Dental offices and orthodontists

Most people visit a dental office's website to get something done. They want to book a cleaning, find out whether the office takes new patients, check whether it offers direct billing to their insurer, or learn what to do about a cracked tooth on a Saturday. Many arrive anxious or in pain. Some use a screen reader, magnify their screen, or navigate with a keyboard because a mouse is difficult for them. If the booking form or emergency information does not work for them, the next step is usually a phone call, or another office.

About 27% of Canadians aged 15 and over reported one or more disabilities in 2022 (Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability 2022). Under the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation, Man. Reg. 47/2022, organizations with one or more employees in Manitoba have been covered since May 1, 2025. Web content that is needed to access an organization's goods or services must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)). For a dental office, that includes the pages patients use to book, register and get emergency guidance.

Where websites in this sector usually fail

The patterns below come up often on dental and orthodontic websites. They are typical issues, not findings about any particular business.

What the regulation requires of a dental office

Beyond meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content (s. 7(1) (opens in a new tab)), Man. Reg. 47/2022 has practical effects at the front desk.

Accessible formats and communication supports (s. 5 (opens in a new tab))

Patients should be told that they can request information in a format that works for them. For a dental office, that often means stating on the website and at reception that registration forms, treatment estimates and post-operative instructions can be provided as an accessible electronic file, in large print, or read aloud.

Feedback process (s. 9 (opens in a new tab))

There should be an accessible way for patients to report barriers, such as a short web form, an email address and a phone number, clearly listed.

Training (s. 4 (opens in a new tab))

Reception staff who answer patient questions, whoever updates the website, and whoever chooses booking or patient-communication software all fall within the training requirement, which applies as soon as reasonably practicable.

What we test first

1. Booking, changing or cancelling an appointment online
2. Finding emergency and after-hours instructions
3. Completing new-patient registration and health history forms, including any PDF versions
4. Checking insurance, direct billing and payment information
5. Finding hours, location, parking and entrance accessibility details
6. Browsing service pages and before-and-after galleries

Each journey is tested with keyboard only, NVDA, VoiceOver, text resized to 200% and content reflowed at 320 CSS px, along with automated scans. See our method.

Fixing without a redesign

Most of these issues can be repaired without changing how the site looks. Gallery photos can be given descriptive alternative text, such as the treatment shown and the visible result. Form labels can be connected to their fields while keeping the same visual layout. Contrast can often be corrected by adjusting a shade slightly within the office's existing colours. Scanned PDF forms can be replaced with accessible PDFs or an accessible web form. We work to the principle of least visible change, so the site still looks like yours. Read more about our services or see a sample report.

To find out where your office's website stands, contact us for an audit and a fixed written quote.

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not legal advice.