Are energy drinks bad for your teeth? Many of our patients at Afton Dental ask us this question, so here’s the scoop. Energy drinks have been on the rise, taking up more and more space on grocery store shelves. Drinks such as Red Bull, 5-Hour Energy, Monster Assault, Rockstar, and the like promise to jump-start…

You can improve your oral health with CEREC, the most technically advanced tooth restoration method available today. Broken, worn, decayed, misshapen, or otherwise damaged teeth do not function well and are difficult to clean. This means imperfect teeth do more than ruin your smile; even one bad tooth can negatively affect your oral health. If…

Have you ever watched to see if your child is breathing through his or her mouth? Breathing through the mouth instead of the nose may lead to trouble for youngsters. Kids who typically breathe through their mouth—most often children who suffer from allergies—experience problems getting enough oxygen into their blood, a condition that affects their…

How better to spend the fall months than inside by the fireplace with a warm cup of cider and a book in hand? Dr. Hill and our team at Afton Dental encourage you to warm up your mind this fall season with a few great books. Sure it may be easy to put off reading…

The secret to keeping your teeth for life involves more than one secret. The first is that there is no secret; and in fact, there really is no difficulty involved. Follow this simple four-step process – brush, floss, rinse, and visit our Concord, NC office regularly – and you will have healthy teeth for life!…

While there is no definite evidence that if your prevent gum diseases, like periodontitis, that you may be able to prevent a heart condition or heart disease. The only thing experts, like Dr. Hill, know for sure is that if you take care of your gums it can lessen atherosclerosis, (build-up of artery clogging plaque)…

Every year, over 50,000 North Americans are diagnosed with oral or throat cancer, which has a higher death rate than many other common cancers, including cervical cancer, testicular cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and thyroid or skin cancers. The high death rate results from the fact that most oral cancers go undiagnosed until the disease is well…

One of the greatest advantages to using Invisalign is that it provides maximum results with minimal impact on your everyday life. Invisalign is comfortable, easy to insert, and simple to remove. Because you can remove Invisalign aligners, you can enjoy all your favorite foods and beverages without worries about getting food stuck in the wires…

Depending on how long the thumb sucking or constant pacifier use continues, and how aggressively the child sucks a thumb or the pacifier, it can indeed be an oral health issue. Generally speaking, most children outgrow these behaviors or are able to be weaned off them successfully sometime between ages two and four. When children…

You have done a lot of work to get the perfect smile. You wore your Invisalign aligner trays and cared for your teeth, and now your treatment is done. You still need to take care of your teeth to keep your beautiful smile. Keeps these things in mind when you think about your oral care…