Kaku 2 Pediatric Dentist

Visiting the dentist is not always an enjoyable experience for adults, and the thought of taking my two energetic toddlers for their dental checkups definitely had me a little nervous. I know that for children, instilling good dental habits early is extremely important, and having a positive experience visiting the dentist can really make a difference. So, with that in mind I made an appointment for my children to visit the Kaku 2 Dental Clinic in Hiroo.

Kaku 2 Dental Clinic specializes in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, teeth cleaning and checkups for adults, and teeth whitening. Doctors Jon and Maori Kaku are both educated and trained in the United States, and have built a successful dental clinic that offers the latest technologies and techniques that are not readily used by other dentists in Tokyo.

Conveniently located close to the Hiroo shopping street, the Kaku 2 Dental Clinic is located in a modern, light-filled house. All of the friendly reception staff speak English, and happily helped me find the bike parking at the side of the building reserved for clinic patients. Once inside, we checked in on an iPad and took our seats in the spacious waiting area. The reception area takes up the majority of the ground floor, and the walls are covered with Polaroid photos of the clinic’s many happy patients (the majority of them children) and of the Kaku Clinic’s friendly team of dentists and clinic staff. The environment at the Kaku Clinic is extremely kid friendly, with large round tables housing a large selection of English and Japanese toys, books and magazines. There is also a computer game station where children can play games while they wait for their appointment. Parents can help themselves to a cup of tea, coffee or glass of water. Importantly, there is also a space to freshen up your teeth before your appointment, with a large selection of toothpastes, floss and mouth washes.

After a short wait/play in the waiting room we are greeted by our dentist, Dr. Hurato Iwatra. Dr. Hurato has a warm, friendly manner and chatted with my children as we followed her upstairs to the treatment area. Upstairs, the Kaku dentists work in a large, open plan environment, which for children works incredibly well. The large windows allow for a lot of natural light, and the space is welcoming and quite natural, and not scary or intimidating for children.

Once settled on the flat dentist chair, my three-year-old daughter happily put on her headphones to watch “Cinderella,” which was playing on the TV above. She then got involved in some serious decision making: which color toothbrush and polishing brush would be used during teeth cleaning, and what flavor paste was to be applied. There are a number of flavors (strawberry, peach, mint, etc.) to choose from, but interestingly, she selected bubble gum, and then the checkup got underway. As I sat by my daughter’s side, I was so impressed (and I must admit a little surprised) by how well she behaved throughout the checkup and teeth cleaning. The thoughtful set up of the surgery and the expert manner of Dr. Haruto made the experience fun for her, and she was more than happy having her treatment.

Once the checkup and cleaning finished, Dr. Haruto was pleased to tell me that there were no cavities, so the final step of the checkup was for the fluoride sealant to be applied to my daughter’s teeth. This is something that I had a few questions about, as I have been concerned about my daughter missing out on the fluoride that is added to drinking water in Australia to protect and strengthen teeth. Dr. Haruto listened carefully to my questions and recommended a fluoride gel that I can apply to my daughter’s teeth each night.

My 23-month-old son was a little more difficult to coax into the dentist chair, but the staff at Kaku where not fazed at all. Dr. Haruko expertly carried out a full checkup, which was no mean feat for such a wriggly patient. Best of all, there were no tears from my son and he happily chose his toy reward when the checkup was over.

Kaku 2 Pediatric Dental Clinic is definitely the right place to visit if you want to make dental checkups enjoyable for your children and yourself. Prices are reasonable at ¥3,700 for a checkup only, and ¥6,700 for a checkup plus teeth cleaning. In addition to the Hiroo location, there is also an office in Yoyogi Uehara (see details below).

The Deets

Hiroo Office

Address: 5-9-23 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-5449-3308

Open: Wed, Thu, every other Fri, and every other Sun, 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

Yoyogi Uehara Office

Address: 46-17 Oyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-5452-0118

Open: Tue, Sat, and every other Fri, 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.