歯科医 東のウェブログ
11 years of silence
11 years of silence, 16 years of digital. —Why I abandoned social media and submerged myself in the sea of data
"Clinics with outdated websites—are they completely out of fashion, or just too popular to find time for updates? It's one or the other, right?"
The other day, an exceptionally talented junior doctor who came for a consultation casually remarked this while sitting in the treatment chair. "Glad it's the latter (laugh)," we both chuckled, but honestly, that perfectly captured our clinic's reality over these past 11 years.
The last time I wrote this blog was 11 years ago. While the world entered the heyday of social media, I ignored the trends and immersed myself in honing my clinical skills. Three chairs, interior unchanged for 11 years. Yet, the "substance" here has been continuously updated more intensely than anywhere else.
"If it doesn't exist, build it" – The DIY spirit of the FM-7 generation and 280,000 data points
I'm from the generation that first encountered digital technology through the FM-7. When you push efficiency to its limits in the field, off-the-shelf software just won't cut it.
"If it doesn't exist, build it yourself."
That's my mindset.
Since opening, we've compiled 280,000 patient examination data points into our proprietary database and built our own original program that instantly analyzes and issues reports via iPad. Concepts like PISA (Periodontal Inflammation Surface Area), which major manufacturers have only recently adopted, were already standard practice at our clinic over 8 years ago. This efficiency is precisely why our five exceptionally skilled dental hygienists can dedicate 100% of their expertise to supporting our patients.
16 Years of Refined Digital Technology and Choosing "Results 10 Years From Now"
During these 11 years of silence, patient awareness has shifted dramatically. Surprisingly few now request the once-mainstream bridge treatment, replaced by a substantial increase in those seeking implant therapy. Currently, implant appointments are booked solid two months in advance.
This is not merely a trend; we sense society has entered an era of calmly selecting "methods with superior outcomes ten years down the line." Meeting this expectation is the digital technology we have consistently refined for 16 years.
* Microscope: Fully equipped at every chair for over a decade. We continue using it even for insurance-covered treatments, guided by the belief that "if you can't see it, you can't start."
* History of Digital In-House Production: We've used intraoral scanners since 16 years ago, operated the first 5-axis milling machine in Western Japan, and refined our 3D printer through trial and error—now on our fourth unit.
* Hybrid Laboratory Techniques: We've mastered the "best of both worlds" technique—digitally matching optical scans with traditional silicone impressions—learned at international conferences and refined through independent, exhaustive settings.
Even during the 11-year hiatus in updating our website, this digital technology journey never paused for a single second.
Rules for 2026 to Protect Our Valued Patients
There is one thing we have changed since 11 years ago: our approach to appointments.
In the past, we always kept slots open for patients, even those who had canceled 100 times, hoping they might eventually come. But now it is 2026. We want to prioritize our time above all else for the patients who are here before us, seriously committed to their treatment.
Therefore, while it pains us deeply, we currently do not accept appointments from individuals who find it difficult to adhere to our rules. As a result, we occasionally receive harsh words online. We have decided to stop responding to these or letting them trouble us. Our mission is not to engage with words from the other side of a screen, but to provide the highest level of medical care, prepared over many years, to those who trust us enough to visit.
We begin sharing again.
Now that AI has entered our daily lives and dental digitization is commonplace.
"What have we been thinking about and refining over these 16 years?"
We intend to gradually share these records from the front lines—obsessive, yet more sincere than anyone else's.
Though it's been 11 years since our last reunion, our "substance" has evolved to be far sharper and deeper than back then.