Photo/Illutration A digital model of an oral cavity is shown on the monitor after a scanning on Sept. 24 in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. (Eiichiro Nakamura)

Dental clinics, once said to outnumber convenience stores in Japan, are increasingly shutting down, unable to adjust to their aging workforces and higher commodity prices.

Some dentists are turning to digital technology for survival, but this equipment costs money, and many clinics cannot afford the investment.

According to data from Teikoku Databank Ltd., the dental industry saw a record 126 bankruptcies and closures between January and October 2024, up 1.8 times from the same period the previous year.

The bankrupt clinics each had liabilities of 10 million yen ($65,000) or more.

Many of the dentist offices cited the advancing age of their operators as a reason for shutting down. Their average age of clinic operators who closed in 2024 was 69.3.

Health ministry statistics also show that 33,000 dental technicians were available nationwide to craft silver tooth crowns and perform other dental work at the end of 2022, down 5 percent from 2020.

Fifty-four percent of active dental technicians are in their 50s or older.

Another problem plaguing dental clinics is the surging prices of alloys and other materials used in tooth treatment.

Their losses in income come at a time when dental clinics are seeking to buy and use the most advanced technologies available to win over new patients.

“The gap will likely widen even faster between successful operators, who can offer high value-added therapeutic options via capital investment and other means, and clinics forced to close for a range of reasons, including aging staff members,” said Daisuke Iijima, a representative of Teikoku Databank.

In February 2023, the Takabe Dental Clinic in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward introduced an integrated medical system from U.S. manufacturer Dentsply Sirona.

The goal was to establish a one-stop solution, where patients could complete all treatment processes--from cavity removal to getting fillings and crowns--during a single visit.

Yutaka Takabe, director of the clinic, stressed the technological supremacy of the system.

“Only a limited number of dental clinics, even in the capital, have incorporated the comprehensive system like us,” Takabe explained.

Under conventional treatments, a gypsum mold is first made to prepare silver crowns based on a personalized model. The coverings are then adjusted by hand and applied to the patient’s teeth several weeks later.

The all-in-one system can complete all those procedures in one day.

A remaining problem is the cost of treatment.

Some phases, such as scanning for mold creation and application of certain fillings, are covered by health insurance. But many others that are not covered are quite pricey.

Takabe said that placing a crown on a front tooth costs the patient 140,000 yen to 180,000 yen. The patient also needs to pay 80,000 yen to 140,000 yen for a back tooth filling.

Despite the costly treatment, one bride expressed gratitude to Takabe’s clinic for fixing her broken front tooth immediately before her marriage ceremony.

An official from the Japanese arm of Dentsply Sirona, headquartered in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward, emphasized that the corporation’s technology can help to address labor shortages in the dental industry.

“Replacing the lengthy manual process of creating fillings with our faster option may help dental technicians improve work efficiency and handle the problem of manpower shortages,” the representative said.

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