Frequently Asked Questions

No, it just makes them look great!  The bleaching materials that make your smile look brighter enter only the outermost layers of the tooth.  They do not harm the tooth or make it more susceptible to decay.

There are so many advantages to Invisalign!  Because they’re clear braces without brackets, they are nearly undetectable - people often don’t even realize that you have braces.  Because you take the braces out before you eat, you’re not limited in your choices of food or drink.

From an oral health standpoint, the fact that you can remove your Invisalign braces is also an advantage.  You can thoroughly brush and floss between your teeth, something that is very difficult with traditional braces.

Although times do vary with each patient, normally it takes less than 12 months for you to achieve the results you want.

There’s no doubt that tooth-colored fillings look better than the old traditional silver amalgams - no more gleam of silver when you open your mouth to smile.  But there are other advantages, too.  First of all, we remove less of your natural tooth structure when we’re placing a tooth-colored filling - and anytime we can save your tooth, that’s a good thing!  In addition the tooth-colored filling actually bonds to the tooth and makes it stronger. 

For a silver amalgam filling, on the other hand, we have to remove more tooth structure to support the filling - and even when it’s completed, it’s more likely that the tooth will crack and/or that decay or bacteria will get underneath the filling.

That’s why we use only tooth-colored fillings in our office.

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint - the jaw joint.  When you have a TMJ problem, the mandible of your jaw is actually coming out of its joint, causing cracking, popping, and other discomfort. 

To prevent TMJ difficulties, we can make a nightguard for you that will keep you jaw in its socket and relive the stress on your jaw musculature and jaw joints.

Yes, we can often use porcelain laminates to straighten your teeth and give them a longer, whiter look.  Please call our office to schedule a free consultation so we can explain more about how porcelain veneers might work for you.

Absolutely.  At every dental cleaning appointment and checkup we carefully evaluate the health of your bones and your gums.  We look for pockets of infection or signs of bleeding so that we can catch periodontal disease in its earliest stages and treat it before it has a chance to damage your gums, teeth, or bones.

Dr. Hill is available 24 hours a day by pager.  If you have an emergency when our office is closed, call the regular office number and listen to the message to get the pager number.