Meet Dr. Ben Hite

Dr. Ben Hite is the owner and lead dentist of our practice. He grew up in a military family and planned to become a dental lab technician alongside his father, spending his early years learning how a restoration is actually built before he ever treated a patient. That background changed the way he practices, and you can see it in how the finished work fits. He earned his undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his Doctor of Dental Medicine from Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in 2008.

His training never really stopped. He has completed a McGarry Implant Mini-Residency, endodontic seminars, and soft-tissue laser certification, and his interest in technology shapes much of what we can offer you: 3-D printing, same-day crowns, digital design, and imaging that catches problems while they are still small. Because your crown is designed and made in our own office, he can refine the fit himself instead of sending your case to an outside lab and waiting weeks for the result.

His approach is straightforward. He shows you what he sees, answers your questions in plain language, and takes the time to get the small details right, because those are the details you live with for the next twenty years. Around the office he is known as both a perfectionist and the person most likely to make you laugh in the chair, and he works closely with our team to keep that balance.

What he enjoys most is the moment your treatment is finished and it finally sinks in. People come in hiding from photos and avoiding the foods they love, and they leave able to bite into an apple and smile without thinking about it. That result is why he keeps looking for better tools and better technique.

Ask about his weekend and you will hear about his wife, Beth, an orthodontist, and their three children, Nolan, Brynna, and Braelyn. He is an avid sports enthusiast who plays golf, pickleball, and basketball, and he also enjoys fishing, skiing, and traveling somewhere new. He has one unusual claim to fame: he has lived through everything from earthquakes to typhoons, which may be why very little in a dental office rattles him.

If you have been putting off dental care, or you simply want a dentist who will look closely and tell you the truth about what he finds, we would be glad to introduce you. At Hite Family Dentistry, expertise, compassion, and a good sense of humor come as a set.