Building lifelong patient relationships

In theory there is really only one reason why a dentist should lose a patient--and that is when the patient dies. I appreciate that this is a little simplistic. Of course, there are other reasons for a patient to leave a practice. In the majority of cases, the reason patients choose to leave a dentist/practice is because they experienced something that upset them. In my seminars, I ask attendees to raise their hands if they have patients coming in from other parts of the state, the country and/or the world. It is genuinely thrilling to see that so many practices draw their patient base from such a wide area, so when I hear a staff member say that they lose patients because patients tell them, "I'm moving a few exits further down the highway from your office, so please forward my X-rays to my new dentist, who is closer to my new home," I know that reason is most likely an excuse.