The Top Reasons Patients Leave your Dental Practice

There are several reasons patients may leave your dental practice. Most of the listed reasons below can be solved with improved practice systems and better communication. At eAssist, our Success Consultants are experts in communication and all aspects of the dental billing process. Schedule a consultation to learn how you can avoid several of the scenarios below.

Financial/Billing/Insurance

• • The practice doesn’t accept the patient’s insurance plan.
• • Billing error not resolved to patient’s satisfaction.
• • Repeated insurance or billing errors.
• • Unexpected charge shows up on their bill.
• • Patient feels the dentist’s fees are too high.
• • Patient is not informed what their portion of the bill will be after insurance pays.
• • Unhappy with the office’s financial policy.

Dental Personnel

• • Personality conflict or disagreement with an employee.
• • Staff member was rude or not helpful.
• • Treated rudely or abruptly on the telephone.
• • Staff did not have a professional demeanor.

Procedures/Services

• • Treatment questions that were not answered.
• • Pain during treatment.
• • Lack of privacy during treatment.
• • Post-treatment problems.
• • Hygienist was too rough.
• • Disagreement with the recommended treatment plan, and no alternative treatments offered.
• • Lack of explanation for treatment being rendered.
• • Patient felt they were being given a sales pitch.
• • Patient felt that they were being rushed through treatment in a production line.
• • Patient was embarrassed and ashamed to return.
• • Concerns about sterilization and cross-contamination procedures.
• • Dentist or staff didn’t wash their hands when entering the operatory.

Dentist Provider

• • Dentist seemed to lack interest in the patient and their concerns.
• • Dentist was a poor communicator.
• • Dentist did not have a professional demeanor.
• • Dentist has bad breath/ poor hygiene
• • Dentist was too rough and insensitive.
• • Patient lost confidence in the dentist’s treatment skills.

Office location/environment

• • Patient moves their residence to a different area.
• • Patient has a job relocation.
• • Patient is getting older and prefers a closer office.
• • Unclean office.
• • Old and outdated furniture.
• • Office smells like a dentist’s office.

Misc.

• • Spouse pressures patient to switch to their dentist.
• • Patient is influenced by marketing done by another office.
• • Patient heard about a high-tech procedure or equipment that another office had.
• • Office received bad reviews on social media.
• • Patient kept waiting too long in the reception and treatment room.
• • Phone message not returned.

Sandy Odle

Co-Founder and CXO, eAssist

Sandy Odle is the Co-Founder and CXO of eAssist Dental Solutions, where she has played a key role in shaping the company’s business and marketing strategies, leading to record growth and national recognition on the Inc. 500 and Utah Top 100 lists. A passionate social entrepreneur, Sandy believes that business is about building meaningful connections and creating personalized solutions that truly meet customer needs. Her relentless commitment to delivering exceptional client experiences is at the heart of eAssist’s mission. Drawing on the discipline and attention to detail honed during her early career as a ballet dancer, Sandy brings a unique blend of creativity, precision, and work ethic to everything she does.