Guest
Learn from a True Master In 2017, I was blessed to meet a true aligner master, Dr. Kenji Ojima. After listening to his one-day lecture, I was completely hooked. Two days later, we met again in Rome, Italy. We held lectures together at the Italian Society of Orthodontics International Congress and consequently became close friends. I have had the privilege to learn from his aligner experience firsthand, and I decided that our office, Beethoven Orthodontic Center, would from that point on follow his methods. Five years later, the Taiwan Association of Orthodontists (TAO) 2022 Annual Meeting arranged Dr. Kenji and yours truly in the same section to discuss how to treat difficult cases with aligners. After my lecture, a female professor came to me and made an interesting comment, “After listening to your lecture, I felt that I was like a frog living in a shallow well.” I was so surprised by her comment, as we had sat together when I first heard Dr. Kenji’s methodology. After his initial lecture, she commented that if orthodontic cases could be treated with Dr. Kenji’s aligner approach, we would all go out of business. She obviously meant that ironically. However, this time, I could feel the comment came from the bottom of her heart; it was certainly not intended to be ironic. What I have learned from her comments is that I was most fortunate to have instinctively followed the methods and executed the techniques which I had learned from the Japanese aligner master. I believe the female professor still has her doubts. However, the proof is in the pudding, and the differences between her results and mine treated with aligners have been huge, which further cements my belief in Dr. Kenji’s approach. I think time has shown that we made the right decision and also had the right attitude of not only learning from and following the right person, but also wholeheartedly executing his techniques. Without executing the techniques you have learned, learning is nothing. So, my dear friends, we are all students for life. Although that sounds very cliché, the key point is we have to learn ambitiously. It means we need to have the courage to execute, not only to listen. If we can align ourselves with new approaches and techniques, then we can carry on along our road to glory. In this issue’s Taiwanese Lifestyle, we introduce our new house with surrounding aviary. We invited my true master, Dr. Kenji, to stay in my guest room to become aligned with the atmosphere. The same space is not only used by ourselves, but also shared with our beloved birds. I am so happy that Dr. Kenji enjoyed it so much as well. I am convinced that after reading this article, you, too, will love it.
