A chain of dental clinics in Ukraine (Lviv, Odesa) and Poland (Kraków, Wrocław) focused on implants and aesthetic dentistry. Over 7 months: a $54,000 budget, 3,920 leads, the cost per booking cut from €17 to €5.8 (−66%), 38% conversion to a first paid appointment, a €1,200 average ticket and a 480% ROAS. Key tools: a free online consultation via WhatsApp with a review of the patient's panoramic X-ray, before/after video case studies from real patients, the dentist in talking-head videos, and dynamic retargeting. The article breaks down the full strategy and creatives.
The client is a chain of 4 dental clinics: 2 in Ukraine (Lviv, Odesa) and 2 in Poland (Kraków, Wrocław). Specialties: implants (single tooth, all-on-4, all-on-6), aesthetic dentistry (veneers, whitening), prosthetics and orthodontics. They came to us in September 2025 with a goal: scale the flow of implant patients in all 4 clinics without lowering the average ticket.
The starting point: before us
Before MAS Project, the client worked with two local contractors in Ukraine and one in Poland. The metrics:
- Average cost per consultation booking: €17
- Monthly flow: 120-180 leads on a budget of €3,500-4,500 for the whole chain
- Lead-to-first-paid-appointment conversion: 16-20%
- Consultation no-shows: 32-38%
- ROAS: 180-210% (barely breaking even after operating costs)
- Implants' share of ad-driven revenue: 22%
The main problems we found in the audit:
- Stock photos of smiling models in the creatives: a burned-out format
- Direct booking for a paid consultation (€30-50): 0.5-1.2% conversion
- No segmentation by service: implant ads were shown to people who wanted a cleaning
- Confirmation by phone call only, hence the high no-show rate in Ukraine
- One creative running for 3-5 weeks: fatigue and falling CTR
- No retargeting: 75% of potential patients were lost
What we did
Solution 1: a funnel built on the panoramic X-ray
The strongest decision in this case. Instead of direct booking for a paid appointment, a two-step funnel built on a free online consultation that reviews the patient's panoramic X-ray (OPG):
- Instagram/Facebook ads with a video from an implant dentist: “Send me your panoramic X-ray and I'll tell you what really needs treatment and what you're being upsold on”
- Booking via WhatsApp Business: the patient sends a photo of their OPG (60-70% of people over 30 have one)
- The dentist gives a short review on WhatsApp: 5-7 sentences + a 1-2 min video message
- An offer of a first appointment at the clinic for €30-50, with in-depth diagnostics and a treatment plan
- At the appointment: the final plan + an offer for a specific scope of work (implants, veneers, reconstruction)
- If the patient doesn't show up: a series of 4 WhatsApp messages over 2 weeks + a discounted offer
The result: lead-to-first-paid-appointment conversion grew from 16-20% to 38%. Using the panoramic X-ray as a “diagnostic file” had 3 effects:
- A filter for cold leads: those who are genuinely interested have an X-ray
- A showcase of expertise: the dentist sees the problem right away and speaks precisely
- Commitment: having shared their X-ray, people are more likely to come (no-shows fell from 35% to 11%)
Solution 2: creatives with real patients and the dentist
A complete overhaul of the creative strategy. What didn't work and what did.
What DIDN'T work
- Stock photos of perfect smiles: 0.5% CTR, banner blindness in a second
- “30% off implants” in the first touch: it attracted bargain hunters without a budget and put off patients who could pay
- Studio videos with models: they looked like ads and earned little trust
What worked
- Before/after video case studies of real patients, with consent and a short comment from the dentist on the method. CTR 2.8-3.6%, lead conversion +180%
- An implant dentist in a talking-head video, explaining a procedure in plain language or busting a myth (“3 mistakes people make before getting implants”). CTR 2.2-3.1%, very trusted
- UGC reviews from patients after treatment: filmed on a phone, emotional delivery. Especially strong for implants
- 3D scans and visualization of the result: short tech-focused videos, especially for the 25-40 audience
Over 7 months we tested 54 different creatives. 13 of them worked and delivered 79% of all leads. The other 41 cost $2,500-3,000 worth of learning.
“In dentistry, what matters isn't ‘the best price’ but trust in the dentist. A patient paying €1,500-3,000 for an implant isn't paying for the procedure but for the confidence they won't be ripped off or get poor work. That's why creatives with a real dentist explaining things in plain language work 3-4 times better than any promotion or discount.” — Natalia Maslakova, founder of MAS Project
Solution 3: WhatsApp Business + CRM
We moved all communication to WhatsApp Business. This is critical for dentistry and expensive services:
- Automatic confirmation of the request within 30 seconds via a bot
- A request for the panoramic X-ray, with instructions on where to get one (or have one taken at any clinic for €15-25)
- Appointment confirmation from a real receptionist within 10-20 minutes
- Reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before the appointment
- After the first appointment: the treatment plan + an itemized quote
- Before the procedure: instructions and preparation guidelines
- After the procedure: aftercare, check-up dates, booking the next visit
- Reactivation after 6-12 months: cleaning / check-up / new services
The effect on business metrics:
- First-appointment no-shows: 35% → 11%
- Conversion from booking to attending patient: 65% → 92%
- Patient LTV over 18 months: €1,200 → €1,870 (repeat procedures, cleanings, reactivation)
Solution 4: 4-level retargeting
We set up 4-level retargeting that ended up delivering 28% of all leads on 11% of the total budget:
- Level 1 (warm): visited the website and viewed a service page. Creative: a short video of the dentist answering a typical question about that service
- Level 2 (hot): started booking but dropped off on WhatsApp without sending an X-ray. Creative: a UGC review + “3 slots left this week”
- Level 3 (LTV patients): had a treatment 6+ months ago. Creative: the dentist talks about the next logical step (a cleaning after implants, veneers after orthodontics)
- Level 4 (top-ticket lookalike): people similar to patients who spent €3,000+. Creative: premium, focused on technology and comfort
Retargeting ROAS: 850-1,100% (2-3 times higher than cold targeting).
Results by month
| Month | Budget | Leads | CPL | Paying patients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 (September) | $4 000 | 235 | €17 | 40 |
| Month 2 (October) | $5 500 | 422 | €13 | 118 |
| Month 3 (November) | $6 500 | 580 | €11.2 | 198 |
| Month 4 (December) | $7 500 | 752 | €9.5 | 275 |
| Month 5 (January) | $8 500 | 915 | €8.1 | 355 |
| Month 6 (February) | $9 000 | 1 100 | €7.4 | 440 |
| Month 7 (March) | $9 500 | 1 245 | €5.8 | 490 |
| Total | $54 000 | 3 920 | €9.1 avg. | 1 490 |
Financial results over 7 months:
- Ad budget: $54,000 ≈ €50,000
- Leads: 3,920
- Paying patients: 1,490 (38% conversion)
- Cost per patient: €34 (acquisition cost via ads)
- Average ticket for the first treatment: €1,200
- Implants' share of revenue: 48% (up from 22%)
- Revenue from acquired patients: €1,788,000
- ROAS: 480% (excluding repeat visits and LTV)
What we'd do differently
- We'd have split campaigns by service sooner (implants / veneers / cleaning). We only did it from month 3 and missed out on optimization in the first 2 months
- We'd have launched Advantage+ in month 4 (when we had 300+ conversions a week) instead of month 6, which cost us +18-22% ROAS for 2 months
- We'd have connected the Conversions API right away. We only set it up in month 2 and lost 25-30% of the data in month 1
- We'd have filmed 5-7 video case studies a month with the clinics' patients instead of 1-2, since UGC from real patients delivers the best results
A checklist for your dental practice
What to implement in your clinic based on this case study:
- Switch to a two-step funnel built on a free online consultation
- Use the panoramic X-ray as a “diagnostic file”: it filters out cold leads and creates commitment
- Film 5-7 before/after video case studies with real patients (with consent)
- Film 8-10 talking-head videos of your implant dentist (explaining myths, mistakes, procedures)
- Use WhatsApp Business for all communication
- Set up the Conversions API for data quality
- Launch 4-level retargeting (warm / hot / LTV / top-ticket lookalike)
- Test 8-12 new creatives a month, as creative fatigue sets in fast
- Split campaigns by service (implants / veneers / cleaning)
- Track cost per patient, average ticket and LTV rather than CPL: these are the right KPIs
Want the same results for your clinic?
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Get a free consultationFrequently asked questions
What's a normal cost per lead for a dental clinic in 2026?
Ukraine: €4-9 depending on the city. Poland and other EU countries: €8-18. Germany and Austria: €18-35. In our case, we cut CPL from €17 to €5.8 with a two-step funnel built on the panoramic X-ray. The key metric isn't CPL but the cost per paying patient: ours was €34 at 38% conversion.
How do you attract implant patients with paid social?
Implants are an expensive service (€1,500-3,500 per tooth). Selling directly from cold ads converts at 0.1-0.3%. An effective strategy: an ad for a free online consultation → a panoramic X-ray via WhatsApp → a short review from the dentist → a paid first appointment → a treatment plan. This funnel converts to implants at 18-25%.
Which creatives work for dental advertising?
Top 3: 1) before/after video case studies of real patients with the dentist's commentary (+180% CTR); 2) the dentist in a talking-head video explaining a procedure or busting a myth (+90% conversion); 3) UGC reviews from patients after implants. Worst: stock photos of perfect smiles, which people recognize in a second.
How much does it cost to launch paid social for a dental clinic in 2026?
The minimum for a test is $1,500-2,500/month for 2 months in one city. For stable results in a small Ukrainian city, from $2,500/month. For a large city or the EU, from $5,000/month. In our case, the budget grew from $4,000 to $9,500 over 7 months. Plus €2,000-4,500 one-off for the funnel and integrations.
Why use a panoramic X-ray as a lead magnet?
3 effects: 1) it filters out cold leads (interested people have an X-ray); 2) it showcases expertise, as the dentist sees the problem right away and speaks precisely; 3) it creates commitment: those who share their X-ray are more likely to come (no-shows fell from 35% to 11%). In this case, using the X-ray lifted first-appointment conversion from 18% to 38%.
Which dental services sell best through paid social?
Top 5: 1) single-tooth implants: 18-25% conversion, €1,500-3,500 ticket, ROAS up to 600%; 2) veneers: 22-30%, €400-800 per tooth; 3) professional cleaning + whitening: 35-45%, €150-300, the funnel's entry point; 4) braces for adults: 15-22%, €1,500-3,000; 5) full-mouth reconstruction: 8-15%, €5,000-15,000.