Short answer: across 13 dental practices in Australia, Google Ads cost an average of A$2.59 per click and A$35.80 per lead (a call, form or booking). Implant leads averaged about A$30. Veneer leads cost about A$62, roughly twice as much.
In my dental budget guide I shared cost-per-lead ranges from the practices I manage. This post goes one level deeper. I sorted every keyword by treatment, by the way people search and by match type, so you can see exactly where the money goes and what each enquiry costs.
About the data: all-time Google Ads data from 13 dental practices in Australia, mostly implant and veneer campaigns. Amounts are in Australian dollars. Practice names are kept private.
The numbers at a glance
| What | Result |
|---|---|
| Dental practices | 13 |
| Keywords checked | 910 (278 different keywords) |
| Total spend | A$147,255 |
| Leads (calls, forms, bookings) | 4,113 |
| Average cost per click | A$2.59 |
| Average cost per lead | A$35.80 |
Cost per click and cost per lead by treatment
This is the table most dentists want to see. Implant keywords bring 83% of all leads in these accounts. They also have cheaper clicks than veneers.
| Treatment | Cost per click | Cost per lead | Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental implants (general) | A$2.56 | A$31.64 | 8.1% |
| Dental implants for seniors | A$1.59 | A$24.56 (cheapest) | 6.5% |
| Full mouth / All-on-4 | A$2.07 | A$30.68 | 6.7% |
| Teeth replacement / missing teeth | A$1.93 | A$33.48 | 5.8% |
| Dentures (incl. implant dentures) | A$3.43 | A$33.28 | 10.3% (highest) |
| Veneers (general) | A$3.85 | A$61.88 | 6.2% |
| Composite veneers / bonding | A$4.41 | A$58.09 | 7.6% |
| Porcelain veneers | A$4.83 | A$73.53 (highest) | 6.6% |
Conversion rate = the share of clicks that became a call, form or booking.
What stands out
- "Dental implants for seniors" is the best value across all 13 accounts. Clicks cost A$1.59 and leads A$24.56. That one keyword brought 571 leads, yet only 8 of the 13 practices were using it.
- All-on-4 and full mouth implants cost about the same per lead as regular implants (A$30.68), but each patient is worth far more. That makes them one of the most profitable campaigns a practice can run.
- Dentures have the highest conversion rate. About 10 in every 100 clicks become an enquiry, so they're a strong add-on for implant practices.
- Veneers cost about twice as much per lead. That's normal, because more cosmetic practices compete for these searches and people compare more before they call. Your budget just needs to allow for it.
Cost per lead by how people search
Inside every treatment, people search in different ways, and some types of search are much cheaper than others.
| Search type | Example | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|
| Best / quality | best dental implant dentists near me | A$27.58 (cheapest) |
| Treatment name only | dental implants, veneers | A$33.91 |
| Near me / urgent | dental implants near me | A$35.32 |
| Affordable / cheap | affordable dental implants | A$37.41 |
| Cost / price | dental implants cost, veneers cost | A$40.95 |
| City or suburb | dental implants perth | A$43.01 |
| Same day / fast | same day dental implants | A$49.19 |
Two lessons here:
- People searching for "best" convert at the lowest cost. They're ready to choose a dentist, not just browsing. Every implant and veneer campaign should have "best ... near me" keywords.
- Cost searches are the second-biggest source of leads, with 1,078 leads. Each practice needs a separate "cost" ad group whose ads mention price ranges or payment plans. "Veneers cost" alone brought 320 leads, more than any other veneer keyword.
Match type makes a big difference to cost
| Match type | Share of budget | Cost per click | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact match | 30% | A$2.26 | A$30.07 |
| Phrase match | 28% | A$2.66 | A$31.48 |
| Broad match | 41% | A$2.84 | A$46.77 |
Broad match used the biggest share of the budget but gave the most expensive leads, about 35% more per lead than Exact or Phrase. In my experience, dental accounts get cheaper leads when most of the budget sits on Exact and Phrase keywords. Broad match only works once conversion tracking is clean and the account has a good negative keyword list.
Dental Google Ads budget by treatment
You can work out a starting budget from these numbers. Pick how many enquiries you want each month, then multiply by the cost per lead for that treatment.
| Treatment | Cost per lead | For about 30 leads a month | Daily budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implants for seniors | ~A$25 | ~A$750 a month | ~A$25 a day |
| Dental implants / All-on-4 | ~A$31 | ~A$930 a month | ~A$31 a day |
| Dentures / teeth replacement | ~A$33 | ~A$1,000 a month | ~A$33 a day |
| Composite veneers | ~A$58 | ~A$1,740 a month | ~A$58 a day |
| Veneers (general / porcelain) | A$62 to A$74 | A$1,860 to A$2,200 a month | A$62 to A$74 a day |
These are starting points based on mature accounts. New accounts often pay more in the first 4 to 8 weeks while Google learns. In the USA and UK, click prices in big cities are often higher, so check Google's Keyword Planner for your area before you set a budget.
In practice, the practices that focused on implants got the cheapest leads overall. The two best implant-focused accounts averaged about A$26 per lead, while practices running only veneers paid A$62 to A$103 per lead. If you offer both, implants are usually the best place to start your budget.
5 things that push dental Google Ads costs up
- Too many keywords that never show. 367 of the 910 keywords (40%) never got a single impression. Most were small variations of composite veneers, porcelain veneers and full mouth implants. They don't cost money directly, but they make the account messy and hide what's really working.
- Suburb keywords. Long lists like "teeth replacement + suburb name" got almost no searches. Full mouth keywords with a suburb name cost A$112 per lead, compared with about A$30 for the generic keyword. Use city names, and let location targeting handle the suburbs.
- Price keywords like "$399 dental implants". These keywords promise prices a practice may not offer. That can break Google's ad rules and, in Australia, AHPRA's advertising rules, and it attracts bargain hunters rather than patients.
- Too much Broad match. As the table shows, it costs about 35% more per lead.
- Funding and grant searches. People searching "dental implants grant" are looking for government money, not treatment. These searches brought no leads, so add them as negative keywords.
How to lower your dental cost per lead
- Put most of the budget on implant keywords, especially seniors and full mouth / All-on-4
- Move budget from Broad match to Exact and Phrase
- Add a "cost" ad group for every treatment you advertise
- Add "best ... near me" keywords for implants and veneers
- Add a dentures ad group if you offer implant dentures
- Delete keywords that have never shown, and replace suburb keywords with city keywords
- Track calls and bookings, not just forms, so Google learns which searches bring patients
Frequently asked questions
How much does a click cost in dental Google Ads?
The average across these 13 practices was A$2.59. Implant clicks cost about A$1.59 to A$2.56. Veneer clicks cost A$3.85 to A$4.83.
What is a good cost per lead for dental Google Ads?
The average here was A$35.80. For implants, under A$40 per lead is a good target. For veneers, A$55 to A$65 is normal.
Why do veneers cost more than implants?
More cosmetic practices bid on veneer searches, so clicks cost more. Veneer searchers also compare several practices before they enquire.
Which match type gives the cheapest dental leads?
Exact match, at A$30.07 per lead, followed closely by Phrase match at A$31.48. Broad match was the most expensive, at A$46.77.
Want to know what Google Ads would cost for your practice?
I'll check search volume and cost per click around your practice and show you a realistic cost per lead and budget for each treatment. I manage Google Ads and Facebook Ads for dental practices in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Related: How much should a dentist spend on Google Ads? (2026 guide)