AI Visibility Report

Who Google's AI Recommends for Dental Care in Ottawa

A citation study of Google AI Overviews across seven Ottawa sub-markets and three patient questions, measuring which dental practices AI-generated answers name and cite — and which are absent.

21 patient-intent queries. 232 citations captured. 52 Ottawa practices named — alongside 15 Greater Toronto Area clinics, verified against our own July 2026 GTA study, that are being cited as the answer to Ottawa patients' questions.

21 queries7 sub-marketsGoogle AI OverviewsAugust 2, 2026

See where your practice sits

This report shows the market. We will run the same method against your practice and show you your position in it.

No credit card · We'll never share your details.

Already know you want the work? See the Accelerator →

The finding in one sentence

Toronto-area dental clinics are being cited as the answer to Ottawa patients' questions — 15 of them, 31 times. On implant cost, Ottawa practices take barely a third of citations. Google's map pack is built on proximity; the answer above it is not.

Ottawa practices cited
52 Ottawa practices cited
Citations to Ottawa practices
48% Citations to Ottawa practices
Citations to Toronto-area clinics
13% Citations to Toronto-area clinics
Citations to Google listings
31% Citations to Google listings

Ask an AI assistant to explain this report

It is a long study with a lot of numbers. Open it in your assistant with the question already written — including a request for the limitations, because those matter as much as the findings.

The question is copied to your clipboard when you pick one — paste it if your assistant opens empty.

Prefer to read it as a PDF?

The same report, formatted for sending to a partner or reading offline. Everything in it is on this page already.

What did this study measure?

We ran 21 patient-intent dental queries through Google across seven Ottawa sub-markets — implant cost, Invisalign cost, and which practices accept the Canadian Dental Care Plan — and recorded every source cited by the AI Overview each one returned.

  • 19 of 21 queries returned an AI Overview; the two misses were both Canadian Dental Care Plan questions, in Orléans and Hunt Club
  • 232 citations captured, de-duplicated so a practice cited twice in one answer counts once
  • 48% pointed at Ottawa practice websites, 31% at Google Business Profile listings, 13% at Toronto-area clinics and 8% at third parties
  • 52 distinct Ottawa practices were named across the seven sub-markets
  • Toronto clinics identified by domain match against our own July 2026 GTA dental study, not inferred from business names
  • Single point in time — captured August 2, 2026, and generated answers vary between runs

This measures Google AI Overviews only. It does not measure ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot, which use different retrieval systems and require separate tracking.

Four Findings

Toronto clinics are winning Ottawa answers. We identified 15 Greater Toronto Area dental practices cited in Ottawa AI Overviews, taking 31 citations — 13% of the total. One Mississauga clinic was cited in six of the seven Ottawa sub-markets we tested. These practices are 400 kilometres away and cannot appear in Ottawa's map pack. They can appear in the answer above it.

The damage is concentrated on the most valuable question. On implant cost, Ottawa practices take only 37% of citations while Toronto clinics take 18%. Implants are the highest-value procedure in general dentistry, and it is the question where local practices hold the least ground.

Local coverage questions stay local. On Canadian Dental Care Plan queries, Ottawa practices take 100% of citations and Toronto clinics take none. Content that is genuinely specific to Ottawa is not displaced by out-of-town content — which points directly at the fix.

A third of citations are not websites at all. 31% point to Google Business Profile listings rather than a practice's site. In this vertical the listing is doing as much work as the website, and the two are maintained by different people in most practices.

The Three Patient questions

Where Ottawa Practices Hold, and Where They Lose

The gap is not uniform. It is concentrated almost entirely on implant cost — the highest-value procedure in general dentistry — and it disappears completely on the one question that is genuinely local.

Share of AI Overview citations going to an Ottawa practice's own website

Implant cost

37%
Citations
99
Most cited
modelverse.ca (6), bayshoredental.ca (5), triadentdental.com (4)

The weakest question and the most valuable one. Toronto-area clinics take 18% of it; the rest goes to Google listings and directories.

Invisalign cost

55%
Citations
91
Most cited
riversideorthodontics.ca (6), inovadental.com (6), orleansdentalcentre.ca (4)

Ottawa practices hold a majority, but 14% still goes to Toronto clinics publishing generic procedure pricing.

CDCP coverage

100%
Citations
24
Most cited
bluskydental.ca (2), bayshoredental.ca (2), trilliumdental.ca (1)

Every citation went to an Ottawa practice, and none to a Toronto clinic. This is the proof that genuinely local content is not displaced — and two of the seven sub-markets returned no AI Overview here at all.

Based on 232 citations across 19 AI Overviews, captured August 2, 2026. The per-question figures sum to 214 rather than 232; both bases are reproduced as the source study published them rather than reconciled here.

The Proximity Finding

Toronto Practices in Ottawa's Answers

This is the most commercially significant pattern in the data. Each practice below was independently identified in our Greater Toronto Area dental study, then found again in Ottawa AI Overviews. These are not similarly-named businesses; they are the same domains, cited first in Toronto-area answers and then in Ottawa ones.

Toronto-area practice Ottawa citations Ottawa sub-markets Cited for
skymarksmilecentre.ca66Implant cost
renovadental.ca44Invisalign cost
eglintonoak.ca33Invisalign cost
hwy7familydentistry.ca33Implant cost
forestmanordental.com33Invisalign cost
luka.dental22Implant cost
clovedental.ca22Implant cost
smile-by-design.ca11Implant cost
appletreedental.ca11Implant cost
shoreline-dentistry.ca11Invisalign cost
underhilldental.com11Implant cost
marketplacedentistry.ca11Implant cost
yorkortho.ca11Invisalign cost
downtowndentistry.com11Invisalign cost
mapleridgedentistry.ca11Implant cost

If your practice is not cited, the answer an Ottawa patient receives is not blank. It names someone else — and increasingly that someone is 400 kilometres away, competing on published content alone. Absence is not neutral.

The Citation Leaderboard

Every Ottawa Practice Cited, Ranked

All 52 Ottawa dental practices cited across the 21 queries analysed, ranked by how many generated answers cited the practice's own website. “Sub-mkts” counts how many of the seven Ottawa areas the practice was cited in — the stronger signal, because it indicates content that works beyond one location. The missing-questions column is the more useful half: only 2 practices in the city answer all three.

Showing all 52 cited practices

All 52 practices cited in Google AI Overviews across the queries measured, ranked by citation count.
# Practice domain Sub-market Citations Sub-mkts Questions won Missing questions
1 inovadental.com Nepean
10
6 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
2 modelverse.ca Kanata
10
6 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
3 bayshoredental.ca Ottawa (Central)
7
6 CDCP coverage, Implant costInvisalign cost
4 riversideorthodontics.ca Ottawa (Central)
6
6 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
5 orleansdentalcentre.ca Ottawa (Central)
4
4 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
6 thetealumbrella.ca Kanata
4
4 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
7 triadentdental.com Ottawa (Central)
4
4 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
8 bluskydental.ca Nepean
4
3 CDCP coverage, Implant costInvisalign cost
9 carlingwooddental.com Nepean
3
3 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
10 barrhavensouthdentistry.com Barrhaven
3
2 CDCP coverage, Invisalign costImplant cost
11 justdentalcare.ca Barrhaven
3
1 CDCP coverage, Implant cost, Invisalign cost
12 nepeandentalcentre.com Nepean
3
1 CDCP coverage, Implant cost, Invisalign cost
13 familydentistottawa.com Ottawa (Central)
2
2 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
14 kanatahighlandsdental.ca Kanata
2
2 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
15 orthoperio.ca Ottawa (Central)
2
2 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
16 trilliumdental.ca Ottawa (Central)
2
2 CDCP coverage, Invisalign costImplant cost
17 wowsmiles.com Orléans
2
2 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
18 cityviewfamilydental.ca Nepean
2
1 CDCP coverage, Invisalign costImplant cost
19 gatewaydentistry.ca Kanata
2
1 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
20 huntclubdentalcentre.com Hunt Club
2
1 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
21 jeannedarcdental.ca Orléans
2
1 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
22 orleansqueenswaydental.com Orléans
2
1 Implant cost, Invisalign costCDCP coverage
23 613dental.ca Ottawa (Central)
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
24 allegradent.com Nepean
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
25 anatadental.com Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
26 barrhavenbrightsmiledental.com Barrhaven
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
27 barrhavendentalstudio.ca Barrhaven
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
28 braceshaven.com Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
29 centrepointeorthodontics.com Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
30 connexiondental.com Vanier
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
31 davisortho.ca Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
32 generaldentistottawa.ca Nepean
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
33 hazeldeandental.com Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
34 kanatadentalcare.com Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
35 kanatalakesdental.ca Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
36 kanatasouthdental.com Kanata
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
37 longfieldsdental.com Barrhaven
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
38 marchdental.ca Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
39 mcarthurdental.ca Vanier
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
40 nepeanfamilydental.com Nepean
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
41 newsmilelife.ca Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
42 orleansdentalarts.ca Ottawa (Central)
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
43 orleansdentureclinic.com Vanier
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
44 ottawadentist.ca Vanier
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
45 redhousedental.ca Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
46 tartandental.com Barrhaven
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
47 terryfoxdental.com Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
48 thdcc.com Kanata
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost
49 upperhuntclubdentalcentre.com Hunt Club
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
50 villagegreendental.ca Kanata
1
1 Implant costCDCP coverage, Invisalign cost
51 villanovadental.com Kanata
1
1 CDCP coverageImplant cost, Invisalign cost
52 yazdanidental.ca Kanata
1
1 Invisalign costCDCP coverage, Implant cost

Bar length is scaled to the highest citation count in the study. Repeat citations of the same domain within a single answer are counted once. Practices are identified by domain. Captured August 2, 2026.

Found your practice in that table — or didn't?

Either way, this report shows the market rather than what to do about it. The AI Visibility Accelerator is the fixed-price programme that acts on these findings: 13 weeks, a published price, and the same 21 queries re-measured three times afterwards.

See the Accelerator

Sub-Market Detail

Toronto Clinics Are Present in Every Sub-Market

The suburban sub-markets are the most contested. Kanata, Nepean, Orléans and Barrhaven each show six or seven Toronto citations, while Ottawa Central and Hunt Club show one apiece.

Sub-market Ottawa citations Toronto citations Distinct Ottawa practices
Ottawa (Central)12111
Kanata22620
Nepean19613
Orléans14611
Barrhaven17714
Vanier14412
Hunt Club13110

Where Else the Citations Go

The Other Sources Google Quoted

18 citations (8%) went to something that is not a dental practice at all. That share is low by the standards of this series — in Ottawa accounting the equivalent figure is 24% — which means dentistry remains a market where the practices themselves hold the answer.

Source What it is Citations
hellodent.comDirectory7
realdentalcosts.comCost aggregator3
123dentist.comDSO network2
sunlife.caInsurer1
opencare.comBooking directory1
dentistsranked.comDirectory1
reddit.comCommunity forum1
ottawapublichealth.caGovernment1
facebook.comSocial platform1

Method

Proof, Not Promises

  1. STEP 01

    Ran 21 patient-intent queries through Google with city-level location targeting across seven Ottawa sub-markets: Ottawa Central, Kanata, Nepean, Orléans, Barrhaven, Vanier and Hunt Club.

  2. STEP 02

    Tested each sub-market with the same three questions — implant cost, Invisalign cost and Canadian Dental Care Plan participation, so every area was asked identical questions.

  3. STEP 03

    Captured the complete search result page for each query, including the AI Overview block, its generated text, and every source it cited.

  4. STEP 04

    De-duplicated citations per answer, so a practice cited twice within a single AI Overview counts once.

  5. STEP 05

    Identified the Toronto-area clinics by exact domain match against our own July 2026 Greater Toronto Area dental study, rather than inferring from business names.

  6. STEP 06

    Classified each cited source by hand as a practice's own website, a Google Business Profile listing, or a third party — directory, insurer, government or forum.

  7. STEP 07

    Crawled on August 2, 2026 without personalisation, and recorded the crawl window so any figure can be re-checked against the day it was captured.

Limitations

This is a single-point-in-time snapshot. AI Overviews are generated fresh per query and vary between runs, so exact citation lists will differ if re-run; trends require repeated sampling. Practice identification is by website domain, and where a group operates several sites each is counted separately unless the study states a merge.

Two of the 21 queries — both Canadian Dental Care Plan questions, in Orléans and Hunt Club — returned no AI Overview at all and contribute no citations. The per-question citation figures sum to 214 while the study's total is 232; both are reproduced as published. Only three patient questions were tested, so cleanings, emergency care and cosmetic dentistry may behave differently.

AI Overviews reach the largest audience of any AI answer surface — no login, no app, shown to anyone searching Google — so this is the widest-reach measurement available. It is not the whole picture, and a business performing well here may perform differently elsewhere. Every figure comes from search results captured on the date stated and can be independently checked by running the same queries yourself.

Where Your Practice Sits

This report shows the market. It does not show your position in it — your citation count, which of the three patient questions you are absent from, and which practices are being named in the answers your patients see instead. That analysis is specific to your domain, and we produce it individually.

The most useful signal in this data is where the Toronto clinics fail. They take 18% of implant-cost citations and none at all on Canadian Dental Care Plan questions. Out-of-town content wins on generic procedure pricing and loses on anything genuinely specific to Ottawa. That is the opening, and it is a content problem rather than a marketing-spend problem.

The work that follows from this report is a fixed-price engagement: the AI Visibility Accelerator. Thirteen weeks, a published price, and three separate measurements against these same queries after publication — because a single check would not survive the variance we document above.

Send this to someone who needs to see it

The full study as a PDF — leaderboard, the three questions, sources, method and limitations.

Questions About This Report

See Which Practices Appear When Your Patients Ask

We will run the same method against your practice: which AI answers name you, which name your competitors instead, and the specific pages that would change it. No cost, no obligation.

Or read the AI Visibility Accelerator, the fixed-price programme built on this research, or how we approach dental SEO generally. All Ottawa research from Enginely.ai.

This report is provided for information. Practice names and domains appear because they were cited in publicly generated search results on the date stated; inclusion or absence is not an assessment of clinical quality, of any practice’s standing, or a recommendation of any practice. Nothing here is dental or medical advice, and nothing here describes Canadian Dental Care Plan eligibility — check that with the Government of Canada. Figures describe what Google’s systems returned on August 2, 2026 and may change.

Kickstart your practice's AI visibility in 13 weeks.

See the Accelerator