

Review Gating in 2025: What Dental Practices Need to Know
May 13, 2025 | Philip Molden
May 13, 2025 | Philip Molden
In today’s digital-first world, online reviews are one of the biggest drivers of trust and new patient enquiries for dental practices. But with more emphasis on online reputation, some practices are using review strategies that could backfire, especially when it comes to review gating.
Let’s break down what review gating is, why it’s risky, and how to manage your reviews ethically and effectively.
Review gating is the practice of filtering feedback before allowing it to be made public. A common example:
While this might seem like a smart way to protect your reputation, Google considers it a violation of its review policy and the consequences can be serious.
Google is getting better at detecting review gating, and the penalties are real:
To avoid review gating and still collect reviews effectively, follow these best practices:
With Working Feedback, dental practices can automate review collection while staying fully compliant with Google’s policies. We integrate directly with EXACT and Dentally, meaning reviews are requested at the right time, fairly and consistently, for every patient.
This approach helps you:
Don’t let a shortcut damage your reputation. By collecting reviews openly and ethically, your practice will earn more trust, better visibility, and a truly valuable online presence.
Have questions about your current feedback process? We’re here to help.