The short answer
Show only your own cases, with the patient's signed permission for marketing use on a release your own attorney has written or reviewed. Shoot every case the same way, leave the result unedited, and caption it with the treatment and a note that results vary. Then put the photos on a gallery page grouped by treatment, linked from each service page, with real image tags and descriptive alt text so search engines can find them.
A before and after photo answers the question every new patient has: what will this look like on someone like me? Done well, a small gallery of real cases does more for a cosmetic or restorative service page than any paragraph of copy. This guide covers the marketing side: asking, shooting, captioning, and publishing. It is not legal advice. The wording of your photo release and any rules for your profession are questions for your own attorney or dental board.
Start with the patient's permission
Make asking part of your normal finish-of-treatment routine rather than an afterthought. The best moment is when the patient sees their result in the mirror. A simple, low-pressure request works: their result could help another patient who is nervous about the same treatment, and would they be comfortable sharing it?
- •Use a separate photo release. Have your own attorney write or review it, and keep it apart from your general intake paperwork so patients know exactly what they are agreeing to.
- •Name the places photos may appear. Website, social profiles, ads, print. Patients say yes more easily when nothing is vague.
- •Offer a choice of framing. Smile only, close-up, or full face. Record what the patient picked.
- •Keep a usage list. Note where each case is published so you can update or remove it quickly if the patient asks.
Shoot every case the same way
Consistency is what makes a comparison believable. If the before photo is dim and angled and the after photo is bright and straight on, viewers notice the lighting change before they notice the dentistry.
- •Use the same camera, lens, flash, and settings for the before and the after.
- •Fix the distance and angle, and use the same set of views every time (for example, full smile, retracted front, and both sides).
- •Use a plain, neutral background and the same retraction for both photos.
- •Give one team member ownership of photos so the routine does not drift over time.
If you want a consistent, professional setup, our dental photography service can help with the look of the rest of your site too.
Keep the result unedited
Crop, straighten, and resize so both photos line up. Stop there. Do not whiten, smooth, or reshape anything in the after photo, and do not use filters on one side only. Google's advertising policy on misrepresentation does not allow media that is manipulated to mislead people, or claims that present an unlikely result as what a typical person can expect. Beyond ads, an edited result is the fastest way to lose a patient's trust when they come in.
Keep the original files alongside the cropped versions. If anyone asks how a photo was prepared, you can show the untouched original.
Write honest captions
A caption turns a nice picture into useful information. Keep it short and factual:
- •The treatment that was done, in plain words (for example, six porcelain veneers on the upper front teeth).
- •How long treatment took or how many visits, if your records show it.
- •A short note that results vary from patient to patient.
Leave out guarantees and words like perfect or flawless. Do not describe the before photo in negative terms about the person; describe the treatment instead.
Build a gallery page that search engines can read
A gallery helps most when it sits close to the decision. Group cases by treatment (veneers, whitening, implants, aligners) and link each group from the matching service page, so someone reading about veneers sees veneer cases.
Google's image guidance gives a few practical rules that apply directly:
- •Use real image tags. Google finds images in HTML img elements and does not index images set as CSS backgrounds, so avoid background-image sliders for your cases.
- •Write descriptive alt text. For example, front view of upper teeth after six porcelain veneers. Alt text also helps people using screen readers.
- •Keep captions as page text. Text near an image helps search engines understand it, so put the caption in HTML rather than inside the image.
- •Serve sharp but light files. Use responsive images with a normal src fallback and a modern format such as WebP or AVIF, so the gallery stays fast on phones.
A side-by-side layout or a slider built on two real img elements both work. Whatever you choose, check it on a narrow phone screen and make sure the before and after labels stay readable.
Using photos in ads and social posts
Ad platforms review health and cosmetic ads closely, and their rules change. Read the current policy before you launch, and expect some creative to be rejected.
- •Google Ads: the misrepresentation policy covers manipulated media and unreliable claims, so the unedited photo and the honest caption matter even more in an ad.
- •Facebook and Instagram: Meta's Health and Wellness ad standard requires ads for cosmetic procedures to target people 18 or older and does not allow statements that attack a person's appearance. Frame the ad around the treatment and the result, not around what was wrong before.
- •Organic posts: one case per post with a clear caption works better than a crowded collage. Link to the matching gallery section on your website.
If you run ads for treatments, our guide to ads that are not getting approved covers what to check when a platform rejects your creative.
Sources
Platform policies change often, so check them for current wording.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to ask a patient for permission to share their photos?
At the end of treatment, when the patient has just seen their result and is happy with it. Ask in person, explain where the photos would appear, and make it clear that saying no changes nothing about their care. Use a separate photo release that your own attorney has drafted or reviewed.
Should I show full faces or only smiles?
Offer the patient the choice. Smile and close-up photos show the dental result clearly and many patients are more comfortable with them. Full-face photos show the whole effect of cosmetic work but only make sense when the patient is happy to be recognized. Record which option the patient chose.
Can I retouch before and after photos?
Crop, straighten, and resize only. Do not change the teeth, shade, gums, or skin in the after photo. Google's ad policy does not allow media manipulated to mislead, and an edited result also costs you trust the moment a patient notices.
Can I use stock before and after photos?
Not as proof of your work. A before and after tells people what your practice achieved. If you need an illustration for a treatment page, use a clearly generic image and keep your gallery for your own cases.
What should a gallery caption say?
The treatment that was done, roughly how long it took if your records show it, and a short note that results vary from patient to patient. Avoid guarantees and words like perfect.
What if a patient asks me to remove their photos?
Take them down promptly from your website, social profiles, and ads, and note the date in your records. Keep a simple list of where each patient's photos appear so removal is quick.