Jodie in Tokyo

My trip to the dentist

On Friday, Mum, me, Curtis and Eamon went to the dentist. As soon as we got in I saw a snow board and in front of that I saw a control for a video game. Then I saw a TV in front of the video game, with a picture of the boy who was standing on the snow board! Every time the boy moved side to side, the boy on the TV did too.

When it was our turn, we each got a different dentist, which is unusual because in Australia you have to take turns and there is only one dentist. When my dentist saw me, she told me to sit down. Then as soon as I sat down she asked me if I wanted to watch a movie. I said, ‘Yes!’ She asked me what flavour toothpaste I wanted and I looked at the toothpaste menu and said, ‘Pink bubblegum.’ Then she asked me what flavour flouride gel I wanted. I looked at the gel menu and said, ‘Orange.’

After that she put on the movie (I chose Happy Feet) and checked my teeth. When it was over we got to choose a prize. I chose a yo-yo kind of thing. Eamon chose a car. Curtis chose a car too, but then he saw something he liked better so he told Mum. Mum tried to swap the car for the parachute but Curtis had already broken the car, so then he got both. That’s my trip to the dentist.

Written by Ruby O’Keeffe, 8

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In every culture, everyone has to make a buck and there are infinite ways of doing so. In Japan, many businesses specialise in one thing and do it very well. Craftsmanship is highly valued, as is tradition. So the soba noodle bar down the road is not there just to serve the maximum number of customers per day, charging the maximum possible price. To the proprietor, this seems almost secondary. As long as he (or she) can continue making the best soba noodles possible, the business is considered a success. There’s no need to expand. No need to advertise. No need to drum up business. If the noodles are good, they will come.

This formula seems to work pretty well and there are many ‘famous’ small businesses where you have to be in the know, or get there really early, to get a look in. The dentist we went to last week takes an entirely different approach. A friend recommended them and I called up and got an appointment almost right away. Before the appointment, they sent some high-end marketing material and freebies (pens, fridge magnets), everything in the shape of a tooth. A quick study of their website revealed the following:

- They are a husband and wife team who studied dentistry in Japan and the US

- One specialises in orthodontics, one in pediatric dentistry

- Their customer-facing staff are continually improving their English skills (unusual in Japan)

- They have two offices, each located in a high-density expat area of Tokyo

- Therefore, they are very smart

Most expats will try to avoid anything medical in Tokyo because it can be quite confusing and horror stories abound (personally I think these are exaggerated, but anyway). People will put off as much as possible until they go home for Christmas or the summer holidays.

Orthodontics, however, can’t be treated this way. You can’t sit back and watch as your kids’ teeth become more and more unruly. Teeth can’t be fixed with a once or twice a year visit home. It has to be done here and now.

That’s where the highly qualified, highly expat-friendly dentists come into the picture. The waiting room, apart from being full of video games, also provides the latest in US and European magazines. In the treatment room, each chair (and there are seven) has a flat screen TV mounted on the ceiling with infra-red iPod remote control. The operations were nothing but slick, an exercise in efficiency. The more highly trained the technician, the less time they spend on you. As a business model, it’s very Western, a far cry from the traditional Japanese soba guy. For the time being though, Japanese business culture has a place for both.

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Post script: just received a personalised thank you note from the dentist. They even spelled our name correctly. That’s service – with a smile…

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