A missing tooth changes how you chew, how your jawbone holds up over time, and eventually how your smile looks — our Dental Implants process starts with a CBCT scan so the plan is exact before any surgery happens.
Every Smile Center Dentistry office offering Dental Implants is held to the same four standards, verified before the office ever joins our network.
Surgical placement is performed under full malpractice coverage and current state licensure, verified before any procedure is scheduled.
A cone-beam CT scan maps bone volume and nerve position before we ever pick up a drill, which is how we avoid surprises mid-surgery.
Bone grafting, if needed, is quoted separately and explained clearly, not bundled into a vague lump sum.
Osseointegration is checked at defined intervals, and we won't load a crown onto an implant that hasn't properly fused.
Here's the range of Dental Implants our West Ishpeming team handles most, described the way we'd explain it chairside rather than in marketing language.
One missing tooth, one titanium post, one custom crown — planned from a single CBCT scan and placed under local anesthesia. Most single-tooth cases need two to three visits total, spaced around the healing timeline.
Full-arch implant bridges are planned around available bone, often avoiding the need for grafting even in patients with some bone loss. Many patients leave with a temporary fixed arch the same day surgery is completed.
Ridge preservation grafting at the time of extraction helps prevent the bone loss that makes future implant placement harder. Grafting adds healing time but significantly improves long-term implant stability.
Two-stage placement buries the implant under the gum to heal before a second minor procedure exposes it; single-stage keeps it visible from day one. Both approaches are backed by the same integration monitoring and warranty terms.
The final restoration is custom-shaded and shaped to match your bite and the teeth around it. Impressions are taken digitally in most cases, avoiding the old-style tray and putty process.
Implants need their own maintenance routine, and we screen for peri-implantitis — inflammation around an implant — at every recall visit. Recall visits for implant patients often run a little differently than a standard cleaning.
Here's exactly what to expect, start to finish, for Dental Implants at any of our affiliated offices.
Describe your situation and we'll schedule a CBCT scan and consultation, often within the same week.
The CBCT scan and a same-visit review let you see your own bone structure and hear the plan explained on-screen.
Surgery gets scheduled once you've reviewed and approved the written plan and price.
We track integration at set intervals and only proceed to the final restoration once the implant has properly fused.
We publish these as-is, because that's the only kind of review worth reading before booking Dental Implants.
“I'd put off replacing a molar for three years out of fear of surgery. The CBCT scan showed me exactly what was happening before anything was decided.”
“Full-arch implants gave my mother her bite back. The temporary teeth the same day as surgery made all the difference psychologically.”
“They explained bone grafting clearly instead of just adding it to the invoice. I appreciated knowing why it was actually necessary.”
“Recovery was easier than I expected. Mild soreness for two days, and the follow-up checks caught nothing unusual.”
“The quote covered every stage upfront, so there were no surprise charges when it came time for the crown months later.”
Straight answers to what people actually want to know before committing to Dental Implants.
Most patients complete treatment within four to eight months, with the implant integration phase taking up most of that time.
Placement is done under local anesthesia, and most patients describe recovery as mild soreness manageable with over-the-counter pain relief.
Failed integration is uncommon but possible; if it happens, we discuss revision options at no additional consultation charge.
Not every patient needs grafting; the CBCT scan tells us definitively before we recommend it.
Cost depends on how many implants and whether grafting is needed; you'll get a full written breakdown before committing.
The final crown is custom-shaded to match surrounding teeth, and most patients report it feels like their natural tooth within weeks.
We can usually confirm same-week availability for Dental Implants before you even finish describing your situation.
Our Dental Implants team serves West Ishpeming and the surrounding area, with CBCT imaging available on-site so scans don't require a separate trip. Parking and accessibility were considered when we set up our imaging suite for implant patients.
