ORIGINAL RESEARCH / FIELD NOTE 01
Three questions, one city: a Gemini snapshot of Boulder dentists.
We asked about routine, family, and emergency dental care. Here is what appeared—and what three answers cannot tell us.
An exploratory snapshot from one product and one session per question.
Each answer displayed five practice or listing names. Across the three responses, we recorded 12 distinct displayed name strings; 3 names appeared in two responses. Names alone do not establish whether listings are separate businesses or branches.
Why this question?
A person looking for a routine checkup may phrase their need differently from a parent looking for a family dentist or someone searching for an urgent appointment. We wanted to see how much the displayed shortlist changed when the question changed. Boulder is one local market; it was selected for a manageable first observation.
How we ran the observation
On October 28, 2026, we used the Google Gemini web app in Flash mode with a signed-in account. We submitted each question once, in English, in a separate new chat, without naming a specific practice. The interface displayed a Google Maps connection with the responses. Account personalization, location signals, model version, and the search or retrieval settings beyond what the interface showed were not controlled or were not available to us.
We transcribed the names in the order displayed in each answer, counting each displayed name once per answer. We did not match branches to a single owner, verify whether the businesses or services were current, inspect all underlying sources, or conduct repeated trials. Download the observation table.
The three questions and displayed names
These names report what Gemini displayed; they are not Rankiful endorsements or a verified directory. Do not use the list to make a care decision without independently confirming the provider and availability.
ROUTINE CHECKUP
Which dental practices in Boulder, Colorado should I consider for a routine checkup?
Five names displayed in the response, in the order shown:
- Boulder Dentistry Co.
- Boulder Dental Center
- Boulder Total Dentistry
- Boulder Canyon Dental
- North Boulder Dental
View a cropped response excerpt
The image shows the prompt and the beginning of one response, not the full list. Statements in the response were not independently verified.
FAMILY CARE
Which family dentists in Boulder, Colorado should I consider for children and adults?
Five names displayed in the response, in the order shown:
- Weissman Family Dental
- Folsom Family Dentistry
- Broda Family Dental
- Whole Family Dentistry
- Boulder Dentistry Co.
View a cropped response excerpt
The image shows the prompt and the beginning of one response, not the full list. Statements in the response were not independently verified.
EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT
Which dentists in Boulder, Colorado offer emergency appointments for a toothache?
Five names displayed in the response, in the order shown:
- Comfort Dental - Boulder
- Boulder Dental Center
- Dr. Steve Poulos Emergency Dentist Boulder 24/7
- Boulder Dental Center Arapahoe
- Boulder Canyon Dental
View a cropped response excerpt
The image shows the prompt and the beginning of one response, not the full list. Statements in the response were not independently verified.
What changed across questions
The routine and family answers shared one exact displayed name: Boulder Dentistry Co. The routine and emergency answers shared two exact names: Boulder Dental Center and Boulder Canyon Dental. The family and emergency answers shared no exact displayed name. No displayed name appeared in all three. These counts use the names as displayed; “Boulder Dental Center” and “Boulder Dental Center Arapahoe” are treated as separate strings, without an ownership or location determination.
In this sample, the needs described in the prompt coincided with different lists. That observation does not show why the system selected a name, whether any business’s website caused an appearance, or how often another person will see the same answer. The answers also contained descriptions, ratings, opening hours, and emergency-care claims; we did not verify those claims and do not present them as findings.
What a business can do with this
Choose several genuine customer questions and document each product, date, settings, response, and source. Review whether your own service pages and public profiles accurately explain the services and conditions you offer. Repeat the same prompts over time before drawing conclusions, and distinguish a displayed mention from a verified claim, citation, or customer inquiry. See our measurement guide for a reusable method.
Limitations and next steps
Three one-off answers are too few to estimate share of voice, rank clinics, compare models, assess medical quality, or infer changes over time. Results can vary with wording, time, account, location, and product behavior. A larger study would repeat observations before reporting any trend; no expansion has yet been completed.
Research record: Google Gemini web app, Flash; one signed-in account; three separate new chats; English; Google Maps connection displayed; Boulder, Colorado; October 28, 2026. Screenshots are partial response excerpts captured during the observation.
LET’S MAKE PROGRESS
Build a clearer picture of your own business.
Use a consistent question set and track what the answers actually say.