AI is changing how patients find dentists—but it's not replacing your front desk tomorrow. In this episode, Dr. Len Tau sits down with Evan Maass (Founder/CEO of DentistOffices.com) to break down what's real vs. hype in AI, where dental marketing is still failing practices (hello, "mystery SEO reports"), and how visibility is shifting from traditional Google search toward AI-driven recommendations. Evan also shares where reviews, directories, and user-generated content (like Reddit) fit into the next decade of "getting found."

What You'll Learn

• The biggest problems dentists face with SEO and ad spend (and how to spot "scam SEO")

• Where AI is useful today (keyword intent, targeting, automation) vs. where it's not ready (phone answering agents replacing humans)

• How AI search and traditional Google search overlap—and what "AI visibility" really means

• Why reviews + user-generated content will matter even more in the future

• What to ask a marketing agency before signing a contract (ownership, references, specialization)

• How directories (DentistOffices, Yelp, Healthgrades, etc.) can influence being recommended by AI tools

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Key Takeaways

00:38 Welcome + Sponsors + Episode intro

01:46 Meet Evan Maass + background

02:50 What DentistOffices.com is and how it works

05:55 How DentistOffices compares to ZocDoc

06:55 State of dental marketing: SEO frustration + ad waste

08:50 AI in dental marketing right now: what's useful vs. hype

11:05 Why AI phone agents aren't "prime time" yet

13:27 The review risk: AI agent frustration + negative reviews

14:34 A safer setup: auto-attendant for new vs. existing patients

15:10 Testing AI agents (the "rhinoplasty" question)

16:02 AI security + "jailbreak" concerns

17:30 In 5 years: what roles AI may replace in practices

20:00 Will Google disappear? AI search vs. Google evolution

23:39 Reviews and trust signals: why they matter more over time

24:35 Why Reddit influences AI recommendations

25:15 How dental offices can use Reddit carefully

31:00 Questions to ask marketing agencies before hiring

35:00 Specialist vs. "do-it-all" marketing + budget realities

38:50 Lightning round success, habits, mindset, favorites

43:25 How to reach Evan + add your practice to platform

45:20 Wrap-up + "Your reputation matters"

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Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com.

This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here.

This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here.

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