Finding Community at the Dentist's Office

Let's just say dental visits have been a challenge for us. My son has special needs, and past experiences at other facilities left us handling his dental care at home for longer than I'd like to admit. But he's getting older, and I knew we couldn't put this off any longer. We needed more than a cleaning — we needed a dental home. A practice that could grow with him long-term. Maybe even braces one day. And most importantly, a team that would meet him where he is.

I did my research. Read every Google review I could find. And something about Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry on Vilcom Center Drive kept coming up — especially from other parents of kids with special needs. So we went.

Before we even walked through the door, I could tell this was going to be different. The office had followed up with us several times before the appointment — not just the standard confirmation texts, but real communication. They asked about my son. They wanted to know about his needs. And they clearly did something with that information, because when we arrived, they were ready.

The first thing he saw was a little playhouse right there in the waiting area. Not tucked in a corner — front and center, impossible to miss. His curiosity kicked in immediately. He started exploring.

Anna greeted me warmly, gave me my first dose of calm, and handed me the forms on an iPad — tech-forward and smooth. Then the dental hygienist — Amber — came out and didn't make a beeline for me. She went to him. She said, "Don't worry about it," and just walked around with him. Let him explore at his own pace while I sat down to fill out the paperwork I had completely forgotten to do beforehand.

No one made me feel bad about forgetting the paperwork. No one gave me a look. They just made sure my kid was safe and happy while I caught up. If you're a special needs parent, you know that's not a small thing.

At one point, my son got a little upset and impatient. So I did what any parent in my situation might do: I reached for his tablet…which was dying.

If you know, you know what that means.

Before I could even begin to panic, the staff offered to take it and charge it for me. Just like that. I was surprised and honestly delighted — that's not something you expect from a dental office.

And then, while they had the tablet plugged in, another mom, Melissa, in the waiting room stepped in. She had a child with special needs, as well (not present) and had been in my shoes at some point in life, and without a hint of hesitation, she offered us her iPad. Just handed it over. Let us use it the entire time we waited, and didn't get up to take it back until after we'd been called in.

That kind of moment doesn't happen everywhere. But it happened here.

Then Amber brought us to a bright, quiet dental space, where my son promptly killed the lights–and it was okay! No battle for anyone else that might need to see, the space was selected to accommodate him and his sensitivity. Again, putting his mom at ease. There, I opened up to Amber about our past struggles with preschools and picky eating, more than I usually share. But I guess I felt that we were in a safe place, and that notion was confirmed as my trust was met with compassion, a listening ear, and a promise of support.

Amber took my son back to meet Dr. Chuck Mauney earlier, before anything clinical happened. No instruments, no bright lights, no chair yet. Just an introduction. Hey, I'm going to be the one helping you today.

Then Dr. Chuck sat with me. He asked questions — not just about my son's dental history, but about what my son had been through at other facilities, what made him anxious, and what helped him feel safe. He listened to all of it before he picked up a single tool.

When it was time, Dr. Chuck gave us a positioning technique I'd never been offered before: he had me hold my son in my lap, legs wrapped around my waist, head leaning back toward the doctor. He was in my arms the whole time. Not strapped down. Not held by strangers. With me.

I walked into that appointment with zero expectations of an actual cleaning. If my son could just sit there for five minutes without a meltdown, I was going to call it a win.

Dr. Chuck cleaned tartar off his teeth. On the first visit. After years away from a dentist.

He struggled a little — he's a kid, and this was brand new — but Dr. Chuck worked with a steady hand, carefully and quickly, and I could tell my son felt safe even in the hard moments. And when it was over? No signs of decay. I almost cried.

Then came the part we really needed: Dr. Chuck walked me through practical techniques for doing dental hygiene at home. Not just handing me a pamphlet — real strategies. Positioning, tools, and how to build tolerance over time. And we set up a three-month follow-up appointment — not because anything was wrong, but so my son could come back and keep lowering his anxiety before his regular six-month cleaning.

That's a dentist thinking about your kid's long-term relationship with dental care.

When my son got up from the chair after having his teeth scraped by a stranger for the first time in years, he left the room in a Flash (in fact, he had picked up that nickname by the end of the visit) — but...then came back and gave Dr. Chuck a high five. That is a very big deal.

And when it was time to leave — my kid, who normally bolts for the door the second he's ready to go, who does not linger anywhere he doesn't want to be — he didn't rush. He was social. He was content. He was happy.

When Amber had to step away to another patient, another great hygienist, Lisa, stepped right in to stay with him while I handled payment details. The whole team was engaged. Not just with the clinical work — with him. They treated him like a whole child and treated me like a whole parent.

We didn’t just find a dentist. We felt like we found a dental home. We found a support environment that could be felt. We found community. 

I don't know how else to say it. It meant the world. A special thanks to Amber, Anna, Ashley, Lisa, and Dr. Chuck for a wonderful visit!

Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry has been serving Chapel Hill families for more than 25 years. Dr. Lenise Clifton — who is both an orthodontist and a pediatric dentist — opened the practice in 1997. Her husband, Dr. Chuck Mauney, joined a few years later with a Master's in Public Health and board certification from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He also teaches at UNC's pediatric dental clinic. In 2023, they added Dr. Thurston Nash, another board-certified pediatric dentist and Chapel Hill native.

They serve children with special needs. That's not a footnote on their website — it's part of how they describe what they do.

Clifton & Mauney Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry 77 Vilcom Center Dr., Suite 310, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 933-1007 | cliftonandmauney.com Pediatric Dentistry · Orthodontics · Special Needs Care · Sedation Dentistry