- We analyzed 3,133 dentist-related search terms (October 2025 to September 2026). After merging identical spellings, around 1.8 million searches per month remain.
- Almost half of them are searches for a practice. “zahnarzt in meiner nähe” (dentist near me) is growing by 38% to 195,000 searches per month.
- The median top-of-page bids per group are €2 to €5. “kieferorthopäden” (orthodontists) reaches €10.07 with 95,625 searches, “zahnersatz im ausland” (dentures abroad) €16.06.
- For 19 of 20 patient questions, Google shows an AI Overview. At least 18 of the 50 websites cited there are recognizable as a dental practice or dental center by their name alone.
Patients search Google for a practice nearby, for emergency services, for the cost of individual treatments and for answers to their questions. We analyzed these searches: how large the demand is per area, what a click costs, when in the year people search the most and which websites Google cites as sources in its AI Overviews.
How we analyzed the searches
The basis is 3,133 search terms from the Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, for Germany, October 2025 to September 2026. Searches are monthly averages over these twelve months; the tailwind compares them with the twelve months before. Bids are the upper Google Ads bid estimates for the top of the page.
Three adjustments matter:
- Identical searches count once. Google lists closely related spellings such as “zahnarzt notdienst” and “notdienst zahnarzt” with identical numbers. We merged them. This turns 2,640 terms into 1,975 distinct searches.
- Searches unrelated to the practice are excluded. These include 493 terms on supplementary dental insurance, health insurers, dental associations, training and dental care products.
- Google provides no values for some terms. This applies to “zahnimplantat”, “zahnimplantat kosten” and “zahnarzt in der nähe”, among others. Demand for implants is therefore higher than the figures below show.
Around 1.8 million searches per month in nine areas
| Area | Searches per month | Share | Top bid (median) | Top bid (high range) | Tailwind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice search | 877.671 | 49 % | 2,79 € | 19,48 € | −23 % |
| Emergency service | 214.232 | 12 % | 2,20 € | 4,57 € | −16 % |
| Dentures | 204.832 | 11 % | 2,01 € | 24,77 € | −15 % |
| Aesthetics | 155.038 | 9 % | 2,43 € | 16,48 € | −21 % |
| Treatments | 139.626 | 8 % | 2,59 € | 12,71 € | −18 % |
| Orthodontics | 102.912 | 6 % | 4,04 € | 10,07 € | −24 % |
| Other | 57.678 | 3 % | 2,57 € | 14,05 € | −23 % |
| Implants | 29.561 | 2 % | 2,05 € | 13,66 € | −22 % |
| Anxious patients | 13.650 | 1 % | 4,54 € | 6,60 € | −29 % |
- Practice search877,671
- Emergency service214,232
- Dentures204,832
- Aesthetics155,038
- Treatments139,626
- Orthodontics102,912
- Implants29,561
- Anxious patients13,650
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, Germany, October 2025 to September 2026, identical spellings counted once
Almost all areas are below the previous year. Part of this is due to “zahnarzt” (dentist): in November 2025 the term had a one-off 1.5 million searches, in the other months 301,000 to 368,000.
Half of all searches are for a practice nearby
The largest area is the search for a practice. Besides “zahnarzt”, these are mainly searches with a local reference:
| Search term | Searches per month | Top bid | Tailwind |
|---|---|---|---|
| zahnarzt in meiner nähe | 195.000 | 4,49 € | +38 % |
| zahnarzt near me | 81.167 | 6,35 € | −6 % |
| zahnärzte in der nähe | 79.750 | 4,63 € | −8 % |
| kinderzahnarzt in der nähe | 5.742 | 4,02 € | −10 % |
| zahnarzt termin | 1.175 | 10,37 € | −15 % |
“zahnarzt in meiner nähe” is one of the few large terms that is growing. For Google Ads this means: campaigns with a tight radius around the practice, ads with address and call, and a well-maintained business profile on Google Maps.
Emergency service: many searches, low bids
Around 214,000 searches per month are for emergency services; “notdienst zahnarzt heute” (emergency dentist today) alone has 90,833. The top bid there is only €1.86. Short-term searches are growing: “zahnarzt notdienst morgen” (emergency dentist tomorrow) rises by 88% to 3,375 searches.
For the query “zahnarzt notdienst wochenende” (emergency dentist weekend), Google's AI Overview cites the emergency service pages of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists of Hesse and the Berlin Dental Association. We therefore run emergency campaigns only for practices with their own emergency service and only during those hours.
Orthodontists have the highest bids with high demand
“kieferorthopäden” has 95,625 searches per month at a top bid of €10.07. No other term with this much demand reaches such a high bid. Aligners are also growing: “aligner” by 27% to 8,575 searches, “alignerschiene” by 42% to 4,300 searches. Adults search specifically for costs: “kosten zahnspange erwachsene” (cost of braces for adults) has 2,225 searches.
More specific searches for veneers are growing
With 42,533 searches per month, “veneers” is the largest term in aesthetics, but it is 24% below the previous year. “veneer für zähne”, by contrast, grows by 13% to 8,650 searches. Bleaching is declining: the eight spellings of “zahn bleiche” together reach 10,925 searches, 28% fewer than the previous year.
Dentures and implants are searched by cost
With 806 distinct searches, dentures is the most diverse area. The largest terms are “krone zahn” (dental crown) with 26,058 searches and a €5.13 top bid, “zahnprothese” (denture) with 13,450 and “zahnersatz” (dentures) with 11,633 searches. Many searches ask about costs:
- “kosten zahnkrone”: 5,550 searches
- “kosten zahnersatz”: 4,617 searches
- “kosten für zahnimplantate”: 9,883 searches, top bid €2.28
- “implantat kosten”: 4,967 searches
For implants, the values for the largest terms are missing (see above). Still, it is visible that cost searches have low bids, while “implantologe” (implantologist) has €5.63 with 480 searches.
The most expensive clicks have little search volume
- zahnersatz im ausland€16.06
- zahnreinigung schwangerschaft€12.71
- zahnarzt schwangerschaft€12.19
- abgebrochener zahn€10.85
- zahnarzt termin€10.37
- kieferorthopäden€10.07
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, upper bid estimate for the top of the page
High bids show where many advertisers compete for the same click. For your practice, we calculate with the value of each treatment.
Most patients search in January and March
Excluding the outlier for “zahnarzt” in November 2025, demand develops as follows (index 100 = monthly average):
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner via DataForSEO, October 2025 to September 2026, excluding the outlier “zahnarzt” in November 2025
In January and March, demand is 14% above average, from June to August around 12% below. We plan the budget accordingly.
AI Overviews: Google answers almost every patient question itself
We searched Google for 20 typical patient questions, for example “was kostet ein zahnimplantat” (what does a dental implant cost), “zahnimplantat oder brücke” (implant or bridge) or “zahnarzt angst was tun” (fear of the dentist, what to do) (query on October 19, 2026). For 19 questions, an AI Overview appears above the search results. It is missing only for “aligner oder feste zahnspange” (aligner or fixed braces).
Together, the AI Overviews cite 50 different websites as sources:
- Dental practices and dental centers: At least 18 of the 50 websites are recognizable as a practice by their name alone, for example three practices from Munich, Berlin and Sankt Augustin for “wie lange hält ein zahnimplantat” (how long does a dental implant last).
- Health insurers and insurance companies: AOK, Barmer, TK, ERGO, R+V, Envivas and Münchener Verein, especially for questions about costs and subsidies.
- Consumer advice center (Verbraucherzentrale): three times, for dental crowns, periodontitis and subsidies.
Only 22 of the 58 citations come from websites that also appear among the top five regular search results. So Google often cites pages that rank further down.
How we build Google Ads for dental practices
- Separate campaigns per area. Practice search, emergency service, orthodontics, dentures and aesthetics get their own campaigns, their own budget and their own goals.
- Tight radius around the practice. We define the catchment area for each location and connect the ads with address, call and Google Maps.
- High-value treatments first. We store the value of a treatment or appointment as a goal in the account so that bids steer toward these appointments.
- Measure appointment bookings. We set up server-side tracking for calls, appointment bookings and forms.
- Budget by season. More budget in January and March, less in summer.
We exclude these searches
- Insurers and health insurance funds: “zahnzusatzversicherung sofort” (supplementary dental insurance immediately) has 6,225 searches and a €17.41 top bid. These clicks are looking for insurance, not a practice.
- Dental care products such as “ajona zahncreme”
- Training, salary and job openings
- Emergency searches outside your emergency service hours
Conclusion: practice search, orthodontics and your own answer pages
Most demand is in the search for a practice nearby, and “zahnarzt in meiner nähe” is growing. Orthodontics has the highest bids with high demand. Implants and dentures are searched mainly by cost. For 19 of 20 patient questions, Google shows an AI Overview; at least 18 of the cited websites belong to practices.
