman, R. E., et al., Journal of the American Dental Association, 2025 (doi:10.1016/j.adaj.2025.07.004), as reported by ADA News: “JADA finds dental fear still prevalent in US”.
- American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, The dentist workforce (2024 data).
- CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022, adults who visited a dentist in the past year, via America’s Health Rankings.
- Dandy, survey of U.S. dental patients (2023), as reported by Aegis Dental Network.
- Becker’s Dental + DSO Review, Aspen Dental recap and Aspen Dental’s practice network.
- Nielsen, The Gauge, May 2026, as reported by MediaPost.
