Is PR Still Effective as a Marketing Tactic in the Age of AI?

Getting your dental practice noticed takes more than a good website and a few positive reviews. Patients are also discovering dentists through online articles, expert recommendations, local news, and increasingly, AI-powered search tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews. This is changing how practices build credibility and stay visible when potential patients are deciding where to seek care. PR can help put your practice in the right conversations, but is earning media coverage still enough? The bigger question is how dentists can use PR to build trust, strengthen their online presence, and stay discoverable as patient search habits evolve.

What Did PR Look Like Before AI Took Over Search?

Remember the old days? You hired an agency (or a freelancer who “knew people”), sent out a press release about your dental practice, hoped a local newspaper or health publication picked it up, and called it a win if you landed a few media mentions and saw a bump in website traffic.

It was largely a game of numbers and relationships. More coverage meant more chances to get noticed. Some of it genuinely mattered, like community stories and dentists sharing expert advice in health articles. Much of it, though, was just noise: the same recycled practice announcements that did little to set one dentist apart from another.

Online mentions had their perks. A good article could send potential patients to your website, earn a backlink and help your practice stay on their radar. But tracing that coverage all the way to a new patient enquiry was tricky, which left many dentists wondering whether PR was worth the investment or simply a nice extra.

Then AI-powered search entered the picture, changing how people find information and discover dental practices. Suddenly, the game began to change.

How Has AI Search Changed the PR Game?

Traditional PR focused on reaching readers, building credibility and earning media coverage. Those goals still matter, but AI search has added another layer. Patients can now discover dental practices through AI-generated answers before visiting a website.

Credible media mentions can help strengthen your online reputation and give AI tools more sources to draw on when answering questions about local dentists. Visibility isn’t guaranteed, but consistent, relevant coverage can support your practice’s wider digital presence.

Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

In AI search, earning dozens of mentions means little if they add no real credibility. Focus on four things:

• Trusted sources: Earn coverage in reputable local news outlets and relevant dental publications.
• Relevant stories: Share useful insights on patient concerns, community initiatives, and dental care.
• Consistent information: Keep your practice details, expertise, and messaging accurate across platforms.
• Genuine coverage: Prioritise newsworthy stories and authentic media relationships over low-value placements.

So ultimately, the focus has shifted from media coverage to AI visibility. Good PR is about building a credible online presence that patients trust and that AI search tools can accurately understand.

How Does PR Influence Major AI Search Features?

Google’s AI Overviews

Google’s AI Overviews pull information from relevant web pages to answer users’ questions. For dental practices, earning coverage in trusted local publications and healthcare websites can strengthen their wider online presence, alongside useful website content and strong organic visibility.

ChatGPT, Perplexity and Other AI Tools

When patients ask AI tools for dentist recommendations or advice, the answers may draw on information from across the web. Being mentioned in credible publications gives these tools more opportunities to discover information about your practice, although coverage does not guarantee a citation or recommendation.

Topical Authority and Entity Recognition

When your practice is consistently associated with reliable dental information, expert commentary and relevant local coverage, it becomes easier for people to understand what your practice offers and what it is known for. These signals can also help search engines and AI tools connect your practice with its expertise and location.

How Can Dental Practices Adapt Their PR Strategies for AI Search?

Getting your dental practice into the news is one thing. Giving people a reason to remember it is quite another. As AI search changes how patients find information, PR needs to do a little more than collect media mentions. The aim is to get your practice talked about in the right places, for the right reasons.

• ‍Quality Over Quantity: Spend your time on publications your patients actually read. Local newspapers, community magazines, dental journals and trusted health websites can put your practice in front of the right audience. A thoughtful feature in one of these publications can carry far more value than dozens of mentions on unrelated websites.
• Share Your Expertise: Your dentists have plenty of knowledge to share, so give them opportunities to do it. Offer journalists expert comments on topics such as dental implants, teeth straightening, children's oral health and routine dental care. A helpful quote or practical explanation can make a good story and introduce more people to your team's expertise.
• Build Local Relationships: Your practice is part of a community, and that gives you plenty to talk about. Share news about charity work, school visits, oral health events or new services that benefit local patients. Build relationships with local journalists and let them know when your team has something interesting to contribute.
• Keep Your Brand Consistent: Make it easy for people to recognise your practice wherever they come across it. Check that your practice name, address, treatments and dentist profiles match across online publications and directories. When these details stay consistent, patients and AI search tools get a clearer picture of who you are and what your practice offers.

What Happens If You Ignore PR?

You can still attract patients through Google Ads, local SEO and a good website. Many dental practices do exactly that. But you're missing another valuable way to get noticed.

Patients now use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews to research treatments and find dentists. These tools can draw on information from trusted websites, news articles and expert contributions. If your practice only appears on its own website, you're missing opportunities to build recognition elsewhere.

PR adds that extra layer of credibility. It works alongside SEO and paid ads, helping your practice reach more people, earn trust and stay visible as search habits change.

PR still has a place in dental marketing. It’s just about more than getting your practice featured in the local press.

A recent study found that more than 84% of links cited in AI-generated answers came from earned and third-party sources, including news articles, academic research and independent websites. That’s a good reason to keep building your practice’s reputation beyond its own website.

Look for opportunities to share your dentists’ expertise in trusted publications. Offer useful advice, contribute to local health stories and build relationships with journalists who cover your area. Make sure your practice details stay accurate wherever people come across your name.

Of course, one article won’t guarantee a place in ChatGPT’s recommendations or Google’s AI Overviews. PR works over time. Each relevant mention gives people another way to discover your practice and helps build a clearer picture of your expertise across the web.

Keep an eye on where your practice gets mentioned, which publications feature your dentists and how your name appears in relevant AI answers. These are useful ways to see how your PR efforts are extending your visibility beyond traditional media.

Frequently Asked Questions on PR as a Marketing Tactic

Does PR still help with SEO for dental practices?

Yes. While PR is not a direct Google ranking factor, earned media coverage often leads to backlinks, brand mentions, and referral traffic that support your broader SEO and AI visibility efforts. A feature in a reputable local publication can also reinforce the trust signals AI tools look for when deciding which practices to reference in their answers.

Can PR coverage get my dental practice mentioned in ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews?

PR cannot guarantee a mention, but it improves your odds. AI tools pull from a wide range of sources across the web, and a practice that appears in credible publications gives these tools more material to draw on. Consistent, accurate coverage over time matters more than a single article.

How is PR different from local SEO for dentists?

Local SEO focuses on your Google Business Profile, citations, and local search rankings, while PR focuses on earning coverage in news outlets, industry publications, and community media. The two work well together: PR strengthens brand credibility and external mentions, while local SEO makes sure patients can actually find and contact your practice once they discover it.

What kind of PR works best for a small or mid-sized dental practice?

Smaller practices often get more value from local and niche coverage than national press. Community stories, charity involvement, school visits, and expert commentary in local health articles tend to resonate with the patients you actually want to reach, and they are more achievable than chasing national headlines.

How often should a dental practice pursue PR opportunities?

There is no fixed schedule, but consistency matters more than frequency. Look for genuine opportunities as they come up, such as community events, new services, or relevant patient education topics, rather than forcing out press releases on a set calendar. A handful of well-placed, relevant mentions each year can do more than a steady stream of low-value coverage.