Changelog
Every data update, correction, and methodology change is logged here and in each clinic's own change history. The rating updates whenever the underlying public data changes.
| Date | Subject | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 | Methodology v1.4.2 | Clarified when dentist names count: a name published by the clinic counts when it lets a patient find the dentist in a professional register; a first name alone is not enough, nor is a first name with a patronymic where surnames are in use. Applied the same day to the clinics whose own channels name their dentists by first name only, which lose the points for dentist names. No other score changes. |
| 2026-10-07 | Methodology v1.4.1 | Added a limit on re-checks made at a clinic's request: the next request from the same clinic about its own page is taken up no sooner than one month after the last re-check made at its request, which is dated in the clinic's change history; requests sent earlier are not processed. Corrections reported by anyone else are handled as before. No score changes. |
| 2026-10-05 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Re-read on 2026-10-05: the practice's former website address, dralter.co.za, still shows a hosting platform's "no page is linked to this domain" notice and its Google listing gives no website, so the link is removed and the English version, structured data and service pages are recorded as absent. |
| 2026-10-02 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: no profile on Hellopeter, Yellosa, WhatClinic, Dental Departures, Bookimed or Trustpilot; the WhatClinic profile its site links to has been removed. |
| 2026-10-02 | DentiCare Fourways | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: no profile on Hellopeter, Yellosa, WhatClinic, Dental Departures, Bookimed or Trustpilot; Yellosa and WhatClinic carry only unclaimed entries without reviews. |
| 2026-10-02 | Designer Smiles Inc. | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: no profile on Hellopeter, Yellosa, WhatClinic, Dental Departures, Bookimed or Trustpilot; Yellosa has only an old unverified entry for its dentist without reviews. |
| 2026-10-02 | Dr Danka Dentistry | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: no profile on Hellopeter, Yellosa, WhatClinic, Dental Departures, Bookimed or Trustpilot. |
| 2026-10-02 | Houghton Dental | Website structure read on 2026-10-02: business structured data found. |
| 2026-10-02 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | Website structure read on 2026-10-02: no separate treatment pages. |
| 2026-10-02 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: no profile on Hellopeter, Yellosa, WhatClinic, Dental Departures, Bookimed or Trustpilot. |
| 2026-10-02 | Sandton Dental Clinic (Dr's Peer) | General anaesthesia / deep sedation changed to not established: "Sedation Dentistry" is listed but the kind of sedation is not described (read 2026-10-02). |
| 2026-10-02 | Sandton Dental Studio | Website structure read on 2026-10-02: business structured data found; separate treatment pages found. |
| 2026-10-02 | The Smile Zone | Presence on review platforms checked 2026-10-02: Hellopeter page with 2 reviews. |
| 2026-10-01 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Other review platforms re-checked on 2026-10-01: no profile on WhatClinic, Hellopeter or Trustpilot; onOtherPlatforms set to false. |
| 2026-10-01 | Houghton Dental | Other review platforms re-checked on 2026-10-01: Hellopeter page with 2 reviews (both 5-star, none in the last 12 months). |
| 2026-10-01 | Sandton Dental Studio | Other review platforms re-checked on 2026-10-01: Hellopeter page under the dentist's name with 1 review (none in the last 12 months). |
| 2026-09-30 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Corrected 2026-09-30: published prices and the cleaning, filling, crown, implant, consultation and X-ray prices now unverified: they were read on the practice's former website, which is no longer online, and the practice has no Facebook page. |
| 2026-09-30 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Read the clinic's own Facebook page: it carries the clinic's address, phone and website, but its most recent post dates from November 2021 and it has no reviews. Recorded: no active presence on Facebook. |
| 2026-09-30 | Sandton Dental Clinic (Dr's Peer) | Checked the clinic's Booking and Contact pages: booking is by phone, and the contact form takes only a name, email and message. Recorded: online pre-consultation booking is not available. |
| 2026-09-30 | The Smile Zone | Checked the site's "Book a consultation" button: it opens the Contact page, whose form takes a name, contact details and a message, with no choice of service or time. Recorded: online pre-consultation booking is not available. |
| 2026-09-30 | The Thinc Clinic Rosebank | Re-read 2026-09-30 on the clinic's own website (read in full), Facebook page and Google listing: the website publishes prices (a consultation with X-rays from R2200, a deluxe clean at R1556.60, implants from R35 000 per implant, veneers from R15 000 per tooth, aligners from R38 000, whitening), so prices, cleaning, implant, consultation and X-ray prices are corrected to published; no price is given for fillings or crowns. Specializations, service list, contacts, address and English site now rest on its own pages. |
| 2026-09-30 | Ziyaad Dental Surgery | Re-read 2026-09-30 on the clinic's own website (all pages) and Google listing: specializations corrected to not stated, since neither names a dentist or a qualification; website, English content, address and map and the absence of published prices now rest on them. The website's contact page still gives the earlier address, 80 Jorissen Street. |
| 2026-09-29 | DentiCare Fourways | Corrected 2026-09-29: review recency within 3 months (newest review dated 2026-09-25). |
| 2026-09-29 | DentiCare Fourways | Looked for the clinic on Facebook under its name: no "Denticare Fourways" page exists (the site's Facebook icon links only to the Facebook homepage). Recorded: not present on Facebook. |
| 2026-09-29 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Looked for the dentist and the practice on Facebook by name: no page exists. Recorded: not present on Facebook. |
| 2026-09-29 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Checked TripAdvisor's own search and WhatClinic's Johannesburg directory: no listing on either platform. The clinic's website carries no TripAdvisor link. |
| 2026-09-29 | Dr. Jonathan Miller | Looked for the dentist on Facebook under his name and his website's name: no page exists. Recorded: not present on Facebook. |
| 2026-09-29 | Melrose Dental Studio | Corrected 2026-09-29: owner replies to reviews confirmed on the Google listing (owner reply dated 2026-08-20). |
| 2026-09-29 | Melrose Dental Studio | Checked TripAdvisor's own search and re-read the clinic's website: no TripAdvisor listing (the only same-name hit, Melrose Arch, is a shopping precinct) and no TripAdvisor link on the site. Found the clinic's WhatClinic profile under its own name, address and dentist; the other-platforms entry previously rested on a dentist-ranking list page, which is not a review platform, and now cites that profile. Recorded: no TripAdvisor presence, present on WhatClinic. |
| 2026-09-29 | Ziyaad Dental Surgery | Looked for the clinic on Facebook under its name: no page exists. Recorded: not present on Facebook. |
| 2026-09-24 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (facilities, FAQ, payment and contact pages) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: CBCT and X-ray equipment documented on the practice's own facilities page; same-day emergency appointments; no WhatsApp contact and only a generic contact form; no weekend hours and closed Thursdays; genuine facility photos; Google rating 4.9 from 165 reviews, newest 2026-09-23, with owner replies to nearly every review, including a contested one-star review; no recurring complaint theme and no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor, Facebook and other-platform presence (the site shows a 2018 WhatClinic award badge, but the linked profile no longer exists), and whether the clinic works with foreign patients. |
| 2026-09-24 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": present for "dental implants Johannesburg"; not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | DentiCare Fourways | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (home and appointment-booking pages, the only two in its sitemap) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Corrected: the clinic's claimed Google Business Profile carries a dental-implants category, so implants are now recorded as offered even though the website's own service list does not mention them. Recorded: a genuine photo of the treatment room; a full online booking flow with treatment, doctor and time selection; Google rating 4.3 from 79 reviews with an owner reply to a scheduling complaint; several independent reviews describe unprofessional staff attitude and appointment mix-ups; no signs of manipulated reviews; the site's Facebook icon links only to the bare facebook.com homepage, not a specific page. Still unverified: a genuine Facebook page, TripAdvisor and other-platform presence, X-ray/CBCT equipment, surgery, paediatric and emergency care, and work with foreign patients. |
| 2026-09-24 | DentiCare Fourways | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Designer Smiles Inc. | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (digital dentistry, contact and treatment pages) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: digital X-ray and CBCT documented on the clinic's own site; a genuine practice photo of a scan being reviewed on screen; a WhatsApp chat button; Google rating 5.0 from 68 reviews, newest 2026-09-02, with owner replies on the readable reviews; no recurring complaints and no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and other-platform presence, whether the clinic works with foreign patients (only a single review mentions travelling for treatment, not the clinic's own materials). |
| 2026-09-24 | Designer Smiles Inc. | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": present for "dental implants Johannesburg"; not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's Google listing (the website at dralter.co.za no longer loads - it now returns a 404 page). Corrected: the website is currently down, so it is no longer counted as an official website; current Google Business Profile hours show no weekend or evening opening. Recorded: genuine staff photos on the Google listing; consistent owner replies including recent ones; two reviews describing undisclosed fees; no signs of manipulated reviews; an archived copy of the former site (dated 2026-02-12, disclosed as such) documents a tooth extraction performed at the practice. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and Facebook presence, X-ray/CBCT equipment, emergency care and work with foreign patients, none of which could be confirmed once the website went offline. |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr Danka Dentistry | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (services, about, contact and minor-oral-surgery pages) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: dental implants and extractions documented as part of the practice's own oral surgery service, alongside X-rays, paediatric dentistry and 24-hour emergency assistance; no orthodontics in the full service list; a WhatsApp chat button; Saturday hours; a genuine photo of the practice building; a specific linked Facebook profile; Google rating 4.6 from 65 reviews, newest 2026-08-26, with owner replies to both positive and negative reviews; two independent reviews describe treatment that later failed and needed redoing; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and other-platform presence, CBCT, work with foreign patients, and how the appointment form on the services page is used. |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr Danka Dentistry | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr. Jonathan Miller | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website, now live again with a full set of treatment pages, and its Google listing. Corrected: the website is back online (it was recorded as down before) with dedicated pages, specializations, a genuine photo of the dentist and a booking form that lets patients pick a treatment. Recorded: X-rays, extractions, implant surgery with bone grafting, fixed orthodontics and children's dentistry documented; no WhatsApp link; current opening hours have no weekend or late-evening slot; Google rating 4.5 from 41 reviews with owner replies to negative reviews; three independent reviews describe cleanings as not thorough; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and Facebook presence, CBCT, documented emergency care and work with foreign patients. |
| 2026-09-24 | Dr. Jonathan Miller | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": present for "English speaking dentist Johannesburg"; not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's full website (costing, services, about and contact pages, gallery) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Corrected: no price figures are published anywhere on the site (the costing page explains fee policy only), so pricing and all six individual treatment prices are recorded as not published. Recorded: implants, orthodontics and root-canal specialisation documented, along with treatment of young patients; no WhatsApp contact and only a generic contact form; no weekend or evening hours; Google rating 4.3 from 28 reviews, newest 2026-09-03, with owner replies; three independent reviews describe the practice as overpriced; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and other-platform presence, X-ray and CBCT equipment, documented emergency care and work with foreign patients. |
| 2026-09-24 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Sandton Dental Clinic (Dr's Peer) | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (services, about, practice overview, opening hours and a blog post on treating SADC visitors) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: surgical procedures, family/children's dentistry and sedation dentistry documented; welcomes patients from neighbouring SADC countries; Saturday hours; genuine photos of the treatment room and reception on the Google listing; a Facebook page and a WhatClinic listing for this Sandton City branch; Google rating 4.7 from 192 reviews, newest 2026-09-10, with recent owner replies; two lowest-rated reviews describe billing and accounts problems; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: CBCT equipment, TripAdvisor presence, and whether the online booking widget lets patients choose a service or time. |
| 2026-09-24 | Sandton Dental Clinic (Dr's Peer) | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | The Smile Zone | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (team, general and restorative dentistry pages, gallery) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: digital X-rays, implants, paediatric dentistry and a named paediatric specialist documented; genuine photos of patients and equipment in the gallery; no weekend or evening hours; Google rating 4.6 from 55 reviews with owner replies to most reviews, including an acknowledged emergency case; four independent reviews describe an unhelpful or rude receptionist; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor and other-platform presence, CBCT, work with foreign patients, and whether the booking button offers a full appointment form. |
| 2026-09-24 | The Smile Zone | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | The Thinc Clinic Rosebank | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's website (team, facility, concierge, virtual-consultation and treatment pages) and its Google listing (newest and lowest review sorts). Recorded: named dentists with specializations; genuine facility photography; CBCT, surgical and implant procedures, orthodontic aligners, paediatric dentistry and emergency care documented; a concierge service for patients travelling from abroad; a virtual consultation option; a WhatsApp chat for new patients; Facebook page linked from the footer; Google rating 4.9 from 358 reviews, newest 2026-09-21, with consistent owner replies; two lower-rated reviews describe not being followed up with; no signs of manipulated reviews. Still unverified: TripAdvisor presence. |
| 2026-09-24 | The Thinc Clinic Rosebank | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-24 | Ziyaad Dental Surgery | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's full 12-page website (services, education, gallery, hours, contact and appointments) and its Google listing. Recorded: X-rays and extractions documented, no implants or orthodontics in the service list; no dentist named on the site; a plain contact form with no booking option; procedures explained in plain language on an education page; Saturday hours; genuine reception and shopfront photos on the Google listing; consistent owner replies to reviews; no recurring complaints and no signs of manipulated reviews; no structured data and no separate pages per service. Still unverified: Facebook presence, TripAdvisor presence, CBCT, and whether the clinic works with foreign patients. |
| 2026-09-24 | Ziyaad Dental Surgery | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-24 for the five pending Johannesburg queries — "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats": not present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg", "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-17 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Re-read on 2026-09-17: the clinic's website (services index, six treatment pages, about, contact and new-patients pages) and its Google listing. Recorded: a genuine team photo on the About page, digital X-rays described in the visit-flow explanation, no orthodontics, oral-surgery or emergency service across the site's own six-service list, weekday-only hours with no evening or weekend slot, Dentist/Organization structured data, and six dedicated treatment pages. Still unverified: Facebook and TripAdvisor presence, other review platforms, CBCT/3D imaging, and work with international patients. |
| 2026-09-17 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-17 for the standard Johannesburg queries: present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "English speaking dentist Johannesburg"; not present for "dental implants Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg" and "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats". |
| 2026-09-17 | Melrose Dental Studio | Re-read on 2026-09-17: the clinic's website (services index, twelve individual treatment pages, gallery and contact pages) and its Google listing. Recorded: a genuine waiting-room photo on the gallery page, no extraction/oral-surgery service among the twelve listed treatments, a dedicated Emergency Dentistry page, two WhatsApp numbers, Saturday morning hours, Dentist structured data and twelve dedicated service pages. Still unverified: TripAdvisor presence, CBCT/3D imaging, work with international patients, and whether the generic contact form counts as a pre-visit consultation channel. |
| 2026-09-17 | Melrose Dental Studio | Search visibility checked on 2026-09-17 for the standard Johannesburg queries: present for "best dentist Johannesburg", "emergency dentist Johannesburg", "Johannesburg dental clinic for expats"; not present for "English speaking dentist Johannesburg" and "dental implants Johannesburg". |
| 2026-09-07 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Reputation block measured live on 2026-09-07, which opened this clinic’s Google Maps place page in a real browser. The manual browser check could not reach these ten cards: they enter the country directory southafrica-dental as twins of this city site, carry no entry in data/research/*.json, and import-research.js therefore left them untouched, so their respondsToReviews, recurringComplaints and suspiciousReviewPatterns had never been assessed at all. Written now: googleRating 5.0 → 5.0; googleReviewCount 148 → 149 (histogram 148/1/0/0/0 = 149, weighted mean 4.993); reviewRecency within_3_months (unchanged, re-proved); respondsToReviews null → true; recurringComplaints null → false; suspiciousReviewPatterns null → false. The histogram sums to the place-page header count exactly and its weighted mean reproduces the published rating to one decimal. Fields this pass did not measure are untouched. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | aiVisibility.googleIndexingQuality measured for the tail via the Y3c web search route: query "Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice" Johannesburg on opnxng.com (2026-09-07). Written now: googleIndexingQuality null → poor. own domain drjackshih.co.za does not appear at all; the exact-phrase query surfaces only two results, both self-pages on our own johannesburgdentalrating.com — confirmed empty of the own domain on a second instance, paulgo.io, which returned the identical two self-pages. This card enters the country directory southafrica-dental as a twin of this city site and carries no entry in data/research/*.json (johannesburg-dental has no research directory at all — this card in clinics.json is the sole record), so import-research.js never had a file to read this field from; it stayed null through the whole of until measured directly here. This was the last of the 5 remaining southafrica twin cards with a null googleIndexingQuality; now has 204/204 cards evaluated for this field. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Houghton Dental | Reputation block measured live on 2026-09-07, which opened this clinic’s Google Maps place page in a real browser. The manual browser check could not reach these ten cards: they enter the country directory southafrica-dental as twins of this city site, carry no entry in data/research/*.json, and import-research.js therefore left them untouched, so their respondsToReviews, recurringComplaints and suspiciousReviewPatterns had never been assessed at all. Written now: googleRating 5.0 → 5.0; googleReviewCount 144 → 147 (histogram 146/1/0/0/0 = 147, weighted mean 4.993); reviewRecency within_3_months (unchanged, re-proved); respondsToReviews null → true; recurringComplaints null → false; suspiciousReviewPatterns null → false. The histogram sums to the place-page header count exactly and its weighted mean reproduces the published rating to one decimal. Fields this pass did not measure are untouched. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Houghton Dental | aiVisibility.googleIndexingQuality measured for the tail via the Y3c web search route: query "Houghton Dental" Johannesburg on paulgo.io (2026-09-07). Written now: googleIndexingQuality null → good. own domain houghtondental.co.za takes the top result plus three more pages — Meet the Team, Frequently Asked Questions, General (4 of 12) — ahead of Instagram, a HelloPeter review, Medpages and Houghton Medical Suites. This card enters the country directory southafrica-dental as a twin of this city site and carries no entry in data/research/*.json (johannesburg-dental has no research directory at all — this card in clinics.json is the sole record), so import-research.js never had a file to read this field from; it stayed null through the whole of until measured directly here. This was the last of the 5 remaining southafrica twin cards with a null googleIndexingQuality; now has 204/204 cards evaluated for this field. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Melrose Dental Studio | Reputation block measured live on 2026-09-07, which opened this clinic’s Google Maps place page in a real browser. The manual browser check could not reach these ten cards: they enter the country directory southafrica-dental as twins of this city site, carry no entry in data/research/*.json, and import-research.js therefore left them untouched, so their respondsToReviews, recurringComplaints and suspiciousReviewPatterns had never been assessed at all. Written now: googleRating 4.8 → 4.8; googleReviewCount 132 → 132 (histogram 126/0/1/2/3 = 132, weighted mean 4.848); reviewRecency "within_year" → within_3_months; respondsToReviews null → false; recurringComplaints null → false; suspiciousReviewPatterns null → false. The histogram sums to the place-page header count exactly and its weighted mean reproduces the published rating to one decimal. Fields this pass did not measure are untouched. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Melrose Dental Studio | aiVisibility.googleIndexingQuality measured for the tail via the Y3c web search route: query "Melrose Dental Studio" Johannesburg on opnxng.com (2026-09-07). Written now: googleIndexingQuality null → good. own domain melrosedental.co.za takes the top result plus three more pages — Services, Contact Us, About Us (4 of 12) — ahead of Facebook, Instagram, WhatClinic, LinkedIn and a directory listing. This card enters the country directory southafrica-dental as a twin of this city site and carries no entry in data/research/*.json (johannesburg-dental has no research directory at all — this card in clinics.json is the sole record), so import-research.js never had a file to read this field from; it stayed null through the whole of until measured directly here. This was the last of the 5 remaining southafrica twin cards with a null googleIndexingQuality; now has 204/204 cards evaluated for this field. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Methodology v1.4.0 | Narrowed the "Opaque or bait pricing" red flag to what its published definition describes. Until now the flag was applied automatically to every clinic that does not publish a price list — a harsher statement than the evidence supports, since the catalogue defines the flag as complaints about final bills materially exceeding quoted prices, or advertised prices that are not honoured. Not publishing prices is already scored: it costs the clinic points in the price transparency category, and it is not, on its own, evidence of bait pricing. The automatic rule is removed, so the flag and its 2-point penalty come off about 1,300 clinic pages across the index; no clinic gains a flag, and no weight, severity or other scoring rule changed. The flag can still be recorded against a clinic by hand with cited sources, and about 210 clinics carry such an entry today; we are reviewing those entries in a follow-up pass, because some of them were also written for nothing more than an unpublished price list. |
| 2026-09-07 | Sandton Dental Studio | Reputation block measured live on 2026-09-07, which opened this clinic’s Google Maps place page in a real browser. The manual browser check could not reach these ten cards: they enter the country directory southafrica-dental as twins of this city site, carry no entry in data/research/*.json, and import-research.js therefore left them untouched, so their respondsToReviews, recurringComplaints and suspiciousReviewPatterns had never been assessed at all. Written now: googleRating 4.7 → 4.7; googleReviewCount 104 → 104 (histogram 95/2/1/1/5 = 104, weighted mean 4.740); reviewRecency within_3_months (unchanged, re-proved); respondsToReviews null → true; recurringComplaints null → false; suspiciousReviewPatterns null → false. The histogram sums to the place-page header count exactly and its weighted mean reproduces the published rating to one decimal. Fields this pass did not measure are untouched. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-07 | Sandton Dental Studio | aiVisibility.googleIndexingQuality measured for the tail via the Y3c web search route: query "Sandton Dental Studio" Johannesburg on paulgo.io (2026-09-07). Written now: googleIndexingQuality null → good. own domain sandtondental.co.za takes the top result plus five more pages — Contact Us, Practice, General Dentistry, Dental Implants, About Us (6 of 12) — ahead of two LinkedIn profiles, Cylex and two unrelated Facebook posts. This card enters the country directory southafrica-dental as a twin of this city site and carries no entry in data/research/*.json (johannesburg-dental has no research directory at all — this card in clinics.json is the sole record), so import-research.js never had a file to read this field from; it stayed null through the whole of until measured directly here. This was the last of the 5 remaining southafrica twin cards with a null googleIndexingQuality; now has 204/204 cards evaluated for this field. The country twin on southafrica-dental was re-synchronised from this card in the same step; the two copies are identical except for the twin’s city key. |
| 2026-09-03 | Methodology v1.3.1 | Clarified that the publication criteria refer to the clinic’s own channels: a service list, the names of the dentists and a price list count when the clinic itself publishes them (its website, its social profiles or its own Google Business profile) — registers, directories and review sites do not, and a time-limited promotional offer is not a price list. Added a third state for a dentist’s licence, "checked, not found in the public register": a dentist we searched for in the national register and did not find is now recorded as checked-but-unverified with the date of the check, instead of being shown either as "not checked yet" or as the "not published" red flag. Neither change alters any weight or penalty; the red-flag rule still fires only on a verified negative. Also corrected the wording of the penalty note under the ranking table, which rendered as "20−" in right-to-left dictionaries. |
| 2026-09-01 | Dr. Haseena Mahomed | Correction of our own error and re-read of the practice's website following its 2026-08-19 message: the card said 'no website' although the site had been found on 2026-08-25 - website recorded; service list (general incl. extractions, root canal and geriatric care; cosmetic; paediatric; preventative), dentist qualifications and specialties, gallery photos, English version, dedicated service pages and WhatsApp contact recorded; the paediatric page's 'treatment under GA or sedation in the rooms' recorded; second location (Vogue Medical Clinic, Montgomery Park) added to the summary. Verified absences after checking all 27 pages: no prices (the pricing page is the theme's placeholder table), no emergency care mentioned, no structured data. Opening hours conflict between the contact page and the service pages - left unverified. Wisdom-tooth or surgical extractions and special-needs care, mentioned in the practice's message, do not appear on the site. |
| 2026-08-25 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured first Google rating 4.9 (164 reviews, latest review ~6 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | Recorded sedation / general anaesthesia availability (informational): documented as available. Site: most procedures use conscious sedation; gum graft surgery is performed under general anaesthetic. |
| 2026-08-25 | Centre for Implantology and Oral Medicine (Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram) | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0069949 for Dr Muhammed Hanif Abram. |
| 2026-08-25 | DentiCare Fourways | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured first Google rating 4.3 (79 reviews, latest review ~6 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Designer Smiles Inc. | Re-verified live facts (website, contacts, operating status): no changes to name/address/phone; site's treatment menu lists 'Sedation and General Anesthesia' and an 'IV Bar' (used for sleep-dentistry research). Google Maps showed a 5.0 rating (67 reviews) and confirmed open, but two similarly-named listings share this address and a compliant place-link (google.com/maps/place/... etc, not a bare search-results URL) could not be captured, so the rating was not recorded. |
| 2026-08-25 | Designer Smiles Inc. | Recorded sedation / general anaesthesia availability (informational): documented as available. Treatment menu on own site lists 'Sedation and General Anesthesia' and an 'IV Bar' as offered services. |
| 2026-08-25 | Designer Smiles Inc. | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0060224 for Dr. Sebasch Ranchod. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured first Google rating 4.9 (58 reviews, latest review ~9 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Avron Alter Dental Practice | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister: the sole matching registration for Dr. Avron Alter (DP 0028371, Abraham Judah Avron Alter) shows Status SUSPENDED — recorded as verified false per policy on lapsed/suspended registrations. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Danka Dentistry | Re-verification 2026-08-25: website live, clinic open; address corrected to precise 30 3rd Avenue, Corner 8th St, Linden, Randburg, 2195 (record on file only had 'Randburg / Rosebank area'); phone captured as 011 782 9714 (was unset); captured first Google rating 4.7 (64 reviews). |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Danka Dentistry | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0067806 (Ebrahim Mohamed Danka) matching 'Dr Danka'. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open (Google Business Profile now lists it as 'Dr Jack Shih Dental Clinic Sandton'); captured Google rating 5.0 (148 reviews, latest review ~1 month ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr Jack Shih Dental Practice | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister: a same-surname, same-city active dentist record (Chih-Hsu Shih, DP 0108880) exists but the registered first name does not match 'Jack Shih'; recorded null due to unresolved name ambiguity, not false. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr. Haseena Mahomed | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed address, phone unchanged and clinic open; discovered and verified live website https://jhbdental.co.za/ (previously unset); Google rating changed to 4.6 (20 reviews, latest review ~7 months ago), was 4.5. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr. Haseena Mahomed | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0092142 for Dr. Haseena Mahomed. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr. Jonathan Miller | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed address, phone unchanged and clinic open; discovered and verified live website https://dentistsmile.co.za/ (previously unset); Google rating refined to 4.5 (41 reviews, latest review ~3 months ago), was 4. |
| 2026-08-25 | Dr. Jonathan Miller | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0044784 for Dr. Jonathan Miller, postal code matching the practice address. |
| 2026-08-25 | Houghton Dental | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured Google rating 5.0 (144 reviews, latest review ~1 month ago) and precise geo coordinates. |
| 2026-08-25 | Houghton Dental | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0108049 for Dr. Aadil Jeena. |
| 2026-08-25 | Melrose Dental Studio | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; Google rating changed from 4.9 to 4.8 (132 reviews, latest review ~4 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Melrose Dental Studio | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0105252 for Dr. Edwin Alberts. |
| 2026-08-25 | Methodology v1.3.0 | Corrected how the two licensing red flags are applied ("Clinic operating licence not published" and "Dentists / their licences not listed"). Previously they were applied whenever licensing data was absent from our records, which treated unchecked data as a negative finding — contrary to the methodology's own rule that unverified data is a fact about our coverage, not about the clinic. Both flags now apply only where we have verified that the information is not published. Manual licensing flags that rested on unverified data were removed from the affected clinics. No other scoring rules changed; most scores rise because the incorrect penalty is removed. |
| 2026-08-25 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open (Google Business Profile lists it under 'Dr Richard Blake Lombard'); captured first Google rating 4.4 (27 reviews). |
| 2026-08-25 | My Dental Clinic (Dr Richard Lombard) | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0053651 for Dr. Richard (Blake) Lombard. |
| 2026-08-25 | Sandton Dental Clinic (Dr's Peer) | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website and address unchanged, clinic open; phone corrected to 011 783 4575 (Google Maps listing, was 011 783 4576); captured Google rating 4.7 (189 reviews, latest review ~3 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Sandton Dental Studio | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured first Google rating 4.7 (104 reviews, latest review ~3 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Sandton Dental Studio | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): exhaustively searched 2 name variants for Dr. Wynand van der Merwe (full surname-scan of 83 'van der Merwe' records; full fullname-scan of 14 'Wynand' records); no matching practitioner found — recorded verified false per policy. |
| 2026-08-25 | The Smile Zone | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website, address, phone unchanged and clinic open; captured first Google rating 4.5 (51 reviews, latest review ~1 month ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | The Smile Zone | License verification 2026-08-25 against HPCSA iRegister (Dentist Register, open access): found active registration DP 0077976 for Dr. Vikash Naidoo. |
| 2026-08-25 | The Thinc Clinic Rosebank | Re-verification 2026-08-25: website live, clinic open; Google Maps address corrected to 28 Bolton Rd, Rosebank, 2193 (was 11 Selby Rd) and phone corrected to 011 788 6218 (was 011 788 2701) - listing now shows the practice under an 'AlphaHuman' branded post; Google rating 4.9 (355 reviews, latest review ~4 months ago). |
| 2026-08-25 | Ziyaad Dental Surgery | Re-verification 2026-08-25: website live, phone unchanged, clinic open; Google Maps address corrected to 19 Ameshoff St, Braamfontein, 2001 (was 80 Jorissen St); Google rating 4.9 (82 reviews, latest review ~1 month ago). |
| 2026-08-23 | Methodology v1.2.0 | Added an informational "Sedation & general anaesthesia" availability field to every clinic and a new "Sleep Dentistry (Sedation / GA)" list, for patients who cannot tolerate — or would rather not be awake for — treatment. This field is informational and does not change any transparency score. |
| 2026-07-08 | Methodology v1.1.0 | Added licensing transparency: clinics are now penalised when they do not publish their operating licence, or do not list their dentists together with their professional licence numbers. Each clinic page now shows a Licensing & Credentials section. |
| 2026-07-03 | Methodology v1.0.0 | Initial public methodology. |