Google has removed the Q&A feature from Google Business Profiles and replaced it with Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered AI that answers patient questions directly inside Google Maps. That means when a prospective patient wants to know whether your practice accepts their insurance, offer
On March 12th, Google announced the biggest upgrade to Google Maps in over a decade — and buried inside it is a change that every dental practice owner needs to know about. Dan breaks it down in this week's Monday Marketing Rundown.
The short version: Google has removed the Q&A feature from Google Business Profiles and replaced it with Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered AI that answers patient questions directly inside Google Maps. That means when a prospective patient wants to know whether your practice accepts their insurance, offers same-day appointments, or sees kids — they're no longer reading a Q&A thread you wrote and approved. They're getting an AI-generated answer pulled from your GBP, your website, your reviews, and whatever else Gemini can find.
As Dan explains, the practices that will win in local search going forward are the ones treating their Google Business Profile, their website, and their review profile as a unified system — because that's exactly how Google's AI is reading them. In the video, Dan walks through three specific things you can do right now to make sure Gemini is telling the right story about your practice to prospective patients.
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About the Author
Dan Brian
Co-Founder & Director of Client Services, DentalScapes
Dan Brian is co-founder and Director of Client Services at DentalScapes. A recognized early adopter of AI in dental marketing, Dan has been experimenting with and deploying AI tools since before they became mainstream — from AI-assisted content and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to predictive campaign analytics. He leads DentalScapes' marketing education programs for practice owners, including The Dental Marketing Mix podcast and The Dental Domination Program book.
