For most dentist profiles the best primary category is Dentist — use it when: general family dentistry is the main service. Choose Dental clinic instead if multi-dentist clinic where the clinic brand is the profile. Choose Cosmetic dentist instead if practice is mainly veneers, whitening and smile makeovers. Health categories describe who is licensed to treat patients at this location, so match them to the clinicians on site rather than to every treatment on your website.
Open the free tool for a dentist → tick what you really offer and get a copy-ready setup sheet
Primary category
- Dentist — General family dentistry is the main service who else uses it
- Dental clinic — Multi-dentist clinic where the clinic brand is the profile
- Cosmetic dentist — Practice is mainly veneers, whitening and smile makeovers
Secondary (additional) categories
Add one only if the condition is genuinely true at this location. Fewer, accurate categories beat a full list of nine.
- Cosmetic dentist — only if: veneers, whitening, bonding are a regular service
- Emergency dental service — only if: same-day / after-hours emergency appointments
- Pediatric dentist — only if: a pediatric dentist sees children here who else uses it
- Orthodontist — only if: an orthodontist (braces / clear aligners) practises here who else uses it
- Dental implants periodontist — only if: dental implants placed in-house
- Periodontist — only if: a periodontist treats gum disease here
Categories to avoid
These are often added to dentist profiles but usually describe a different or broader business:
- Doctor
- Medical clinic
- Hospital
Only add specialist categories if a qualified specialist actually practises at this location.
Address or service area?
Usually a storefront: show the full address exactly as it appears on your signage, and keep it identical on Google, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and your website. Service-area vs storefront rules.
Starter services to add
Categories say what you are; services say what you do. Good first entries:
- New patient exam & X-rays
- Professional teeth cleaning
- Teeth whitening
Check before you change anything
Search “dentist” on Google Maps in your own area, open the top few profiles and note their primary category (shown under the business name). Use what's common as a sanity check, not a template — your categories must describe your business. Ready to switch? How to change your category safely.
Profile problems?
Suspended, stuck in verification, or not showing on Maps? See the free fix guides: suspended profile · verification failed · not on Maps · name rules.