A dismissed hygienist told Google I hide infection control failures

A detailed Google review accused me of hiding infection control failures from patients and inspectors. The writer said the office scrambles to look clean only when someone official is expected. She described our specific supply ordering system and the way we log ultrasonic cleaner cycles. She claimed staff are told to keep quiet about shortcuts taken during heavy days. The review had the granular, insider quality of someone who had run the back of the office. It framed itself as a warning to families who deserved to know the truth. Sitting prominently in my search results, it colored the impression of anyone looking me up.

This review came from a hygienist whose employment with me ended, and personnel confidentiality forbids me from explaining the departure. Our infection control is consistent whether or not an inspector is present, and our logs reflect that. The supply and cleaner cycle systems she referenced are ordinary tools that reveal nothing unsafe. She knew them intimately because she used them for years, not because they hide any failure. This was the residue of a difficult separation, reframed as a public safety disclosure. Patients see the dramatic accusation, never the steady, documented reality of our daily protocols. The one directional nature of the gag means her account stands alone in public.

New patient bookings dipped noticeably in the two months after the review posted. I estimate the lost revenue was real, though I could not tie every empty slot to the review. The accusation of hiding failures stung because our infection control is a point of pride. I felt my anxiety rise whenever I imagined a prospective patient reading it before calling. My front desk had to field uncomfortable questions that shook their confidence too. I began to dread checking my own business listing. The sense of being publicly branded as dishonest was hard to shake.

I consulted counsel, who advised silence because any reply would confirm a former employee and risk a personnel dispute spilling into public view. I reported the review to the platform, but it remained because it was framed as firsthand experience. I compiled our infection control logs, cleaner cycle records, and inspection results into one organized file. I reassured my current team that I knew the accusation was false and stood behind their work. I invited satisfied patients to share honest reviews reflecting their actual visits. I kept dated documentation of the review in case it ever escalated. Then I recommitted to transparent, consistent protocols so that any inspection would speak for itself.