As clinicians within the dental industry, you’re likely familiar with Tokuyama as the creator of leading dental composites, bonding agents, primers, and cements. Originally established in Japan in 1918, the company planted its roots humbly by producing soda ash—an effort to squash the country’s reliance on imports. Over the next century, Tokuyama would adapt to changing environments and economies to manufacture a broad range of chemical products.
Today, Tokuyama boasts nearly 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries and is engaged in multiple business fields, including its subsidiary Tokuyama Dental. Its most well-known dental products, such as Rebase II and Estelite Sigma Quick, stand out due to proven success.
“As a Japanese company, we strive for excellence and are committed to developing the best solutions for the dental industry,” said Phil Pasit, Director of Marketing and Sales at Tokuyama Dental. “It is our top priority to develop products that consistently perform at or above clinical expectations.”
These high-quality products go beyond the dental materials inside your operatory—they’re part of your everyday life. Tokuyama is more than just a dental manufacturer, and the company’s technology is in more places than you may think—from the polyolefin film in plastic food wraps, to the lenses in eyeglasses, to the inner workings of the cellphone you hold in your hand every day. The building that houses your practice might be composed of polyvinyl chloride that the company produces, or its window glass made of soda ash. Tokuyama is also contributing construction materials to help build the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
“We are a company that has been in business for over 100 years, and our innovations are in countless everyday products,” shared Pasit.
Revolutionizing Dentistry
With a shift in focus from quantity to quality, the nearly $3 billion company aims to be the global leader in advanced materials and leader in its traditional businesses in Japan by 2025. But such goals can only be achieved through research and innovation. An important piece of Tokuyama’s R&D puzzle is listening to the needs of dental professionals and integrating their voices into the development of dental products.
“We are committed to revolutionizing the dental industry through innovation,” said Pasit. “Our stakeholders are at the core of everything we do, so we work very closely with them to incorporate their needs in the development of top-quality dental products.”
Tokuyama entered the dental world in the early 1980s and launched its first esthetic, self-cure and self-mix composite in 1983, followed during that initial decade by the company’s signature hard denture reline material, its first bonding agent, and primer.
“Over a century of research and development, cutting-edge technology, and innovative chemistry has been transferred to Tokuyama’s dental division to shape the future of dentistry,” said Pasit.
Tokuyama has built on its flagship creations by releasing 2nd and 3rd generations that improve on the products’ essential properties, such as esthetics, adhesion, polish, and working time. With more than 10,000 patents, the company anticipates keeping its place in line at the forefront of the dental industry by continuing to deliver groundbreaking products.
Creating Responsibly
All of this innovation has created a global manufacturer well-known for its progressive technology, research and development, and creative chemistry. Something else Tokuyama is becoming known for is its mission to do right by the world through social responsibility initiatives that help create better and safer treatment options for clinicians and their patients.
Tokuyama has action plans in place to promote and encourage employees, and is involved in local cleanups, children’s education, and Responsible Care, a voluntary management initiative that chemical manufacturers take on to protect the environment and ensure the health of society.
“Through our commitment to Responsible Care, we are able to create a safer treatment landscape for dentists and their patients,” said Pasit. “In order to ensure that our products are safe, we conduct assessments at every stage of operation—from initial research and development to market release.”
Tokuyama is on a mission not just to invent, but to innovate. And through its composites, bonding agents, denture relines, cements, and other products stocked in operatories around the world, the company seeks to exceed clinical expectations and create a more ef? cient, faster way for dental professionals to achieve their desired result.
