Dentistry is classified into many specialties, including root canal treatment, orthodontic treatment, oral surgery and dental restoration/prosthetic treatment. It is becoming increasingly difficult to master all specialties in the medical world, which is subject to constant advancement. Japan is a kind of exception in developed countries, because a single dentist handles general dental treatment. The success rate will be much higher, and the recurrence rate will be very low if specialists in different areas cooperate on the treatment of different issues. In this way, Japan’s dentistry has fallen significantly behind that of other countries. Even after I opened my own clinic in 1992, I continued to learn state-of-the-art dental treatment from Europe and the U.S. I happened to come across Team Atlanta, an American dental specialist group for integrated dental treatment, while participating in academic meetings worldwide and continuing research at the university. Finding such team-based medical care to be the ideal dental practice, I was determined to introduce it to Japan. If a clinic tries to provide team medical care, someone will have to be the leader and the relationship among team members will not be equal. I wanted to set up a dental office with several independent clinics that are run by specialists independently, so they could take responsibility for their area of specialty to realize true team dental care. However, the local public health center did not provide approval, because there was no precedent in Japan. I thought it was wrong that they provided no clear reason why they did not approve our proposed style. I went to the health center many times so they could understand the need for team dental care.
I was driven by the will to upgrade Japan’s dental care to a world-class level. Japanese dentists have fairly high skills, because Japanese people are said to be ambidextrous. The delayed development of Japan’s dental care could be attributable to the general management structure that suppresses discretion. One of the typical examples is health insurance treatment. You have to abide by fixed rules if you offer services covered by health insurance. You cannot provide better therapies or techniques, even if you are sufficiently skilled. Of course, many patients depend on health insurance. I do not mean we should do away with it. However, there are many who want better dental treatment and I wanted to meet their needs. As a result of my repeated appeals to the health center, I acquired approval in about six months, although it usually takes about one month to gain approval for opening a dental clinic. I formed TEAM TOKYO with specialists in endodontic care (root canal therapy) and orthodontics who had worked together to offer world-class, advanced, specialized dental care at an office with independent clinics on the same floor for team dental care. Seven years have passed since then. I find that many more patients have come to us to receive advanced dental treatment. It may be because our team dental care has taken root in society. We have received inquiries from patients around Japan, and our appointment list is full for the next four or five months. This might indicate that we are satisfying potential needs.
