Keep Your Smile Sparkling White With These 5 Easy-to-Adopt New Year’s Resolutions
According to Statista, the top New Year’s Resolutions involve saving more money and losing more weight/getting more fit. Unfortunately, despite those great intentions at the beginning of the year, only about 4% of folks completely followed through on their goals.
From getting more fit to reading more books, we create New Year’s Resolutions spurred on by the optimism and excitement that a ‘new you’ promises. Then, after a month or two, we often find out the ‘old me’ wasn’t such a bad person after all, and revert back to our old ways – wink, wink.
Simple New Year’s Resolutions that can change your life
New Year’s Resolutions don’t need to be a daily wrestling match in order to create a positive impact in our lives. In fact, we think resolving to make healthier choices in the more mundane areas of our lives will help us in discovering the happiness and excitement we’re looking for – especially when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions.
One of the simplest places to start making healthier choices is in one of the most engaging, endearing aspects of ourselves: our smile.
5 tips to keep your smile sparkling white
1. Floss
If you’ve been told once, you’ve been told 1000 times: you need to floss. The good news is flossing once a day takes so little energy and so little time that it will probably be the easiest resolution you’ve ever set. With the outsized effect it will have on your oral health, it might be your most practical resolution too!
Top tip: Store your floss beside your toothpaste. This way you’ll be reminded every time you brush your teeth. If you pick up that box of floss after you’re done brushing, it will quickly become a habit.
2. Replace your toothbrush regularly
We said flossing was easy, but this resolution is even easier. Despite how straightforward it is to buy a new toothbrush every three months, many people still use worn down, frayed toothbrushes that not only do a poor job of brushing away plaque, they’re also filled with bacteria.
Top tip: Buy four brushes and write the date you’ll start using them on each box. This way, when each toothbrush’s three months are up, it’s easy (and we think exciting) to switch over to a new one!
Drop the pop
Sugary treats are hard on your teeth (though some are worse than others), but soda is one of the worst offenders. The sugar in pop combines with the bacteria in your mouth to create acid that eats away at the enamel of your teeth. And sugar-free/diet sodas are just as guilty! These alternatives contain their own acids that wear away at your teeth – and all this isn’t even considering the bloated number of calories that come with each sip. Do your teeth a favour and drop the pop.
Top tip: While giving up soda is difficult, try carrying around a hydro flask or other reusable water bottle filled with cold water and a touch of lemon or lime juice. This will help keep you hydrated and help curb your craving for flavour, too!
Stop smoking
This one’s a biggie and will do wonders not only for your oral health, but your overall health as well. The list of damage smoking does to your teeth and health could fill a whole blog post, so we won’t cover them all here. But, suffice it to say, when you finally quit, your teeth, lungs, and family will thank you!
Top tip: The Canadian Cancer Society and the Government of Canada have a ton of free resources to get you on your way to kicking that smoking habit.
Make a dentist appointment
Waiting until you ‘need’ to go to the dentist ends up costing you more money in the long run. Despite this, many people wait years between dental visits. Instead, make a resolution to be proactive and schedule your dentist appointments ahead of time to make sure your teeth and gums stay in good shape.
Top tip: Schedule your dentist visit today and we’ll send you an email or text reminder – whether you set it for February or September!
Enjoy a whiter smile through simple oral health changes
We hope these tips have helped you plan for a more healthy mouth this year so that 2020 finds your smile bright, white, healthy and happy!