Happy 2022, everyone! We hope you all had a safe and happy holiday filled with laughter, love and joy of family and friends during the holidays. But now that the holidays are out of the way, it’s time to get back to business, and if you’re like many people at this time of year, that includes a New Year’s Resolution, including Dental New Year’s Resolutions! Have you ever wondered why people have such a hard time keeping to New Year’s and Dental Resolutions? Read on and we’ll tell you why …
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A fresh breath and a brighter smile!
As the New Year is just past, we know that many people make resolutions to improve their overall well-being. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it past January before breaking those promises.
Have you been promising yourself that you’ll take better care of your teeth this year?
Are you ready to make your new year’s resolutions come true? At Orion Dental, we have extensive experience helping our clients keep their commitments and maintaining brighter smiles. Whether you’re trying to have whiter teeth or healthier gums, call now to book your next appointment with one of our dentists!
Statistically, as many as 40% of people make New Year’s Resolutions, yet only 8% manage to keep them for more than a few weeks. Here are some of the top reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail:
1. Making resolutions {that seem impossible}
2. {Not knowing how to achieve your goal.}
3. Not making a plan
4. Being too ambitious
5. Lack of motivation and time
6. Recovery from holidays (ie: food)
7. Self-awareness of the situation
8. Self-awareness of your ‘why’.
9. Lacking accountability and/or support system
10. Not having a plan for when you get bored or distracted.
Or to detail some of the more important reasons for why new year resolutions fail:
- They’re Too Vague – Many people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions because they don’t define them clearly enough. Using a dental theme, someone might resolve to take better care of their teeth with the start of the New Year, but don’t think through what that specifically means. Does that mean they’re going to brush three times a day every day? Or they’re going to floss every night before bed? With a vague resolution, it’s too easy to conveniently interpret that resolution on the lighter side when you start feeling the pinch and minimizing your resolution can be the top of a very slippery slope.
- They’re Open Ended – Most people don’t put a timeline on their New Year’s resolutions, essentially committing to a forever habit. How effective do you think people are when committing to something for the rest of their lives? When times get tough, it’s much easier to quit and accept defeat than to keep going forever. Instead of saying to yourself, “I’m going to brush my teeth three times every day!”, how about committing “I’m going to brush my teeth three times a day this week!” Imagine getting near the end of the week and just needing a few more brushes to reach your goal as opposed to needing to do that every day for the rest of your life.
- Willpower is a Limited Resource – Scientists have proven that willpower is a finite resource for humans. That is, there’s only a certain amount of willpower that you have, so people fail in keeping their New Year’s resolutions because they try to do too much. Think that brushing your teeth three times a day even for a week is too much? Try committing to just brushing your teeth just twice a day to start, or only commit to doing it for four days instead of a week. Build momentum through your successes, so once you’ve successfully achieved your first goal, set another goal but make it a little bit more challenging.
- Not Succeeding Doesn’t Mean Failing – Working on a New Year’s resolution doesn’t have to be a black-and-white pass-or-fail experience. We all have moments of weakness, and experience can show us that the initial goal that we set may have been a little too ambitious. Say you resolve to brush your teeth three times a day for a week to start, but then you fall asleep on the third night while watching a movie. Is that the end of the resolution? No! Start back up again the next day and if there’s a chance you could fall asleep on the couch while watching a movie, make sure to brush your teeth first.
What Can You do to Prevent a New Year Resolution Fail in 2022
1. Starting out with something easy to do—a resolution doesn’t have to be huge, just start by making it one less thing you have to do
2. Making your goal specific and measurable
3. Keeping it simple. If you want to pay off debt, don’t make a ton of resolutions—just focus on one or two things at a time that will help you accomplish that goal faster.
4. Make sure your plan is realistic
5. Remind yourself why you started this in the first place—write it down, read it daily, and keep your eyes on the prize.
6. Allow yourself to take a break from your resolutions when needed. Living a healthier life takes time and is an ongoing learning process, so give yourself grace when need be.
7. Get someone else involved. Tell your spouse, friend, or even hire a coach to keep you accountable.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed
9. To start this year off right, contact us today at (416) 291-0306 (Scarborough) or (905) 636-9770 (Milton) for an appointment with one of our dentists at Orion Dental. Or visit us online at https://oriondental.ca
How to Achieve Better Oral Health in 2022
With all that said, how do you go about improving your oral health in the New Year?
Start with a small improvement over your current situation and put an end-date on your calendar. Do you sometimes forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed? Start by committing to brushing every night for two weeks, and then reassess and go from there. Good at brushing but not flossing? Try committing to flossing once a day to start for a week, and if you do well at that, try flossing twice a day for a week.
Good habits take time to develop, and if you miss your target once, it doesn’t mean your initiative is over. Get back on to it as quickly as possible and don’t be afraid to adjust your goal if you took on something too ambitious in the first place.
Orion Dental is a full-service family dentist with office conveniently located in Milton and Scarborough. With dental services such as regular checkups, teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics, we have all the services you and your family need. Let us help you make 2022 the year of your best oral health! Call today to book an appointment and let’s get started!
