R Dental Clinic values offering an environment that can be used by all patients with reassurance and peace of mind. For example, we have used inventive solutions in the waiting room to prevent patients from having to experience the distinctive smells and sounds of a dental clinic, and have also provided a children’s play area. We also strive to ensure thorough hygiene management, and have introduced a sophisticated cleaning machine only adopted by around 3% of dental clinics in Japan.
Because I came from a family of doctors, I was raised in such a way that I naturally followed the path of medicine. While I was preparing for my university entrance exams after I had graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to hear in detail about dentistry from a dentist who I knew, and became interested in the world of dentistry, which is actually very profound. After graduating from university dental school, I gained one year of experience as a trainee at the university hospital. After that, I got a job working as an actual dentist at a dental clinic, and eventually established my own clinic in 2009, which was earlier than I had initially planned.
The reason why I decided to establish my own clinic sooner than planned was that I thought I should make a deliberate effort to place myself under harsh conditions. I had also become director of the clinic which I had initially joined sooner than usual, and the fact that I had learned the ropes so speedily was also a big boost.
It was only after I became independent and established my own clinic that I learned how much hard work is involved in being a dentist. Recently, there are many dental clinics, there is a need to differentiate oneself from other clinics with some kind of competitive edge, such as by offering examinations until late hours, opening on Sundays, or offering some other kind of service. I was working non-stop from morning until night, and I felt that it would be difficult to keep up this intense level of work for the rest of my life. Even after opening a second clinic and adopting a three-person team approach, I was still being stretched to my limit physically. Even if I hired another new dentist, there was a high probability that he or she, too, would eventually leave to set up his or her own clinic, and so I began to think that there was a need to hire and train young people.
In order to train young dentists, I built a three-story clinic complete with a seminar room. In order to prepare trainees with the skills to handle all manner of equipment, the clinic is also equipped with a variety of different types of machinery and equipment. We also invite outside speakers to come and give lectures. I instruct trainees to always consider the feelings of their patients. Listening carefully to the voices of patients expands the range of therapies that we can propose, and explaining the details of those therapies properly enables us to prevent unwanted problems later on.
I also established a company for dental technicians. A dental technician (or dental technologist) is a professional who creates dentures, crowns (dental caps) and other dental appliances according to prescriptions issued by a dentist. It is said that dental technicians can judge the level of a dentist’s skills simply by looking at a cast or dental impression made by that dentist, so I thought that it would be a good learning experience for our young dentists to communicate directly with them. Since our technicians are now based in the same building, they can communicate frequently, which is useful for mutual growth and development.
Back when I was still starting out, there was nobody around me I could rely on, and I was desperate. When former classmates and juniors eventually came to study under me, I began to realize that the things which they didn’t understand were also the things that I myself hadn’t understood in the past. As someone who started up my own clinic from scratch and gained various experience, there are many things that I can teach to those around me. I have eventually reached a stage where I can say, “OK, then, let’s do that.” Eventually, I would like to create a cycle for young dentists, from training and development to gaining independence and creating their own clinics. Since a high percentage of dentists eventually open their own clinic, there are many cases in which young dentists leave the nest even though we are training them, but I think that that is fine.
We are also investing efforts into making effective use of IT at our clinics. I want to use IT to improve the working environment and help alleviate problems such as personnel shortages and other issues being faced by the industry. Recently, we rewired the “brain” of the robot Pepper for use in dental clinics. We were the first clinic in Japan to use Pepper as an actual source of manpower, rather than as just a mascot. We have also developed an Internet reservation system, which was previously considered difficult for dental clinics with their diverse treatment hours.
Moving forward, we plan to enable various diverse work styles by utilizing IT, such as by enabling patients to converse with reception staff working at home via Pepper. Of course, it goes without saying that human warmth and compassion are also an essential part of healthcare, so I want to make effective use of IT to increase efficiency, rather than completely mechanizing everything.
The things that I consider important as a business manager are to continue attempting new challenges, to pioneer new ideas, and to keep hold of a dream. Attempting new challenges sometimes means that things are not profitable. However, I want to engage in challenges with a view to the long-term benefits rather than simply chasing immediate short-term profits. My dream right now is to expand our operation overseas, to serve Japanese posted to other Asian countries.
Another thing that I value as a business manager is building relationships with staff. We get to know each other and deepen our relationships through dinner parties and other events. I believe that building relationships where it is easy for us to say what we are really feeling is good for both staff and patients.
I hope that the efforts that I am attempting—such as in training young dentists and improving the working environment through the use of IT—will bring some positive changes to society.
