Dental Market Report: Oakland County, MI
272 dental practices, 85,614 Google reviews, and a 4.73 average rating. The most competitive healthcare market in Oakland County — here's what the data shows.
Market snapshot
Data: Google Places API & US Census Bureau · Updated 2026-04-02Top dentals by Google reviews
Ranked by review count. Ratings and review counts from Google as of 2026-04-02.
| # | Business | City | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southfield Family Dental Center | Southfield | 4.7 | 2,537 |
| 2 | North Oaks Dental, Implant & Sedation Center | Royal Oak | Royal Oak | 4.8 | 1,565 |
| 3 | Bloomfield Hills Dental Associates | Bloomfield Hills | 4.9 | 1,542 |
| 4 | Novi Dentist PLLC | Novi | 4.9 | 1,249 |
| 5 | Great Expressions Dental Centers - Southfield-Lahser | Southfield | 4.7 | 1,068 |
| 6 | Southfield Dentistry | Southfield | 5 | 1,053 |
| 7 | Bright Side Dental | Southfield | 4.8 | 1,036 |
| 8 | Laser Family Dental | Troy | 4.8 | 1,032 |
| 9 | Dental House Waterford | Waterford Township | 4.7 | 1,025 |
| 10 | Dental Care of Michigan | West Bloomfield Township | 4.2 | 919 |
| 11 | Refresh Dental | Southfield | 4.5 | 912 |
| 12 | Bright Side Dental | Farmington | 4.8 | 904 |
| 13 | Kids Grins Pediatric Dentistry | Rochester Hills | 4.8 | 892 |
| 14 | Aesthetic Dental | Southfield | 5 | 866 |
| 15 | Aspen Dental - Lake Orion, MI - Auburn Hills | Lake Orion | 4.4 | 855 |
Dentals by city
How providers are distributed across Oakland County.
| City | Count | Avg rating | Total reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novi | 20 | 4.8 | 7,204 |
| Southfield | 19 | 4.8 | 10,992 |
| Royal Oak | 19 | 4.7 | 7,365 |
| Troy | 19 | 4.8 | 7,455 |
| Waterford Township | 19 | 4.8 | 6,526 |
| Bloomfield Hills | 18 | 4.9 | 5,355 |
| West Bloomfield Township | 18 | 4.7 | 5,446 |
| Rochester Hills | 17 | 4.9 | 6,548 |
| Village of Clarkston | 17 | 4.8 | 4,109 |
| Oxford | 16 | 4.4 | 1,336 |
| Lake Orion | 15 | 4.6 | 4,520 |
| Birmingham | 15 | 4.9 | 3,483 |
| Farmington Hills | 13 | 4.8 | 3,905 |
| Pontiac | 12 | 4 | 1,598 |
| Auburn Hills | 10 | 4.8 | 2,298 |
| Farmington | 6 | 4.9 | 2,845 |
| Rochester | 5 | 4.9 | 1,419 |
| Bloomfield Township | 2 | 4.8 | 479 |
| Keego Harbor | 2 | 4.9 | 351 |
| Beverly Hills | 2 | 4.9 | 344 |
| Orion Township | 2 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Waterford | 1 | 4.9 | 651 |
| Ferndale | 1 | 4.9 | 402 |
| Lathrup Village | 1 | 4.1 | 323 |
| Ste 140 | 1 | 4.9 | 254 |
| 2335 Pontiac Lake Rd # I | 1 | 5 | 253 |
| Pleasant Ridge | 1 | 4.7 | 146 |
Market analysis
Geographic concentration
Dental practices are distributed with remarkable evenness across Oakland County. Novi (20), Southfield (19), Royal Oak (19), Troy (19), and Waterford (19) all hover around the same count. This means there's no geographic shortcut — competition is intense everywhere.
Rating landscape
At 4.73 average, Oakland County dental is competitive but not impenetrable. Southfield Family Dental leads with 2,537 reviews — nearly 63% more than second-place North Oaks Dental Royal Oak (1,565). The average practice has 315 reviews, setting a high bar for map pack entry. Practices below 200 reviews are fighting for scraps.
Demographics
Market gaps
- Extremely even distribution across cities — no geographic shortcut, competition is intense everywhere
- Southfield Family Dental dominates with 2,537 reviews, proving that consistent review generation creates compounding advantages
- Many practices in the county have under 150 reviews despite years of operation — well below the 315 average
- Specialty positioning (cosmetic, pediatric, emergency, implants) remains an untapped differentiator for most practices
What this data means for your dental practice
With 272 practices and 85,614 total reviews, Oakland County is one of the most competitive dental markets in Michigan. The data reveals what separates the visible from the overlooked.
272 practices means every patient is choosing — not defaulting
Oakland County residents have so many dental options that no one "defaults" to the nearest provider. They compare. They read reviews. They check insurance compatibility and office photos. With an average of 315 reviews per practice, the baseline for credibility is high. Practices with fewer than 150 reviews are effectively invisible for high-intent searches like "dentist near me" in any major Oakland County city.
Even distribution means you can't win on location alone
Unlike other verticals where one or two cities dominate, dental practices are spread almost perfectly across Novi, Southfield, Royal Oak, Troy, and Waterford (19-20 each). This means your location doesn't give you an advantage — your GBP optimization, review volume, and content strategy have to do the heavy lifting. The practices winning in each city are the ones that treat local SEO as a priority, not a checkbox.
Southfield Family Dental shows what review velocity looks like
With 2,537 reviews, Southfield Family Dental has nearly double the second-place provider. That kind of review count doesn't happen organically — it requires a systematic post-appointment review request process running for years. The good news: most practices aren't doing this. Starting a review generation system now puts you on a path to competitive review counts within 12-18 months.
85,614 total reviews means patients are actively comparing
The sheer volume of reviews in this market tells you that Oakland County dental patients are sophisticated comparison shoppers. They check ratings, read recent reviews, look at photos, and evaluate how practices respond to negative feedback. If your GBP has no posts, outdated photos, and unanswered reviews, you're losing the comparison before patients even visit your website.
How we help dental practices compete in crowded markets
We build local visibility systems for dental practices — GBP optimization, review generation, and local content that targets how patients actually search for dentists in your city.