Clínica Médica Dentária de Merelim
According to our open methodology, this clinic scored 60/100 for transparency, reputation, service accessibility, and digital visibility.
Overall rank: #12 of 26 ranked clinics · Last checked: 24 September 2026
Positions by Rating Profile
- Overall Transparency & Trust#1260/100
- Best for Expats#1156.3/100
- Best for Dental Implants#1556/100
- Best for Emergency Dental Care#1160.3/100
- Best Price Transparency#1340.3/100
- Best English-speaking Clinicsnot ranked
- Best for Families / Children#1462.7/100
- Sleep Dentistry (GA / deep sedation)not ranked
General Anaesthesia & Deep Sedation
Whether the clinic documents treatment under general anaesthesia or deep / twilight sedation — "sleep dentistry", where the patient is asleep and unaware (does not feel, see, or hear the procedure). Ordinary conscious sedation, where the patient stays awake and responsive, does not count here. This is informational and does not affect the transparency score.
- ? General anaesthesia / deep sedation (sleep dentistry) — Not verified No sedation or anaesthesia info found on site.
Summary
Clínica Médica Dentária de Merelim is a multidisciplinary dental clinic operating since 1998 in the São Pedro de Merelim suburb of Braga. The clinic lists ten dentists with individual specializations covering orthodontics, endodontics/oral surgery, periodontology, pediatric dentistry, restorative dentistry, prosthodontics, implantology, and general practice. A WhatsApp contact is published. Its Google listing shows a 4.9 rating from 523 reviews. No ERS registration number or price list was found on publicly accessible pages.
Phone numbers: +351 253 625 311 (landline), +351 939 791 794 (mobile, also WhatsApp). The clinic has operated since 1998 and complements dentistry with general medicine, clinical analyses, podology, psychology, and nutrition. DocDental lists 343 reviews with 5/5 rating but notes the clinic is not formally verified on their platform. No ERS number was found in website footer or via search. No price list published. Website in Portuguese only. The clinic also has an Instagram account (@cmdmerelim).
Strengths
- Information Transparency: 18 of 20 points.
- No red flags identified in public sources.
Weaknesses
- Price Transparency: 0 of 15 verifiable points (missing: prices or price ranges published; cleaning price listed; filling price listed; crown price listed; implant price listed; consultation price listed; x-ray / imaging price listed)
Score Breakdown
Every criterion below is scored from public sources. ✓ verified yes · ✗ verified no / not found · ◐ partial · ? unverified (scores 0, not a negative finding).
Information Transparency
Whether basic facts about the clinic - its team, premises, services, and location - are publicly verifiable.
| ✓ | Has a working website [s1] | 4/4 |
| ✓ | Dentist names listed Ten dentists named: Dra. Sandra Mota Borges (Orthodontics/Invisalign), Dra. Marlene Silva (Oral Hygiene), Dra. Cláudia Heleno (Endodontics/Oral Surgery), Dra. Clara Verdasca (Periodontology), Dra. Pethine Dalsasso (Pediatric Dentistry), Dra. Eduarda Coelho (Restorative Dentistry), Dra. Joana Fernandes (Prosthodontics/Aesthetic Dentistry), Dr. Alberto (Implantology/Oral Surgery), Dr. Carlos Veiga (Prosthodontics/Aesthetic Dentistry), Dr. André Costa (Pediatric Dentistry/General Practice) [s1] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Dentist specializations listed Specialization stated for each dentist on the team page [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Real clinic photos Own-domain premises and named-staff photos [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Service list published Orthodontics (traditional and transparent), Invisalign, dental implants, pediatric dentistry, oral hygiene, endodontics, whitening, composite and porcelain veneers, orofacial harmonization, preventive care listed [s1] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Clear contact details Landline, mobile/WhatsApp, email, Facebook, Instagram on website [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✗ | English website version Website in Portuguese only [s1] | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Address and map published Full address with landmark consistent across official site and directories; location is outside Braga city center (São Pedro de Merelim suburb) [s1] [s2] | 2/2 |
Price Transparency
Whether patients can estimate costs before visiting. Published price ranges count; exact prices are not required.
Reputation & Reviews
Public review signals. The Google rating is adjusted with a Bayesian prior (rating 4.0, weight 25) so a 5.0 from a handful of reviews does not outrank a 4.8 from hundreds.
| ✓ | Google rating (Bayesian-adjusted) as of 2026-08-25 [clinica-md-merelim-braga-refresh] | 6/6 |
| ✓ | Google review volume as of 2026-09-24 [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-2] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Review recency Newest Google review dated 2026-09-05 [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-2] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Clinic responds to reviews Owner replies to reviews, including a recent one [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-2] | 2/2 |
| ? | No recurring complaints No accessible complaint corpus found | 0/2 |
| ? | No suspicious review patterns | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Active Facebook presence facebook.com/clinicamdmerelim linked from official site [s1] | 1/1 |
| ? | TripAdvisor presence | 0/0.5 |
| ✓ | Other review platforms DocDental listing (5.0/343 reviews, unverified); Doctoralia listing found [s2] | 0.5/0.5 |
Medical Infrastructure
The range of publicly documented equipment and services. This measures documented availability, not clinical quality.
| ✓ | On-site X-ray In-house digital panoramic X-ray [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-3] | 2/2 |
| ? | CBCT (3D imaging) | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Implantology Dental implants listed; Dr. Alberto specializes in implantology and oral surgery [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Orthodontics Orthodontics, Invisalign offered; Dra. Sandra Mota Borges is an Invisalign specialist with 25 years of experience [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Oral surgery Oral surgery offered by Dra. Cláudia Heleno and Dr. Alberto [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry offered; two pediatric specialists on team (Dra. Pethine Dalsasso, Dr. André Costa) [s1] | 1.5/1.5 |
| ✓ | Emergency care Dedicated same-day urgent care page, including after-hours phone contact [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-4] | 1.5/1.5 |
| ? | Works with international patients No international patient program or English-language service documented | 0/2 |
Communication & Service
How easy it is to contact the clinic, get answers, and book - especially for international patients.
| ✓ | WhatsApp / LINE available WhatsApp +351 939 791 794 on official website [s1] | 2/2 |
| ? | Response speed | 0/1.5 |
| ? | English spoken No English-language content or multilingual staff claim found | 0/2.5 |
| ? | Pre-visit consultation possible | 0/1.5 |
| ✓ | Clear service explanations Treatment pages with descriptions for main specialties [s1] | 1/1 |
| ✓ | Convenient opening hours Open until 8 PM on weekdays [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-2] | 1.5/1.5 |
AI & Search Visibility
Whether the clinic is discoverable when patients search - including via AI assistants. Checked with fixed queries: "best dentist Portugal", "English speaking dentist Portugal", "dental implants Portugal", "emergency dentist Portugal", "Portugal dental clinic for expats".
| ✗ | Mentioned for: best dentist Portugal [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: English speaking dentist Portugal [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: dental implants Portugal [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: emergency dentist Portugal [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: Portugal dental clinic for expats [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✓ | Structured data on website JSON-LD Organization entity site-wide [clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-5] | 1.5/1.5 |
| ✓ | Google indexing quality Official site ranks for clinic name searches; clinic appears prominently in Braga dental directory listings [sq] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Dedicated service pages Separate pages for orthodontics, implants, pediatric dentistry, and other specialties [s1] | 1.5/1.5 |
Licensing & Credentials
Whether the clinic publishes its operating licence and the dentists working there together with their professional licence numbers. A verified “not published” is recorded as a red flag; data we have not checked yet is shown as unverified and carries no penalty.
Clinic operating licence: Registo N.º 121135; Licença N.º 7655 (ERS - Clínicas ou consultórios dentários, Licenciada) (ERS open registry, searched 'Merelim' — exact address match (Lugar de Ramoa Lote B, São Pedro de Merelim, Braga). Registered under entity name 'Sandra Mota Borges, Lda'.) [clinica-md-merelim-braga-lic]
Dentists & professional licences
| Dentist | Specialization | Licence No. |
|---|---|---|
| Dra. Sandra Mota Borges [s1] [clinica-md-merelim-braga-doclic] | Orthodontics, Invisalign | OMD 04772 |
| Dra. Cláudia Heleno [s1] | Endodontics and Oral Surgery | not verified |
| Dra. Clara Verdasca [s1] | Periodontology | not verified |
| Dra. Pethine Dalsasso [s1] | Pediatric Dentistry | not verified |
| Dra. Joana Fernandes [s1] | Prosthodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry | not verified |
| Dr. Alberto [s1] | Implantology and Oral Surgery | not verified |
| Dr. Carlos Veiga [s1] | Prosthodontics and Aesthetic Dentistry | not verified |
Dentists are named; their licence numbers have not been checked against public sources yet — unverified, no penalty.
Red Flags
No red flags identified in the public sources we reviewed.
Data We Could Not Verify
- Reputation & Reviews: No recurring complaints
- Reputation & Reviews: No suspicious review patterns
- Reputation & Reviews: TripAdvisor presence
- Medical Infrastructure: CBCT (3D imaging)
- Medical Infrastructure: Works with international patients
- Communication & Service: Response speed
- Communication & Service: English spoken
- Communication & Service: Pre-visit consultation possible
Unverified items score 0 points but are not treated as negative findings. If you can document any of them, please send a correction.
Contact Information
| Website | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/ |
|---|---|
| Phone | +351 253 625 311 |
| +351 939 791 794 | |
| https://www.facebook.com/clinicamdmerelim/ | |
| Google Maps | Map listing |
| Address | Rua da Ramoa, Loja B – Lote A, 4700-860 São Pedro de Merelim, Braga, Portugal |
Contact details are provided for identification only and may change; verify with the clinic directly.
Sources
| ID | Source | What it supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/ | Clinic name, address Rua da Ramoa Loja B Lote A, phones +351 253 625 311 / +351 939 791 794, email [email protected], WhatsApp +351 939 791 794, Facebook @clinicamdmerelim, Instagram @cmdmerelim, 10 dentists with specializations, services, no ERS number, no price list, operating since 1998 | 2026-09-24 |
| s2 | https://docdental.pt/clinica-dental/clinica-de-merelim/ | DocDental listing: 5.0/343 reviews (Google-sourced, clinic not verified on DocDental); address confirmed; no insurance accepted; no hours available on listing | 2026-08-18 |
| sq | search:best dentist Braga / English speaking dentist Braga / dental implants Braga / emergency dentist Braga / Braga dental clinic for expats | AI/search visibility checks 2026-08-18: Clínica Médica Dentária de Merelim does not appear in top answers for any of the five queries | 2026-08-18 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-lic | https://www2.ers.pt/dmz/pesquisa/DetalheEstabelecimento.aspx?id=204091 | ERS record for CLÍNICA MÉDICA-DENTÁRIA DE MERELIM (entity Sandra Mota Borges, Lda): Registo N.º 121135, Licença N.º 7655 (Clínicas ou consultórios dentários), Estado Licenciada; Responsável Técnico Dra. Sandra Mota Borges (Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas) | 2026-08-25 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-doclic | https://www.omd.pt/pesquisa-de-medicos-dentistas/ | searched: Sandra Mota Borges — 1 result, Cédula profissional 04772, Distrito Porto / Concelho Maia (professional domicile; practice is in Braga); also confirmed as ERS 'Responsável Técnico' for Clínica Médica-Dentária de Merelim | 2026-08-25 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-refresh | https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cl%C3%ADnica+Dent%C3%A1ria+de+Mer… | Google rating 4.9 (520 reviews) as of 2026-08-25; address Rua da Ramoa 18 Loja B – Lote A, 4700-860 São Pedro de Merelim, Braga | 2026-08-25 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/instalacoes/ | wp-content/uploads photos of the premises (IMG_9096, IMG_9137, IMG_9150 dated 2026-08) and named dentist portraits (Dra_Marlene_Silva, Dra_Claudia_Heleno, Dra_Clara_Verdasca, etc.) | 2026-09-24 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-2 | https://www.google.com/maps?cid=1343341618560743665&hl=en | Google listing read 2026-09-24: 4.9 from 523 reviews (histogram 1-5★ 6/0/0/5/512, was 520); newest review dated 2026-09-05; hours Mon-Fri 9 AM-8 PM, Sat 9 AM-6 PM; owner reply dated 2026-08-27 ("Muito obrigada, José, pelas 5 estrelas!") and a 2024-07-06 reply to a 1-star review | 2026-09-24 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-3 | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/check-up-dentario-braga/ | "Ortopantomografia Digital: Radiografia panorâmica digital de alta resolução realizada na própria clínica" | 2026-09-24 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-4 | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/atendimento-urgente/ | "Disponibilizamos, todos os dias, consultas de urgência ... Para os casos em que as urgências ocorrem fora do período de abertura das nossas instalações, disponibilizamos o contato urgente por telefone" | 2026-09-24 |
| clinica-md-merelim-braga-deepen-5 | https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/ | Structured-data check of the site: JSON-LD on 40/40 pages read, types include Organization, Person, WebSite | 2026-09-24 |
Change History
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-24 | Re-read on 2026-09-24: the clinic's full website (services, technology, facilities and booking pages) and its Google listing. Recorded: genuine premises and named-staff photos; in-house digital panoramic X-ray; daily urgent-care appointments including after-hours phone contact; evening hours on weekdays; structured business data present. Google rating steady at 4.9, now from 523 reviews, with a recent owner reply. Still unverified: TripAdvisor presence, CBCT, international-patient services, English-speaking staff (only one review mentions it), online pre-consultation. |
| 2026-09-10 | Licence cell rewritten to the identifier form the twin city cards use: "Cédula profissional NNNNN (Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas)" becomes "OMD NNNNN". Same number, same register, same reading — on instituto-areluna the twin card porto-dental already published exactly "OMD 11845" for the number this card wrote out in full. The long form also ran one character past the width the clinic template pins an identifier at, so it was being laid out as prose. The original text is kept in the row's internal research note. |
| 2026-09-10 | Name-verification pass 2026-09-10: 6 of 7 previously no-match dentists confirmed via the clinic's own homepage image-alt captions (https://clinicamdmerelim.pt/), which the automated text-only re-scan does not read. The 7th, "Dr. Alberto", was checked against the same full alt-text roster (9 named staff: 6 confirmed dentists above plus hygienist Marlene Silva and an unlisted 9th dentist "Dr.André Costa") and is not present under any spelling; reported separately to per the two-negative rule (own-site read alone is not sufficient to remove). Source added per doctor; license values left exactly as on record. |
| 2026-08-25 | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website live, address/phone unchanged, open on Google Maps; recorded first Google rating 4.9 (520 reviews) and geo coordinates. |
| 2026-08-25 | License verification 2026-08-25 against ERS and OMD: clinic ERS registration found (Registo 121135 / Licença 7655, Licenciada); Dra. Sandra Mota Borges confirmed with OMD Cédula 04772. |
| 2026-08-18 | Imported from the city-tier dataset. |
A question or a correction?
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