What AI recommends when buyers ask about dentists
20 brand-free buyer questions, each asked to 5 AI assistants with Austin, Texas as the sample city. 114 providers were named across 100 answers. Every number below traces back to an original answer.
The dentists AI assistants name most often
Counted per answer: a provider named twice in one answer counts once. "Recommended" means the answer explicitly told the buyer to pick it.
| # | Provider | Answers | Share | Recommended | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini | Claude | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KoLa Dentistry | 8 | 8% | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Austin Dental Spa | 7 | 7% | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Austin Artistic Dental | 6 | 6% | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | The Cosmetic Dentists of Austin | 5 | 5% | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Advanced Smiles Dental | 5 | 5% | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | ATX Family Dental | 5 | 5% | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Priority Emergency Dental Care | 5 | 5% | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 8 | South Austin Dental Associates | 5 | 5% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Austin Cosmetic Dentistry | 5 | 5% | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 10 | Walden Dental | 4 | 4% | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 11 | 38th Street Dental | 4 | 4% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 12 | Anderson Lane Dental | 4 | 4% | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Each assistant answers differently
| Model | Answers | Name ≥1 provider | Providers / answer | With citations | Citations / answer | Points to directories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT openai/gpt-5-mini | 20 / 20 | 25% | 1.85 | 85% | 7.35 | 30% |
| Perplexity sonar | 20 / 20 | 35% | 2.2 | 100% | 18.8 | 20% |
| Gemini google/gemini-3.5-flash | 20 / 20 | 55% | 3.05 | 100% | 5.75 | 20% |
| Claude anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5 | 20 / 20 | 40% | 2.25 | 85% | 5.9 | 25% |
| Grok xai/grok-4.20-non-reasoning | 20 / 20 | 35% | 1.9 | 100% | 9.35 | 50% |
What buyers ask AI about dentists
Generated without any brand name so the assistants had to name providers on their own. "Providers" is the number of distinct names across all models for that question.
Purchase
| Question | Providers | Named by most models |
|---|---|---|
| I need a dentist near downtown Austin who can see me within the next week. Who would you recommend? | 13 | KoLa Dentistry (4) · Swish Dental Downtown (2) · Swish Dental Downtown Austin (2) |
| I have dental anxiety and I'm looking for a practice in Austin that specializes in working with nervous patients. Any suggestions? | 23 | Austin Dental Spa (5) · Advanced Smiles Dental (3) · Moontower Dental (3) |
| I'm on a budget and need basic cleaning and checkup. What should I expect to pay, and where in Austin can I get fair pricing? | 21 | Lady Bird Dental (3) · Lone Star Circle of Care (3) · Austin Community College (ACC) Dental Hygiene Program (2) |
| Can you recommend the best dentist for cosmetic work in the Austin area? | 11 | Austin Artistic Dental (5) · The Cosmetic Dentists of Austin (5) · Austin Cosmetic Dentistry (4) |
| I need someone who can handle a complex case involving multiple issues. Who should I see in Austin? | 0 | none named |
| I'm looking for a family-friendly dentist in Austin who can take care of my kids and me. Who's good? | 17 | McLane Family Dental (4) · Austin Family DDS (3) · Blue Sky Family Dentistry (3) |
| My current dentist retired. Can you help me find a top-rated practice near where I work in Austin? | 17 | Anderson Lane Dental (3) · ATX Family Dental (3) · Walden Dental (3) |
| I need emergency dental care today in Austin. Which practices have same-day availability? | 21 | South Austin Dental Associates (5) · Austin Advanced Dentistry (4) · KoLa Dentistry (4) |
Comparison
| Question | Providers | Named by most models |
|---|---|---|
| What's the difference between going to a general dentist versus a specialist for a root canal? | 0 | none named |
Research
| Question | Providers | Named by most models |
|---|---|---|
| What should I look for when choosing a dental practice in Austin? | 7 | 12 Oaks Integrative Dentistry (1) · Anderson Lane Dental (1) · Celebrate Dental & Braces South Austin (1) |
| What questions should I ask during my first appointment to evaluate whether I want to stay? | 0 | none named |
| How important is it that my dentist is in-network with my insurance? | 0 | none named |
| What's the typical turnaround time for getting an appointment with a new dentist in Austin? | 7 | Austin 3D Dental (1) · Austin Dental Works (1) · Austin Elite Smiles (1) |
| What should I look for in terms of office environment and staff when evaluating a practice? | 0 | none named |
Evaluation
| Question | Providers | Named by most models |
|---|---|---|
| Does it matter if I go to a practice inside a dental chain versus an independent practice? | 0 | none named |
| Is it worth paying more for a dentist with the latest technology, or is traditional equipment fine? | 2 | CareCredit (1) · Glint Dental Studio (1) |
Trust
| Question | Providers | Named by most models |
|---|---|---|
| How do I know if a dentist is actually good at what they do? | 3 | Chicago Style Smiles (1) · First Dental Center (1) · Magnificent Mile Dental Spa (1) |
| Are there red flags I should watch out for when reading reviews of dental practices? | 0 | none named |
| How do I verify that a dentist actually has the credentials they claim to have? | 0 | none named |
| How do I tell the difference between genuine patient reviews and fake ones on dental practice websites? | 0 | none named |
Sources AI cites for dentists questions
943 citations from 425 domains. Only sources marked inside the answer text are counted; the retrieval pool is not.
- Other sites62%
- Named providers' own sites22%
- Communities (Reddit, Quora…)5%
- Research, government & universities5%
- Directories & review sites4%
- News & media1%
- Video0%
| Domain | Type | Citations | Questions | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini | Claude | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| reddit.com | Communities (Reddit, Quora…) | 50 | 11 | — | 27 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| zocdoc.com | Directories & review sites | 22 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov | Research, government & universities | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | — | 3 | 1 |
| mydental.com | Named providers' own sites | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| smilesbyeddie.com | Other sites | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| deltadental.com | Other sites | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| dentistriverviewfl.com | Other sites | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| koladentistry.com | Named providers' own sites | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| rankmydentist.com | Other sites | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| advancedsmilesdental.com | Named providers' own sites | 8 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| birdeye.com | Other sites | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 |
| southaustindentalassociates.com | Named providers' own sites | 8 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
GEO takeaways for dentists
- 38% of 100 answers named at least one specific provider; 114 distinct names came up across 20 questions.
- No single provider dominates: the most-named one, KoLa Dentistry, appears in only 8% of answers (named by 5 of 5 models). The category is still open — consistent evidence on the sources below can move a brand into these answers.
- 29% of answers sent the buyer to a directory or review site instead of, or alongside, naming providers. For dentists, being listed and well-reviewed there is a precondition for being named at all.
- Of 943 citations, 22% pointed to named providers' own sites, 5% pointed to communities (reddit, quora…), 5% pointed to research, government & universities. Those source types are what the models actually read before answering, so that is where the evidence has to live.
- Gemini names the most providers per answer (3.05), ChatGPT the fewest (1.85). Share of voice is engine-specific; one number across models hides this.
- Local questions only produced named providers when a place was given, so the recommendation questions here use Austin, Texas as the sample city. Results for another city will differ.
Questions teams ask before they start
Which dentists does ChatGPT recommend?
In 20 answers collected on 2026-09-07, ChatGPT named Priority Emergency Dental Care (2), Austin Cosmetic Dentistry (2), KoLa Dentistry (1), Austin Dental Spa (1), Austin Artistic Dental (1) most often for Austin, Texas. Names change between runs; this is a dated snapshot, not a ranking.
Which dentists does Perplexity recommend?
In 20 answers collected on 2026-09-07, Perplexity named KoLa Dentistry (2), Austin Artistic Dental (2), Austin Dental Spa (1), The Cosmetic Dentists of Austin (1), Advanced Smiles Dental (1) most often for Austin, Texas. Names change between runs; this is a dated snapshot, not a ranking.
Which dentists does Gemini recommend?
In 20 answers collected on 2026-09-07, Gemini named Toothbar (3), KoLa Dentistry (2), ATX Family Dental (2), Walden Dental (2), Anderson Lane Dental (2) most often for Austin, Texas. Names change between runs; this is a dated snapshot, not a ranking.
Which sources do AI assistants cite when answering dentists questions?
Across 943 citations from 425 domains: Other sites 62%, Named providers' own sites 22%, Communities (Reddit, Quora…) 5%. The most-cited domains were reddit.com, zocdoc.com, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, mydental.com, smilesbyeddie.com. Only sources marked inside the answer text are counted, never the retrieval pool.
How were these numbers produced?
20 brand-free buyer questions were generated for the Dentists category in the United States market, then each was asked to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Grok on 2026-09-07 (100 of 100 answers completed). A separate parser extracted every provider each answer named; directories and review sites are recorded separately and never counted as providers. Failed answers are excluded from every percentage rather than treated as zero.
How can a dentist business get recommended by AI?
Start from the questions above: for each one your business should be an answer to, check whether the sources the models cite (directories, review sites, communities, media) describe you with the facts the question needs. Then measure the same questions for your own brand — InsightWonder runs this exact loop per site, with citations traced to URLs, and turns missed questions into content and placements.
How this page was built
- Market: United States; sample city for local questions: Austin, Texas.
- Collected 2026-09-07. Models: ChatGPT (openai/gpt-5-mini), Perplexity (sonar), Gemini (google/gemini-3.5-flash), Claude (anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5), Grok (xai/grok-4.20-non-reasoning).
- 100 of 100 question × model answers completed.
- Providers are extracted by a separate parser from the full answer text; directories, marketplaces and review sites are recorded as "points to directories" and never counted as providers. AI answers change between runs, so this is a dated snapshot.
- Same method as the product's visibility engine, run for the whole category instead of one brand. Log in to run it for yours: https://app.insightwonder.com
Other industries: Electric bikes · Furniture brands · Gyms & fitness studios · Hotels · HVAC & plumbing services · Law firms · Pet supplies · Project management software · Real estate agents · Restaurants · Skincare brands
Turn AI visibility into a repeatable growth system.
Create a project, confirm your market and start measuring the questions that matter.