Why Patients Change Dental Offices
Financial
- Dentist doesn't accept 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 not informed what their portion of the bill will be after insurance pays.
- Unhappy with office's financial policy.
Staff
- Personality conflict or disagreement with an employee.
- Staff member was rude or not helpful.
- Treated rudely or abruptly on telephone.
- Staff did not have a professional demeanor.
Treatment
- Treatment questions that were not answered.
- Pain during treatment.
- Lack of privacy during treatment.
- Post-treatment problems.
- Hygienist was too rough.
- Disagreement with 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 embarrased, and is ashamed to return.
- Concerns about sterilization and cross-contamination procedures.
- Dentist or staff didn't wash hands when entering operatory.
Dentist
- Dentist seemed to lack interest in the patient and their concerns.
- Dentist was a poor communicator.
- Patient has concerns about quality of care being received.
- Dentist did not have a professional demeanor.
- Dentist has bad breath.
- Dentist was too rough.
- Patient simply lost confidence in the dentist.
Office building
- Patient moves their residence to a different area.
- Patient had a job relocation.
- Patient getting older, and prefers a closer office.
- Unclean office.
- Old and outdated furniture.
- Office smells like a dentist's office.
Other
- Spouse pressures patient to switch to their dentist.
- Patient attracted by marketing done by another office.
- Patient heard about a high-tech procedure or equipment that another office had.
- Office received bad publicity in news media.
- Patient kept waiting too long before treatment.
- Phone message not returned.