I Opened a Dental Clinic - Every Smile, Every Family, Every Dental

Every Dental Clinic

I opened a dental clinic. For a long time, while thinking about what kind of place I wanted to create, the word that kept coming to mind was “family.”

A place where children and parents alike can visit comfortably, and a place that becomes the family’s trusted dental doctor. That was the beginning of Every Dental Clinic. I’d like to record the story of preparing to open, and of slowly building Every Dental from that beginning.

A guardian’s 마음

Every time I took my child to the hospital, I found myself more concerned with how my child would feel after the visit than with the treatment itself that day. Sitting on the chair in front of the treatment room and waiting, I would feel strangely restless and always tense about whether my child was doing well during treatment.

I worried, “Will my child be willing to come back to the hospital next time?” Even though I was a dentist, I became a completely different person when it was my own child facing treatment. Before any judgment as a doctor—such as, “Is this treatment really necessary for my child?” or “Will this cause too much stress?”—there was my concern and fear as a mother.

Still, no matter which hospital I went to, I always felt some regret in the end. There were places where my child was scared and crying, but no one was there to comfort or hold them, so calming my child down while sweating was entirely my responsibility. In that moment, I suddenly thought:

“If I ever run a dental clinic, I want to reduce a child’s stress with only the minimum necessary treatment and create a space where both children and parents can feel at ease.”

Someone’s day, someone’s everyday life

Before becoming a dental specialist, I too was a child who was afraid of the dentist. On one day when I cried too much, the doctor told my mother, “If she keeps crying like this, she’ll disturb the other patients, so it would be better to look for another clinic.” Those words stayed with me as a wound for a long time. From then on, I began avoiding dental clinics altogether. I still remember how, in middle school, even though my tooth hurt terribly, I couldn’t go to the dentist and held a Tylenol tablet in my mouth to endure the pain, staying awake all night.

The experience of finally going to a dental clinic after enduring it for so long, and having the pain disappear after just a few touches from the doctor’s hands, was a life-changing moment for me. I remember thinking for the first time, “Ah! A dental clinic is a place that relieves pain, and a doctor is someone whose job is to reduce another person’s suffering.” From then on, I began to see dentistry not as a place of fear, but as a place of healing. I’ve long nurtured the dream of one day becoming someone who creates that kind of space.

After becoming a dentist, I made honest treatment my top priority. When I worked as an employed dentist, no matter how busy I was, I always did my utmost to provide careful treatment so that patients would not be in pain. I have aimed to provide care faithful to the basics, making sure any active decay is treated without leaving anything behind. I value avoiding unnecessary treatment, thinking carefully about what each person truly needs, identifying discomfort as quickly as possible, and clearly explaining what can be expected.

However, at the large hospital where I worked as an employed dentist for more than 15 years, I saw countless patients every day, but had almost no time to talk or share thoughts with them. It was a busy daily routine where what mattered most was whether the next appointment was ready. At some point, I began to wonder whether this was really the kind of care I wanted to provide, and in that fast-paced environment, it felt uncomfortable not being able to remember patients’ names or stories.

And during my training days at the Veterans Hospital in the past, when I made dentures for an elderly lady, what mattered most to me was making her everyday life comfortable. Later, when I heard that she was eating with those dentures and living her days in comfort, I felt happy too. The feeling I experienced then still remains vivid in my heart, and even now it stands as a major pillar of my treatment philosophy.

Thinking about the dentures that spent her remaining time with her and my busy daily life as an employed dentist made the direction I wanted my care to take much clearer. I wanted to know who the people I met were, think together about what they needed, and provide care that would protect their health over the long term. So, with the desire to communicate fully with each patient and understand their lives, I decided to open a small clinic.

Every Smile, Every Family, Every Dental

The name “Every Dental,” which opened in February 2025, carries the wish that every family—from children to parents—can regain their health and their smiles. I want it to be not just a clinic that treats problems well, but a space where patients can relax and receive care with peace of mind.

Isn’t the ability to imagine a patient’s everyday life and wait at their pace with patience the beginning and the end of the care a dental specialist can provide? That is why, even today, I think back to myself as a child who was afraid of the dentist, to that elderly person’s one meal, and to the 마음 of parents coming with their child holding their hand. I keep working to fill even a single treatment with reassurance and comfort that will remain long after the visit.

That is exactly the reason I chose this work, and the responsibility I must continue to uphold. When treating a child’s teeth, I consider how those teeth will function when they grow up and provide only the treatment that is truly necessary at the right time, in step with the child’s growth. When treating a parent’s teeth, I provide accurate and careful care so they can be used reliably and strongly for a long time.

The dental clinic I want is a place where patients can feel safe and trust us. I want it to be a clinic where treatment does not hurt, where the waiting room feels comfortable through the staff, and where patients can leave feeling good after their appointment. To give each patient a memory that will last for a long time, I will continue to build Every Dental slowly and honestly.