Report 01 · Patient movement in Canadian dentistry
Why Canadians leave their dentist
We read 2.6 million Google reviews of all 25,131 dental clinics in Canada and followed the 187,714 people who reviewed more than one. When someone left a clinic unhappy, they usually said why on the way out. Money, not pain, is what makes Canadians walk.
Published 23 September 2026 · reviews from October 2010 to September 2026 · the study group is 10,345 local moves that followed a 1 or 2-star review · no clinic and no patient is named on this page.
of people who said why named cost or a surprise bill, ahead of how they were treated
median gap from the bad review to the next clinic (7 months for moves in general)
ended up less than 5 km away; the median hop is 5.1 km
rated the new clinic 4 or 5 stars; 27.8% left another 1 or 2-star review
unhappy switches per 1,000 reviews written, flat for a decade
as many unhappy patients are lost by clinics that never reply to their Google reviews
The bill, not the drill
Of the 6,515 unhappy patients who said why, 28.8% named cost or a surprise bill, more than any other reason and more than how they were treated (24.0%). Pain during treatment, the thing people say they dread, is 2.8%.
Show every number for these 15 reasons
| Reason they left | Moves | Share of named reasons | Median months to the next clinic | Median km | Rated the new clinic 4-5★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost or a surprise bill | 28.8% | 4 | 5.3 | 73.5% | |
| How they were treated | 24.0% | 4 | 4.9 | 71.5% | |
| Work that failed or had to be redone | 10.1% | 3 | 5 | 68.7% | |
| Waiting or cancelled appointments | 9.9% | 5 | 4.8 | 74.3% | |
| The practice or dentist changed | 6.9% | 4 | 5 | 81.2% | |
| Cleanliness or infection control | 4.5% | 5 | 4.9 | 74.1% | |
| Pushed into treatment they did not want | 4.0% | 3 | 6.3 | 67.8% | |
| Pain during treatment | 2.8% | 3 | 5.7 | 70.8% | |
| A disabled or vulnerable patient treated poorly | 2.8% | 3 | 4.2 | 65.7% | |
| The practice closed or moved | 2.3% | 4 | 5.4 | 73.5% | |
| Could not get hold of them | 1.7% | 5 | 5.4 | 80.7% | |
| Not listened to or not told | 1.3% | 4.5 | 4.2 | 69.5% | |
| Sent elsewhere without being treated | 1.1% | 1 | 3.2 | 61.4% | |
| A bad experience, unspecified | — | 3 | 5.2 | 69.1% | |
| No reason given | — | 3 | 5.3 | 64.6% |
Provisional. The reason comes from keyword rules reading the review, and the rules stop at the first match. We are re-reading about 30 reviews per reason by hand and will publish the hit rate beside each figure. An earlier version of these rules read “thorough” as pain and made that group four times too big, so treat every reason-level number on this page as provisional. The counts, distances, timings and outcomes do not depend on the rules and are not provisional. The two groups with no clear reason are kept separate and never shared out among the named ones.
Most are gone before the month is out
Four months is the median gap between the bad review and the review at the next clinic, against seven months for moves in general. Unhappy patients move faster than everyone else, and 28% of them review a new clinic in the same month they complain. People turned away without treatment go quickest: a median of one month.
Of 100 people who left a clinic unhappy…
reviewed a new clinic in the same month they wrote the bad review. Half of them have moved within three months.
The gap between two reviews, not between two appointments. Source: 03_months_to_next_clinic.csv.
Each bar is 100% of the moves for that reason, split by how long people waited. Sorted by how fast they leave.
Show the month-by-month shape and the time bands as numbers
| Reason | Moves | 0-1 mo | 2-3 mo | 4-6 mo | 7-12 mo | 13-24 mo | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sent elsewhere without being treated | 70 | 51% | 11% | 16% | 11% | 10% | 1 mo |
| A bad experience, unspecified | 2,139 | 39% | 12% | 11% | 17% | 21% | 3 mo |
| No reason given | 1,691 | 41% | 11% | 10% | 15% | 23% | 3 mo |
| Work that failed or had to be redone | 659 | 44% | 8% | 12% | 16% | 20% | 3 mo |
| Pushed into treatment they did not want | 258 | 45% | 7% | 12% | 19% | 18% | 3 mo |
| Pain during treatment | 185 | 39% | 12% | 8% | 15% | 26% | 3 mo |
| A disabled or vulnerable patient treated poorly | 181 | 41% | 10% | 12% | 15% | 21% | 3 mo |
| Cost or a surprise bill | 1,878 | 35% | 11% | 12% | 19% | 23% | 4 mo |
| How they were treated | 1,562 | 37% | 13% | 11% | 17% | 21% | 4 mo |
| The practice or dentist changed | 447 | 39% | 9% | 11% | 20% | 21% | 4 mo |
| The practice closed or moved | 147 | 39% | 10% | 9% | 17% | 25% | 4 mo |
| Not listened to or not told | 82 | 38% | 11% | 11% | 15% | 26% | 4.5 mo |
| Waiting or cancelled appointments | 643 | 35% | 12% | 11% | 20% | 23% | 5 mo |
| Cleanliness or infection control | 294 | 35% | 9% | 13% | 20% | 23% | 5 mo |
| Could not get hold of them | 109 | 27% | 15% | 16% | 20% | 23% | 5 mo |
This is the gap between two reviews, not between two appointments, and people often write a review well after a visit.
They change dentist, not neighbourhood
Half of unhappy switchers end up at a clinic less than 5 km from the one they left, and the median hop is 5.1 km. They change dentist, not neighbourhood. The exception is trust: people who felt pushed into treatment travel furthest.
Of 100 people who left a clinic unhappy…
moved to a clinic less than 5 km from the one they left. They change dentist, not neighbourhood.
Straight-line distance. Moves over 40 km are left out as house moves. Source: 05_distance.csv.
How far, by the reason they left
Show the distance bands as a chart and as numbers
| Distance to the new clinic | Unhappy moves | Share of unhappy moves | Share of all local moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 km | 1,401 | 13.5% | 12.0% |
| 1-2 km | 1,154 | 11.2% | 7.8% |
| 2-5 km | 2,525 | 24.4% | 21.2% |
| 5-10 km | 2,204 | 21.3% | 22.0% |
| 10-20 km | 2,010 | 19.4% | 23.2% |
| 20-40 km | 1,051 | 10.2% | 13.8% |
| Reason | Median distance | Moves |
|---|---|---|
| Pushed into treatment they did not want | 258 | |
| Pain during treatment | 185 | |
| The practice closed or moved | 147 | |
| Could not get hold of them | 109 | |
| Cost or a surprise bill | 1,878 | |
| No reason given | 1,691 | |
| A bad experience, unspecified | 2,139 | |
| Work that failed or had to be redone | 659 | |
| The practice or dentist changed | 447 | |
| How they were treated | 1,562 | |
| Cleanliness or infection control | 294 | |
| Waiting or cancelled appointments | 643 | |
| A disabled or vulnerable patient treated poorly | 181 | |
| Not listened to or not told | 82 | |
| Sent elsewhere without being treated | 70 |
Straight-line distance between the two clinics. Moves of more than 40 km are left out as house moves.
Seven in ten are glad. One in four is not.
70.6% of unhappy leavers give the next clinic 4 or 5 stars, and two thirds of those who left a 1-star review give the new one a full five. But 2,872 of them, 27.8%, leave another 1 or 2-star review at the clinic they chose. Switching is not a cure; it is a bet that pays off about three times in four.
Show what they gave the new clinic, as numbers
| What they did next | Moves | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5★ at the new clinic | 7,041 | 68.1% |
| 4★ at the new clinic | 260 | 2.5% |
| 3★ at the new clinic | 172 | 1.7% |
| 2★ at the new clinic | 232 | 2.2% |
| 1★ at the new clinic | 2,640 | 25.5% |
Your odds, by the reason you would leave over
What happened to 100 Canadians who left for the same reason.
Of 100 people who left over cost or a surprise bill…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over cost or a surprise bill.
Of 100 people who left over how they were treated…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over how they were treated.
Of 100 people who left over work that failed or had to be redone…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over work that failed or had to be redone.
Of 100 people who left over waiting or cancelled appointments…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over waiting or cancelled appointments.
Of 100 people who left over the practice or dentist changed…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over the practice or dentist changed.
Of 100 people who left over cleanliness or infection control…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over cleanliness or infection control.
Of 100 people who left over pushed into treatment they did not want…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over pushed into treatment they did not want.
Of 100 people who left over pain during treatment…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over pain during treatment.
Of 100 people who left over a disabled or vulnerable patient treated poorly…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over a disabled or vulnerable patient treated poorly.
Of 100 people who left over the practice closed or moved…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over the practice closed or moved.
Of 100 people who left over could not get hold of them…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over could not get hold of them.
Of 100 people who left over not listened to or not told…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over not listened to or not told.
Of 100 people who left over sent elsewhere without being treated…
rated the clinic they moved to 4 or 5 stars after leaving over sent elsewhere without being treated.
The 10,345 moves that followed a 1 or 2-star review. Source: the stars each person gave the new clinic.
Eight in a hundred ever review a second clinic
22,716 Canadians have reviewed three or more dental clinics, and 429 have reviewed six or more. Some never settle; others simply review everything. Read it as a curiosity, not a finding.
Of 100 people who review a Canadian dental clinic…
have reviewed a second dental clinic. Only one in a hundred has reviewed three or more.
Everyone who has written a review of a Canadian dental clinic. Source: 08_clinics_per_reviewer.csv.
Show how many clinics each person reviewed
| Clinics one person reviewed | People |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2,200,621 |
| 2 | 164,998 |
| 3 | 18,735 |
| 4 | 2,904 |
| 5 | 648 |
| 6+ | 429 |
Switching is not rising. Reviewing is.
The raw count of unhappy switches went from 89 in 2016 to 2,250 so far in 2026. That means nothing on its own, because the number of reviews written rose twenty-fold over the same years. Measured against reviews written, the rate has sat between 3 and 5 per 1,000 for a decade.
Show the raw count (the series to avoid) and the year-by-year numbers
| Year | Reviews written | Unhappy switches | Per 1,000 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24,603 | 89 | 3.6 |
| 2017 | 53,633 | 239 | 4.5 |
| 2018 | 86,931 | 413 | 4.8 |
| 2019 | 132,094 | 549 | 4.2 |
| 2020 | 122,446 | 463 | 3.8 |
| 2021 | 199,134 | 614 | 3.1 |
| 2022 | 233,063 | 874 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 291,906 | 1,137 | 3.9 |
| 2024 | 414,846 | 1,473 | 3.5 |
| 2025 | 551,837 | 2,206 | 4 |
| 2026 * | 479,091 | 2,250 | 4.7 |
* 2026 covers 1 January to 9 September and is the highest rate in the series. The year is unfinished and the newest moves are the least settled, so we will re-check it at year end. 2012 to 2015 are left out: fewer than 30 moves a year.
The time of year
July and August are the peak, with about 1,020 unhappy moves each, against a low of 748 in September. Summer is when Canadians change dentist.
The dental care plan
The Canadian Dental Care Plan began rolling out in May 2024. Cost’s share of the named reasons has drifted down slightly since, but it was at a similar level in 2021, and the early years rest on far fewer moves. On this data the plan has not changed why Canadians leave.
Show cost's share by year as a chart and with sample sizes
| Year | Cost as a share of named reasons | Cost moves | All named reasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 33.3% | 107 | 321 |
| 2020 | 29.3% | 85 | 290 |
| 2021 | 27.4% | 98 | 358 |
| 2022 | 31.2% | 164 | 526 |
| 2023 | 28.1% | 199 | 707 |
| 2024 (plan starts) | 29.4% | 285 | 969 |
| 2025 | 27.9% | 396 | 1,420 |
| 2026 | 27.8% | 410 | 1,474 |
Quebec walks out most, and lands worst
Quebec loses 5.45 unhappy patients per 1,000 reviews, the highest rate in the country. Alberta is the opposite: fewer walkouts, and 75.6% of its switchers are glad they moved. The lowest satisfaction with the new clinic is in Nova Scotia (58.7% of 126 moves), with Quebec next at 65.5%.
Show every province, including those below the threshold
| Province | Clinics | Unhappy moves out | Per 1,000 reviews | Glad they moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 11,000 | 4,838 | 4.14 | 69.3% |
| Alberta | 2,879 | 2,021 | 3.75 | 75.6% |
| British Columbia | 3,895 | 1,510 | 3.5 | 73.2% |
| Quebec | 4,681 | 1,329 | 5.45 | 65.5% |
| Manitoba | 640 | 275 | 3.22 | 70.9% |
| Saskatchewan | 488 | 139 | 2.57 | 74.1% |
| Nova Scotia | 494 | 126 | 3.23 | 58.7% |
| New Brunswick | 401 | 63 | 2.65 | 69.8% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador under 30 moves | 227 | 21 | — | — |
| Yukon under 30 moves | 27 | 11 | — | — |
| Prince Edward Island under 30 moves | 91 | 8 | — | — |
| Northwest Territories under 30 moves | 23 | 2 | — | — |
| Nunavut under 30 moves | 5 | 0 | — | — |
Rate is unhappy moves out of the clinics in that province, per 1,000 reviews written there. Provinces under 30 moves show counts only.
The 63 cities with 30 or more unhappy moves
Of these, Gatineau has the highest rate (9.45 per 1,000 reviews) and the worst outcome anywhere: only 43.3% of its switchers are glad they moved. Cities below 30 moves are left out rather than shown as zero.
Tap a column heading to sort.
| City | Unhappy moves | Per 1,000 reviews | Median km | Glad they moved | Top named reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary, AB | 1,018 | 4.19 | 7.3 | 76.5% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Edmonton, AB | 600 | 4.59 | 6.1 | 72.7% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Toronto, ON | 597 | 4.92 | 3.8 | 69.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Montreal, QC | 415 | 7.57 | 4.4 | 67.2% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Mississauga, ON | 361 | 4.44 | 7.4 | 66.2% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Vancouver, BC | 358 | 4.23 | 3.7 | 68.4% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| North York, ON | 331 | 5.34 | 7.5 | 62.8% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Scarborough, ON | 300 | 5.76 | 6.6 | 66.0% | How they were treated |
| Winnipeg, MB | 237 | 3.23 | 5.1 | 70.9% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Ottawa, ON | 233 | 4.45 | 5.5 | 66.5% | How they were treated |
| Hamilton, ON | 188 | 5.66 | 4.5 | 70.7% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Brampton, ON | 186 | 3.67 | 7.7 | 58.6% | How they were treated |
| Surrey, BC | 178 | 3.96 | 5.4 | 75.3% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| London, ON | 167 | 4.06 | 4.7 | 70.7% | How they were treated |
| Etobicoke, ON | 160 | 4.79 | 7.2 | 77.5% | How they were treated |
| Burnaby, BC | 147 | 4.35 | 6 | 74.8% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Kitchener, ON | 104 | 5.2 | 4 | 71.2% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Richmond Hill, ON | 99 | 4.29 | 9 | 60.6% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Laval, QC | 93 | 6.27 | 7.7 | 72.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Coquitlam, BC | 89 | 5.58 | 5.6 | 75.3% | How they were treated |
| Oakville, ON | 88 | 3.5 | 6.7 | 73.9% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Victoria, BC | 81 | 3.64 | 3.4 | 74.1% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Waterloo, ON | 78 | 4.86 | 4.4 | 82.1% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Windsor, ON | 78 | 4.11 | 4.4 | 73.1% | How they were treated |
| Cambridge, ON | 75 | 4.92 | 4.3 | 74.7% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Markham, ON | 74 | 4.37 | 5.9 | 63.5% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Thornhill, ON | 71 | 4.84 | 7.8 | 71.8% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Richmond, BC | 71 | 4.52 | 5.2 | 63.4% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Burlington, ON | 70 | 3.58 | 4.6 | 61.4% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Red Deer, AB | 69 | 4.27 | 3.7 | 72.5% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Barrie, ON | 67 | 3.61 | 4.1 | 70.1% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Gatineau, QC | 67 | 9.45 | 4.8 | 43.3% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Saskatoon, SK | 62 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 75.8% | How they were treated |
| Oshawa, ON | 60 | 4.29 | 6.2 | 65.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| St. Catharines, ON | 57 | 4.54 | 3.5 | 78.9% | How they were treated |
| Halifax, NS | 54 | 3.55 | 3.6 | 63.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Guelph, ON | 54 | 3.31 | 3.3 | 63.0% | How they were treated |
| Brantford, ON | 54 | 4.27 | 3.5 | 75.9% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Kelowna, BC | 54 | 2.69 | 2.8 | 85.2% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| North Vancouver, BC | 53 | 3.27 | 2.8 | 62.3% | How they were treated |
| Kingston, ON | 52 | 4.67 | 4.5 | 80.8% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Regina, SK | 52 | 3.14 | 3.9 | 73.1% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Kanata, ON | 51 | 4.77 | 5.8 | 70.6% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Nepean, ON | 50 | 3.93 | 7.8 | 70.0% | How they were treated |
| Quebec City, QC | 50 | 3.87 | 3.9 | 64.0% | Work that failed or had to be redone |
| Newmarket, ON | 50 | 4.05 | 5 | 74.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Abbotsford, BC | 47 | 3.63 | 2.1 | 72.3% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Whitby, ON | 45 | 2.95 | 4.8 | 77.8% | How they were treated |
| Stoney Creek, ON | 44 | 5.39 | 7.6 | 70.5% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Langley, BC | 43 | 3.62 | 11.1 | 76.7% | How they were treated |
| Airdrie, AB | 43 | 3.28 | 2.7 | 74.4% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Ajax, ON | 42 | 3.75 | 6.5 | 69.0% | The practice or dentist changed |
| Niagara Falls, ON | 42 | 5.62 | 4.6 | 71.4% | How they were treated |
| New Westminster, BC | 41 | 3.69 | 1.4 | 80.5% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Nanaimo, BC | 39 | 4.42 | 5.1 | 71.8% | How they were treated |
| Milton, ON | 36 | 3.64 | 14.7 | 69.4% | How they were treated |
| Grande Prairie, AB | 35 | 2.46 | 2 | 85.7% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Longueuil, QC | 35 | 4.45 | 8.1 | 68.6% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| East York, ON | 34 | 4.51 | 4.9 | 76.5% | How they were treated |
| York, ON | 32 | 8.19 | 4.9 | 81.3% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Woodbridge, ON | 30 | 2.71 | 9.6 | 70.0% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Sherwood Park, AB | 30 | 2.43 | 2.7 | 83.3% | Cost or a surprise bill |
| Vaughan, ON | 30 | 3.27 | 11.4 | 60.0% | How they were treated |
Clinics that never answer a review lose twice as many
Clinics that reply to most of their Google reviews lose 3.36 unhappy patients per 1,000 reviews. Clinics that never reply lose 6.92, twice as many. Read that carefully: clinics that reply are also bigger and better rated, so this is a link between the two, not proof that answering reviews keeps anyone. Ownership, type of practice and online booking barely matter at all.
Show these as a table, with clinic counts
| Clinics | Unhappy patients lost per 1,000 reviews | Glad switchers gained per 1,000 reviews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google rating of the clinic | |||
| 4.0-4.4 | 2,455 | 16.3 | 4.29 |
| 4.5-4.7 | 3,434 | 7.88 | 3.48 |
| 4.8-5.0 | 12,566 | 2.21 | 2.59 |
| Under 4.0 | 6,396 | 22.25 | 3.12 |
| Does the clinic reply to reviews? | |||
| Never replies | 8,417 | 6.92 | 3.85 |
| Replies sometimes | 4,894 | 4.22 | 2.7 |
| Replies to most reviews | 6,820 | 3.36 | 2.71 |
| Size of the clinic, by reviews | |||
| Under 50 reviews | 15,936 | 10.1 | 5.06 |
| 50-149 | 3,813 | 5.57 | 3.7 |
| 150-399 | 3,326 | 3.68 | 2.68 |
| 400+ | 1,776 | 2.93 | 2.35 |
| Ownership | |||
| Group-owned | 1,364 | 3.76 | 2.49 |
| Independent or unknown | 23,487 | 4.01 | 2.86 |
| Type of practice | |||
| General | 20,399 | 3.86 | 2.75 |
| Other | 2,401 | 5.88 | 3.16 |
| Specialist | 2,051 | 4.36 | 3.16 |
| Online booking | |||
| No online booking listed | 6,647 | 4.13 | 2.78 |
| Online booking | 18,204 | 3.93 | 2.81 |
Low-rated clinics lose patients about ten times as often as top-rated ones, which is partly circular: those unhappy reviews are part of what makes the rating low. We hold the same figures for named dental groups but do not publish them, because group membership is read from clinic websites and is incomplete. Ask us if you need that cut.
Nobody moves for a published price
Take the people who left for one reason and were glad they moved, then compare the clinic they left with the clinic they chose. The answer for money is striking: people who leave over cost do not move to clinics that publish prices. Published prices go from 26.7% to 28.0%, and direct billing does not move at all. What changes is the rating: 4.61 to 4.78. Patients cannot shop on price, because almost no clinic lets them, so they shop on reputation instead.
They left over cost or a surprise bill
1,380 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 26.7% → 28.0% | +1.3 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 40.1% → 39.7% | no real change |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 37.8% → 35.5% | -2.3 |
| Open evenings | 67.9% → 63.6% | -4.3 |
| Open Saturdays | 53.3% → 51.7% | -1.6 |
| Online booking | 77.0% → 77.8% | no real change |
| Group-owned | 16.0% → 13.3% | -2.7 |
| Front desk praised | 115.1 → 124.2 | +9.1 |
| Seen the same day | 3.7 → 2.9 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 13.8 → 15.4 | +1.6 |
| Gentle care | 71.1 → 74.5 | +3.4 |
| Explains clearly | 30.3 → 33.3 | +3.0 |
| Average Google rating | 4.61★ → 4.78★ | +0.17 |
They left over how they were treated
1,117 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 23.6% → 27.7% | +4.1 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 36.6% → 40.5% | +3.9 |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 31.2% → 37.5% | +6.3 |
| Open evenings | 64.3% → 67.5% | +3.2 |
| Open Saturdays | 50.5% → 54.7% | +4.2 |
| Online booking | 77.4% → 79.2% | +1.8 |
| Group-owned | 13.6% → 12.8% | no real change |
| Front desk praised | 116.3 → 125.4 | +9.1 |
| Seen the same day | 3.3 → 3.2 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 14.1 → 15.8 | +1.7 |
| Gentle care | 71.3 → 72.7 | +1.4 |
| Explains clearly | 30.3 → 33.6 | +3.3 |
| Average Google rating | 4.53★ → 4.78★ | +0.25 |
They left over work that failed or had to be redone
453 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 23.8% → 29.1% | +5.3 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 36.9% → 38.6% | +1.7 |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 35.3% → 36.6% | +1.3 |
| Open evenings | 66.7% → 65.1% | -1.6 |
| Open Saturdays | 53.2% → 49.2% | -4.0 |
| Online booking | 76.2% → 78.1% | +1.9 |
| Group-owned | 15.5% → 13.0% | -2.5 |
| Front desk praised | 112.0 → 121.6 | +9.6 |
| Seen the same day | 3.6 → 3.4 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 15.2 → 15.5 | no real change |
| Gentle care | 71.6 → 75.9 | +4.3 |
| Explains clearly | 28.8 → 33.6 | +4.8 |
| Average Google rating | 4.58★ → 4.78★ | +0.20 |
They left over waiting or cancelled appointments
478 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 25.1% → 30.3% | +5.2 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 37.4% → 40.8% | +3.4 |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 31.6% → 36.6% | +5.0 |
| Open evenings | 63.2% → 67.6% | +4.4 |
| Open Saturdays | 54.8% → 49.6% | -5.2 |
| Online booking | 75.3% → 78.2% | +2.9 |
| Group-owned | 17.2% → 14.2% | -3.0 |
| Front desk praised | 111.7 → 121.9 | +10.2 |
| Seen the same day | 3.7 → 3.2 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 14.3 → 14.8 | no real change |
| Gentle care | 69.8 → 72.9 | +3.1 |
| Explains clearly | 30.7 → 32.6 | +1.9 |
| Average Google rating | 4.56★ → 4.78★ | +0.22 |
They left over the practice or dentist changed
363 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 27.5% → 29.8% | +2.3 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 39.9% → 44.4% | +4.5 |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 33.6% → 38.0% | +4.4 |
| Open evenings | 68.6% → 68.0% | no real change |
| Open Saturdays | 51.2% → 46.0% | -5.2 |
| Online booking | 79.1% → 78.5% | no real change |
| Group-owned | 11.0% → 12.7% | +1.7 |
| Front desk praised | 118.2 → 128.9 | +10.7 |
| Seen the same day | 3.5 → 2.8 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 14.6 → 16.4 | +1.8 |
| Gentle care | 77.5 → 77.5 | no real change |
| Explains clearly | 32.1 → 34.5 | +2.4 |
| Average Google rating | 4.64★ → 4.82★ | +0.18 |
They left over cleanliness or infection control
218 people who left for this reason and were glad they moved. “Front desk praised” and the rest are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic.
| Clinic they left → clinic they chose | Change | |
|---|---|---|
| Publishes prices on its website | 32.1% → 29.4% | -2.7 |
| Says it bills insurance directly | 39.4% → 41.3% | +1.9 |
| Says it takes the dental care plan | 40.8% → 32.1% | -8.7 |
| Open evenings | 71.1% → 64.2% | -6.9 |
| Open Saturdays | 57.3% → 51.4% | -5.9 |
| Online booking | 73.4% → 80.3% | +6.9 |
| Group-owned | 14.7% → 12.4% | -2.3 |
| Front desk praised | 120.9 → 130.6 | +9.7 |
| Seen the same day | 3.2 → 2.7 | no real change |
| Runs on time | 14.2 → 15.5 | +1.3 |
| Gentle care | 76.1 → 79.6 | +3.5 |
| Explains clearly | 32.2 → 37.9 | +5.7 |
| Average Google rating | 4.62★ → 4.79★ | +0.17 |
Clinic details are read from clinic websites as they stood on 12 September 2026. Praise counts are mentions per 1,000 reviews at that clinic. Only glad switches are counted, so each comparison is between a clinic that failed someone and one that satisfied them.
French reviewers move on twice as fast
French-language reviewers move on twice as fast: a median of 2 months against 4. Both groups leave over cost first and travel the same distance (5.1 km). Language is detected by a simple word check on the review, so read this as indicative. Quebec also has the country’s highest switching rate.
About this study How it was built, and what it cannot show
We collect every Google review of every dental clinic in Canada. Google shows who wrote each review, so when the same person reviews two different clinics we can see the move. We never publish anything about an individual, and no clinic is named anywhere in this report.
The words we use
What it cannot show
Still to do before this is final
The numbers behind every chart
Every table on this page comes with its sample size, and we are glad to share the numbers behind it, including cuts we have not published: by reason and province, by dental group, or by city below our publication threshold. Journalists, researchers and dental organisations are all welcome. We ask for a link back to this page.
Please cite as: Dentist Signal, “Why Canadians leave their dentist”, Report 01, September 2026. Based on 2.6 million Google reviews of 25,131 Canadian dental clinics; 10,345 local moves that followed a 1 or 2-star review.