Dental practice advertising in the UK: what the GDC and ASA require on your website
The direct answer
UK dental advertising answers to the General Dental Council's guidance on advertising and to the CAP Code enforced by the ASA. The GDC requires a practice website to show the name and geographic address where care is provided, contact details including email and phone, the GDC's address or a link to its website, the practice complaints procedure, and the date the site was last updated. Each dentist listed needs their qualification, the country it came from, and their GDC registration number. Only dentists on a GDC specialist list may use specialist titles such as orthodontist or periodontist; others can say "special interest in" or "practice limited to". Treatment promotions on social media must say the treatment may be unsuitable for some patients and depends on a satisfactory assessment. The ASA expects before and after photos to be genuine and representative, backed by signed and dated proof, and prescription only medicines such as botulinum toxin may be advertised to the public in no form.
Five conclusions
The argument, compressed.
- GDC guidance lists five items every practice website must show, including the complaints procedure and the date the site was last updated.
- Each dentist named on the site needs their qualification, its country of origin and their GDC registration number.
- Specialist titles belong to dentists on a GDC specialist list. Everyone else uses phrases such as "special interest in" or "practice limited to".
- Social media treatment promotions need a line saying the treatment depends on a satisfactory assessment and may be unsuitable for some patients.
- Before and after photos must be genuine and representative, with signed and dated proof on file.
Working framework · 5 decisions
The dental site record check
Five checks that turn GDC and ASA requirements into a single pass over your website and social accounts.
Decision 01 / 05
Footer
Name, geographic address, email, phone, a GDC link, the complaints procedure and a last updated date. Put all seven in the site footer so every page carries them.
What every UK dental practice website must show
The GDC's guidance on advertising, in effect since 30 September 2013, sets a short list of information for practice websites: the name and geographic address where dental care is provided, contact details including email and telephone, the GDC's address and contact details or a link to the GDC website, the practice's complaints procedure with information on who patients can contact if they remain unhappy, and the date the website was last updated.
Every dental professional named on the site adds three more facts: their professional qualification, the country it was obtained in, and their GDC registration number. These details read as dry compliance, yet they are precisely what a patient checks when choosing between two practices with similar photos. A practice brand that treats them as trust signals, set clearly on each bio, gains credibility its competitors leave on the table.
The short version
The GDC wants a patient to know who treats them, where, how to complain and how current the information is. Put that in the footer and on every bio.
Specialist titles and the phrases that replace them
Only dentists on a GDC specialist list may describe themselves as a specialist or use titles that imply specialist status, such as orthodontist, periodontist or endodontist. This catches many general practices whose websites call a dentist "our orthodontist" because they deliver aligner treatment.
The guidance offers the replacement wording: "special interest in", "experienced in" or "practice limited to". Positioning can carry the rest. A practice known for adult aligner cases, with case numbers and training listed, makes a stronger claim on its own terms than a borrowed title ever could.
Before and after photos and patient testimonials
The ASA's dental guidance is direct on photos: before and after images of dental treatment, whitening or straightening must be genuine and representative, and the marketer must hold signed and dated proof. A gallery of the three best cases from ten years of practice fails the representative test even when every photo is real.
Testimonials follow the general CAP rules: documentary evidence that each one is genuine, the patient's permission, and contact details on file. A testimonial that promises a result counts as your own claim, so it needs the same evidence you would need to say it yourself.
Where to start
Open your site on a phone and check the footer against the GDC list, then open each team bio and check the qualification, country and GDC number. Search your site and your last thirty social posts for specialist titles and treatment promotions without the assessment line. Most practices can fix all of it in an afternoon.
The harder work is what sits above the compliance layer: a clear statement of who the practice is for and why a patient should choose it. Compliance makes a practice credible; positioning makes it memorable.
Before you use it
Questions that can change the recommendation.
What must a UK dental practice website include?
GDC guidance requires the name and geographic address where care is provided, contact details including email and phone, the GDC's address or a link to the GDC website, the complaints procedure, and the date the site was last updated. Each dental professional named needs their qualification, its country of origin and their GDC registration number.
Can a general dentist call themselves an orthodontist?
Only dentists on the GDC orthodontics specialist list can use the title orthodontist or describe themselves as a specialist. A general dentist can use phrases such as "special interest in orthodontics" or "practice limited to orthodontics".
Can dental practices use before and after photos?
Yes. ASA guidance says before and after photos must be genuine and representative of typical results, and the practice must hold signed and dated proof. Patient consent for publication is also needed.
Can a dental practice advertise botox?
Botulinum toxin is a prescription only medicine, and the CAP Code prohibits advertising prescription only medicines to the public. Practices typically promote a consultation for facial aesthetic concerns instead. Check current ASA guidance before running any aesthetics campaign.
What does brand strategy cost for a UK dental practice?
At Branding Tatva the Foundation engagement starts at £1,950 for UK clients. Its published scope includes discovery and positioning, audience definition, a core visual identity, starter brand guidelines and launch messaging direction. Regulatory approval is outside the scope: the registrant remains responsible for advertising, and the GDC or ASA resolves uncertain interpretations.
Research record
What this guide draws from.
Each source note describes what the reference supports. Platform guidance, research findings and Branding Tatva's practical suggestions have different scopes.
- Guidance on advertising
General Dental Council
Website information, specialist titles and social media requirements, effective 30 September 2013.
- Specialist lists
General Dental Council
- Dental: General
Advertising Standards Authority
Before and after photos must be genuine, representative and backed by signed and dated proof.
- Testimonials and endorsements
Advertising Standards Authority
03Decision
Social media, offers and treatment promotions
The GDC applies the same principles to Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and deal sites such as Groupon, and adds one specific requirement: a treatment promotion must make clear the treatment may be unsuitable for every patient and depends on a satisfactory assessment. A single line in each caption meets it.
Facial aesthetics deserve their own caution. Botulinum toxin is a prescription only medicine, and the CAP Code bars advertising prescription only medicines to the public. Many practices handle this by promoting a consultation for facial aesthetic concerns, keeping product names off the ad. Check the current ASA guidance on botox advertising before planning a campaign around it.