Patient Attrition: How To Acquire and KEEP Patients with Dr. Lee Harris artwork
The No BS Dental Growth Podcast

Patient Attrition: How To Acquire and KEEP Patients with Dr. Lee Harris

  • 29:20
  • August 21st 2025

Patient Attrition: The Silent Killer of Dental Practices...


In this episode of The No BS Dental Growth Podcast, Chris sits down with Dr. Lee Harris — a dentist, executive leader, and founder of Harris Dental Solutions — who has scaled practices, led one of the largest DSOs in the country, and now coaches dental teams nationwide.


While most practices focus heavily on new patient acquisition, Dr. Harris argues that patient retention is where the real battle is won. Losing patients silently drains your practice’s growth potential and profitability — and often, you don’t even realize it until it’s too late.


Together, Chris and Dr. Harris dive into the most common causes of patient attrition, practical ways to improve retention, and why every member of the dental team plays a role in keeping the “back door closed.”


What You’ll Learn in This Episode:


Why attrition is dentistry’s “silent killer” (and how to measure it).


The #1 mistake dentists make that drives patients away.


How front-desk interactions set the tone for retention.


Practical systems to track hygiene visits and recall effectiveness.


How to balance treatment planning without overwhelming patients.


The role of hygienists in building long-term loyalty.


Where AI fits into patient communication (and where it doesn’t).


Resources & Links


Learn more about Dr. Lee Harris and Harris Dental Solutions:


https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-harris-b4a3a06/


Website:

harrisdentalsolutions.com (Company)


Email

[email protected]


| Phone: (714) 293-2195


KickStart Dental Marketing: www.kickstartdental.com



📥 Free Resource:

🎁 Download the free PDF: “50 ChatGPT Prompts Every Dental Practice Should Steal”

Head to https://kickstartdental.com/aiprompts to get instant access!


Schedule a free strategy session with Kickstart Dental Marketing → Book Here.

https://kickstartdental.com/get-in-touch/


🛠️ Tools & Tips:


SmartFollow™ – Automated lead follow-up


CallGuard AI™ – Review & coach call performance


PatientLine™ – AI phone assistant for overflow and after-hours



💬 Let’s Talk Strategy:

👉 Book a free strategy session: https://kickstartdental.com/get-in-touch/


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Want to work with KickStart Dental to GROW your dental practice?


Contact: [email protected]


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The No BS Dental Growth Podcast

It’s easy to waste a lot of money trying to figure out the best way to market your dental or orthodontic practice.

Join dental & orthodontic marketing expert, and author of the book "The Ultimate Guide To Internet Marketing For Dentists", Chris Pistorius each week as he interviews leaders in the dental & orthodontic industry. Chris will unpack what are the best ways to market dental and orthodontic practices in 2021.

Each episode contains powerful information to help you grow your practice, drive traffic to your site, and increase new patient flow and overall net revenue.

Feel free to visit our website for more information about our dental marketing agency.

Chris Pistorius avatar
Chris Pistorius
Founder & CEO, KickStart Dental Marketing

Chris Pistorius is the author of "The Ultimate Guide To Internet Marketing For Dentists", and the Founder of KickStart Dental Marketing.

Chris' dental marketing company has been consistently listed as one of the top dental marketing companies in the country by UpCity.

Chris has over 15 years of experience in local marketing for dental practices and has worked with hundreds of dentists in almost every facet of marketing, consulting, and coaching.

Prior to starting his own agency in 2009, Chris worked in online marketing with companies like AOL/Time Warner & MapQuest.

Chris holds several online marketing certifications and was trained by Google on how dentists & other businesses can get the most out of their marketing efforts.

Chris also travels to many cities around the country doing marketing seminars for dentists, as well as hosting a weekly dental marketing podcast.

Chris resides in the Denver, CO area with his wife Michele and two kids Kaitlyn & Brody.