The gap will likely widen even faster between successful dental clinic 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.

Didn’t mention the dentist glut over the past couple of decades. I would recommend the struggling ones to consolidate and be open every day. The teikyubi system for medical facilities is ridiculous. Every medical establishment in my Tokyo neighborhood is closed on Wednesdays, as if no one gets sick on that day.

Isn't this a risk for any industry? Are we supposed to feel sympathy for this specific industry? Maybe stop buying a new Mercedes every shaken year and invest towards new equipment. This business is highly competitive in urban areas, with new dentists popping up on every corner with shiny new equipment and young staff. The only way to remain competitive is to utilize the advantage of already having a client base in that area. Either up your game by offering incentives to help retain your clients, or lose them. Having new equipment isn't the only incentive you can offer, you can compete by offering better service, having better skills (routine cleaning doesn't require new equipment and is a matter of skill), offering free services like coaching, little things like giving clients a tooth brush, offering an area where kids can wait, changing wall paper, etc. You can also lease equipment instead of purchasing, so if there is a particular machine you feel needs upgrading every so often, maybe lease it instead?

I personally go to an old clinic that has a good track record and highly skilled staff. Yes there is a new clinic nearby with a shiny interior and new equipment, but the reviews don't entice me enough to want to use that clinic. If there are clinics closing down, maybe they just weren't that good or were mismanaged?

Quote: new dentists popping up on every corner

Lucky Japan. You are more likely to see a peacock on your bird table than a dentist in the UK. Some people have been on NHS waiting lists for more than a decade.