Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry Blog

At Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, we prioritize our patients' needs to make sure they receive the highest quality care. We understand that some of our patients may require a little extra encouragement and help at the dentist office. To ensure every patient is comfortable, especially children with special needs, our doctors and staff work with compassion and help patients feel safe while in our office through their experience and with a variety of amenities.

Whether it's for a new child who's on the away or due to moving to a new area, choosing a new pediatric dentist for your child is one of the most important steps in protecting their long-term dental health. It also can be very confusing for parents, as it's hard to know how to choose the best pediatric dentist for your child's unique needs.

While the activities below are sure to satisfy the whole family, remember that with the current COVID-19 crisis, not all of them are appropriate for right now. Many of these locations are currently closed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning your next excursion for when the quarantine lifts. To help you outline your future adventures, here are some of our favorite things to do in Chapel Hill and the greater Research Triangle Area.

The holidays are nearly here, and that can present some problems for braces-wearers. Learn how to survive the holidays with braces, then contact us today!

Your baby’s first tooth has appeared, so it’s time for his or her first visit for the dentist. You may wonder whether you should bring him or her to see a pediatric specialist or your regular family practitioner. Here are three reasons why a pediatric dentist is an ideal choice for your child’s dental care.

Youtube do it yourself (DIY) videos are great for many things, but one thing they shouldn’t be used for is orthodontic care. At Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics, we want to promote and provide the highest quality orthodontic treatment in the Chapel Hill, Durham, and Hillsborough areas, and we want to discourage all patients from any type of DIY braces. Our orthodontists and staff understand that braces or Invisalign can be a right of passage for any young person, but that doesn’t mean you should ever experiment with DIY braces. Unfortunately, there is a new trend occurring online where videos of how to make your own braces at home are surfacing. Many preteens and teenagers are trying to do this and severely damaging their teeth and mouths. Learn why this trend can be quite harmful to your oral health with our Chapel Hill orthodontists.

Moving from a bottle to a cup is a huge transition for your baby’s oral health. A baby’s jawbone, palate, teeth, and oral cavity all change and shift as they grow and develop. A sippy cup nozzle can drastically alter important oral structures and impact speech, airway, and sleep quality later in life. But rest assured, there are ways to ensure you are making the right choice.

As the holidays approach, our patients throughout Chapel Hill and the surrounding areas will partake in delicious meals with their families and friends. Thanksgiving is a time of celebration and great food, but how do patients with braces navigate the endless supply of tasty treats while keeping their orthodontic treatment safe and maintaining their dental health? Drs. Clifton and Mauney, your local pediatric orthodontists, recommend the following tips for enjoying Thanksgiving with braces.

The school year is starting up once again, and for many of our patients here in Chapel Hill, NC, that means heading back to school with a new set of braces. Starting a new school year with braces can be exciting, but there are a few changes you'll need to make as you settling into the rhythm of the school year. At Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, our mission is to be a comprehensive resource for dental and orthodontic health. Here are our tips for starting school with a new set of braces.

The best way to teach your kids healthy brushing habits is through the power of routine! Research suggests that it only takes three weeks to establish a routine; after the third week, it feels natural to perform your new habit. If you want to help your child build lifelong oral health habits, here are three tips to creating a positive brushing routine that lasts.

Clear aligners are so popular, in fact, that new online smile services have entered the market. Through a series of mail-order services, patients can skip the doctor’s office and receive DIY teeth-straightening kits. While this cheaper option might sound more convenient, here are 4 reasons why professional care is critical for your oral health.

We heard you’re getting braces. Congratulations! We are so excited to be a part of your journey to straighter teeth! Today, over 4 million Americans wear braces and you are about to be a part of the pack. But before you get your own set, here are 5 things to expect when you get braces.

If you’ve been on the fence about starting your kids with orthodontic treatment, there’s never been a better time than now, especially since the summer is here. Here at Clifton & Mauny Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, we provide professional orthodontic care to patients of all ages, every month of the year, but when summer comes around, patients can benefit from some advantages of the season to make the first few months of their smile transformation easier and more comfortable. Below are just some advantages that you and your family get by starting orthodontic treatment in the summer.

Warm weather is here, which means it’s time for some spring cleaning! As you’re straightening a room or cleaning out a closet, don’t forget to check in with your oral health habits as well. Here are four tips to make sure your gums and teeth are sparkling clean.

It’s that time of the year once again when love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is when everyone wants to look their absolute best for those special people in their lives. If your teeth aren’t attractive or you have bad breath, it’s time to get busy improving your smile before puckering up! Below are some tips to help you achieve your best Valentine’s Day smile, compliments of your Chapel Hill orthodontist!

2018 has finally arrived and with the changing of the calendar, it’s brought something else along with it. That’s right – New Year’s resolutions! We’re sure that plenty of you have made many different resolutions already (and hopefully haven’t broken any of them yet!). Well, as your Chapel Hill, NC orthodontist and pediatric dentist, we at Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry would like to suggest dedicating one (or more!) of these New Year’s resolutions toward your dental health. We’ve provided you with five great resolutions that will lead you to having a healthier mouth in 2018.

Each year parents across the country use Elf on the Shelf to kick start holiday fun and encourage good behavior. Why not use the beloved tradition to encourage good oral hygiene, too? Below are 5 clever ways Elf on the Shelf will have your kids brushing and flossing with joy.

Whether you’re visiting us with your child to see our Chapel Hill pediatric dentist or are undergoing adult orthodontics to improve the appearance of your teeth, we want you to leave our office smiling and completely satisfied with the dental & orthodontic care we provide you with. Here are a few fun facts about smiling & happiness we think you’ll enjoy!

Dr. Clifton, Dr. Mauney, and our team will help our patients avoid cavities in their teeth and injury to their braces by buying back Halloween candy! We’ll be paying $2 for each pound of Halloween candy our patients surrender at our office on November 1st. We will then match the total amount paid to our patients, dollar for dollar, donating the proceeds to benefit The Conservation Fund, the nation’s top environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s most important landscapes and waterways for future generations.

We love Halloween just as much as the next person, but we know how having braces can put a bit of a damper on the holiday when you’re not sure what candy you’re able to eat. To help you enjoy Halloween without damaging your braces, we’ve put together a little cheat sheet of which candies and treats you’re able to eat and which ones you should avoid. Hint: Avoid caramel apples at all costs.

Fluoride is necessary for tooth advancement and the avoidance of tooth rot. Throughout the United States, tooth decay is far less pervasive than it would have been without the fluoridation of open water supplies. That is the reason why pediatric dental specialists support water fluoridation to the prescribed levels of 0.70 parts per million (ppm). It's also why the government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called fluoridated water a standout amongst the most critical wellbeing accomplishments of the twentieth century. Read More!

It is important to visit your dentist at least twice a year to have the full oral hygiene treatments performed such as, a thorough cleaning, polishing, and dental exam. This will not only ensure that your teeth will look their best, but any potential dental problems can be caught and resolved before becoming a tedious, costly, and time consuming issue.

While traditional metal braces used to be the only option for quality orthodontic treatment, these days, there are a variety of alternative treatments on the market – and Invisalign is one of the fastest-growing and most popular. Instead of metal brackets and wires, Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable aligners to straighten the teeth, offering a convenient and aesthetically pleasing option for orthodontic treatment. While Invisalign can handle a wide variety of orthodontic conditions, it's not for everyone. So how do you know if you're a candidate for Invisalign?

To help you protect your teeth from stains, discoloration, and decay, we've compiled a list of some of the top teeth-staining foods and habits in most people's lives. Avoid these, and you'll be on the right track for a healthy smile!

When you hear the words "orthodontic treatment," we'll be we know what you picture – a smiling mouth with a lattice of metal brackets and wires attached to the front of the teeth. These are traditional metal braces, and they're they oldest treatment in orthodontics. Even though they've been around for over 100 years, metal braces are still one of the most popular treatments we offer and provide an effective, cost-efficient way to treat almost any malocclusion. But make no mistake: they're no longer the only option!

2017 has finally arrived and we at Clifton & Mauney hope to continue to be your choice when you’re in search of pediatric dentistry or an orthodontist in the Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Durham, NC areas for the following year and the years to come. Just as common as a Christmas tree is to Christmas, New Year’s resolutions have been just that to New Year’s Day. Whether you’ve already made any resolutions for 2017 or you’re still thinking about it, why not throw in a resolution about maintaining your dental health? If you’re wearing braces (or going to be wearing braces soon), we’ve provided you with a list of resolutions that will be helpful for making sure that your dental hygiene stays at its most optimal level.

We all know that regular visits to a dentist are a crucial part of helping a child develop healthy, strong teeth and a beautiful smile. Unfortunately, though, children aren't always so receptive to the idea! While a dentist doesn't actually pose anything to be scared of, many children feel anxious or scared of visiting the dentist's office – and as a parent, it can be difficult to know how to help a child through these feelings. There are things you can do, though, and with some preparation and the right pediatric dentist, it's possible that a trip to the dentist's can be a fun, enjoyable experience!

Ironically enough, National Orthodontic Health Month also coincides with Halloween, the holiday most known for people gorging themselves with massive amounts of candy. Now, you don’t have to boycott candy while you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment (nor would we even expect someone to do such a thing!), but it’s important for you to use moderation. For the sake of your teeth, try to limit yourself to no more than a few small pieces a day.

With the recent news from the Associated Press that there’s no real proof of the medical benefits of flossing, we at Clifton & Mauney are here to reassure you that your teeth cleaning efforts of brushing, flossing, and mouthwashing for all these years have not been for nothing. Drs. Clifton & Mauney provide the most up-to-date and reliable information on dental hygiene, and this very much includes flossing, contrary to AP’s report.

At Clifton & Mauney, we pride ourselves on delivering the highest standard of pediatric dentistry and orthodontic care in the Chapel Hill, NC area. We make it our mission to do whatever we can to ease all our patients through the orthodontic treatment procedure. After first being fitted with braces, several changes will have to be made to a patient’s eating habits in order to accommodate the new braces. This means that no hard foods and no sticky foods should be eaten; these foods can cause damage to a patient’s braces. It may be a difficult change at first, but we want to show you that it won’t be so bad by providing you with several different appetizing recipes that are suitable to eat for the new brace-wearer.

Clifton & Mauney is proud to serve the city of Chapel Hill, NC with high quality orthodontic and dental care. Chapel Hill is a unique city; it’s a large metropolitan area with a small town feel that we’re glad to call home. While you’re here visiting your orthodontist and pediatric dentist, here are a few suggestions of things you can do before or after your appointment with us.

Many people are surprised to learn that the American Association of Orthodontists or AAO recommends all children see an orthodontist for the first time by the time they turn 7 years of age. While this may seem like a very early age to take your child to an orthodontist, there are some very good reasons to do so.

2016 is here, and that means many of our patients are going to be making new years’ resolutions to get in shape, tidy up the house, or learn something new - but this year, we encourage you to resolve to invest in your best asset: your smile. A new smile comes with a wide range of benefits that will last you the rest of your life, and with Invisalign, getting one has never been easier.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while we're obviously excited about getting to see family and enjoy a delicious (if slightly oversized) meal, we think that it's important to really take the time to be thankful during this time of year - gratitude is a powerful thing!

Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry is proud of our student athlete patients and we want to ensure they have a safe season as contact and competitive sports can pose a risk to teeth and braces. In order to play it safe, we recommend that all of our patients wear a mouth guard during practices and game time to ensure their teeth, mouth and braces stay safe and protected.

Oral hygiene is a very important factor to maintaining a beautiful smile. The standard regimen that is recommended by the American Dental Association is brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once. Staying committed to this routine promotes not only whiter teeth, but an overall healthier and beautiful smile.

While a smile can be improved at any age with braces, there is an optimal time for orthodontic treatment to begin. Our practice agrees with the recommendation made by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) which states a child should have his or her first orthodontic evaluation no later than age 7 or at the first sign of orthodontic problems.