Among the dentists someone searching in Oak Park, IL is shown, Dental Care of Oak Park had answered all 10 of its 10 most recent Google reviews, on a listing that carries 580 reviews. Among the orthodontists in the same search, Orthodontic Experts Chicago had answered 9 of its 10 most recent, on a listing with 845 reviews. Those are the highest recent reply counts among the 20 dentists and the 20 orthodontists we read.
The listings themselves are large. The median dentist we read carries 246 Google reviews and the median orthodontist 266, and the median rating in both trades is 4.9. The three most-reviewed dentists carry 889, 770 and 680 reviews; the three most-reviewed orthodontists carry 889, 845 and 770. Those totals and ratings cover each listing's whole history, which is a different window from the counts of recent reviews answered above.
One Fine Smile- Oak Park, with 770 reviews, is among the three practices answering the most in both trades, and it had answered 5 of its 10 most recent reviews. Orthodontic Experts Chicago appears twice among the orthodontists as two separate listings: one answered 9 of 10 with 845 reviews, the other answered 6 of 10 with 502. Among the dentists, Signature Smiles Dental Care had answered 2 of its 10 most recent, on a listing of 889 reviews.
Neither trade is one where nobody answers: in each, at least three of the businesses we read had replied to recent reviews. For comparison, across the 55 businesses we measured in this catchment, the typical one had answered 69 percent of its recent reviews. This section shows only the three practices answering the most in each trade, so it says nothing about how the rest of the 20 read in each trade handle their reviews.
What to do about it
If your dental or orthodontic practice shows up in this search, the reply count is the one number here you set yourself. Dental Care of Oak Park answered 10 of its 10 most recent reviews, and Orthodontic Experts Chicago answered 9 of 10 on one listing. Those are the figures to measure yourself against.
Open your own Google listing and count how many of your 10 most recent reviews carry a reply. Answer the ones that do not, starting with any under five stars, then make it a weekly habit so new reviews do not pile up unanswered. Keep every reply general: thank the person by first name at most, and never confirm that they are a patient or mention a treatment, appointment or result. A reply is the one part of that exchange you write, so keep it short, specific to what they said, and signed by the practice.
Dentists
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dental Care of Oak Park | 10 of 10 | 580 | 4.8 |
| 2 | One Fine Smile- Oak Park | 5 of 10 | 770 | 4.9 |
| 3 | Signature Smiles Dental Care | 2 of 10 | 889 | 4.9 |
Orthodontists
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orthodontic Experts Chicago | 9 of 10 | 845 | 4.8 |
| 2 | Orthodontic Experts Chicago | 6 of 10 | 502 | 4.9 |
| 3 | One Fine Smile- Oak Park | 5 of 10 | 770 | 4.9 |