The first Smile Center was started on May 28, 1990 by Dr. Edward Silker in Deerwood, MN with no patients, but vowed to be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. He based this idea on his previous dental practice in Phoenix with a fellow associate where they were open 24-7.

Sixteen years later, Dr. Silker’s clinic doubled its space, twice – from four chairs to eight by 1995 and from eight chairs to 16 by 1999. The growth spurred taking on a partner, Dr Pham, and additional clinics in Big Lake, Savage, St Paul and now Brooklyn Park.

The growth of The Smile Center is likely due in part to the convenience of the extended hours which can accommodate anyone’s life style as well as taking emergency patients and walk-ins on the same day. Dr. Silker states "The excruciating pain from a dental abscess is at least equal in magnitude to that of a broken limb. A physician would not let a patient suffer all weekend and we don’t think that a dental patient should have to suffer either. Our goal is to get you out relief as soon as possible."

Another factor in the growth has been that The Smile Center takes insurances that many other dental offices do not. This includes government funded insurances. Some patients can find it difficult to find a dental office taking their insurance and find it necessary to drive 2 to 3 hours to find someone who will. We are closing that gap.

All The Smile Centers’ include an in-house denture laboratory making it possible to do denture repairs promptly. Dentures and partials are also processed there so the denture laboratory technicians are available for consultation with doctors. The Deerwood location also provides the Crown and Bridge needs for all the clinics.

As of late, The Smile Center also has taken on many specialists to work at the clinics so our patients can avoid the referral process. Currently, all locations include an orthodontist and some of our locations include a periodontist and prosthodontist. Currently The Smile Center’s clinics employ over 250 people, including 30 doctors and 40 hygienists.