Getting back to the gym, getting to bed on time, cooking more healthy meals—these are the standards of New Year’s resolutions. And they’re understandable resolutions, formed with the best of intentions. New Year’s is the time that signifies new beginnings, a fresh start. So many people use the new year as a reason to jumpstart their goals and resolutions, and we commend everyone who takes an active role in trying to bring positive change in their life.

At Alexandria Dental Health & Smile Studio, we have been committed to serving people with the best in dental care for years. We see people come into our dental clinic with a desire to have healthy teeth and gums, and this emulates the spirit of the new year. People collectively want to be healthy, in every possible way, even in spite of the challenges that it may bring. Dentist Dr. Mojgan Mazhari is someone you can trust with all your dental needs, from teeth cleaning to teeth whitening and orthodontics, to name just a few of the services offered at our dental clinic. Check out some of the teeth-friendly New Year’s resolutions you can implement in 2018, and contact our Alexandria dental clinic today to make an appointment!

Make flossing a habit.

If you had a dollar every time we mention flossing, you’d be a wealthy individual. You’d probably be even wealthier, due to not needing to pay for additional dental fees. The reason we drive this point home again and again is because flossing is one of the most important things you can do to preserve your health as a whole. As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, flossing is considered by many dentists to be more important than brushing your teeth. While this doesn’t mean you should burn your toothbrush in a fiery ritual of sorts, it goes to show that one of the most essential parts of dental health is often one of the most overlooked.

Flossing doesn’t get the credit and recognition it deserves. Not only can it protect your gums and teeth from plaque buildup, but it can help your bone health and cardiovascular health as well. This might seem like too easy of a resolution, but resolutions are not about creating a difficult milestone to overcome. If anything, resolutions should represent little changes we want to make in our life, and the overall focus of making them sustainable.

If you’re currently flossing not at all, increase to two or three times a week. If you’re at two or three times a week, increase to five days, or strive for flossing every day. No matter how you swing it, the resolution is the same: in 2018, you should resolve to floss regularly.

Cut back on sugary drinks.

Ask anyone who has had a weight loss transformation, and many of them will agree—one of the biggest factors in their weight loss came from cutting sugary drinks out of their diet. As delicious and scrumptious as that glass of orange juice or bottle of Pepsi is, it’s time to say goodbye. Feel free to have a ceremony of sorts, complete with one final glass of your favorite sugary drink and a Boyz II Men throwback. But once that’s all said and done, switch it out for healthier alternatives and lots of water.

The adverse health effects of sugary drinks are practically endless. A study by Harvard expresses that “sugary drinks are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.” Even if you’re at a healthy weight, sugary drinks wreak havoc on your body. Your liver, arteries (and heart as a whole), metabolism, and pancreas can all be negatively affected by too much added sugar. Just one glass of apple juice can have 24 grams of sugar—nearly your entire day’s worth of recommended sugar in just one serving.

Not only does this affect so many parts of your overall health, but your teeth bear the brunt of sugary drinks. They encounter these horrific beverages first, and the sticky bacteria from the sugars can quickly build up along your teeth and gums. This wears on the enamel of your teeth, causing cavities, gum disease, and in some instances, requires root canals or extraction.

Your body as a whole will thank you, and you’ll eventually feel so much better by cutting sugary drinks out of your diet. Wean yourself off slowly as needed, maybe with just one sugary drink a week, or replacing with a fruity drink that lacks sugar, such as Vitamin Water. Eventually, just stick with water as your norm, with the occasional treat. In 2018, your teeth will be so much happier when you resolve to cut sugary drinks from your diet.

Bring healthier snacks into your diet.

It would be all too easy to say “eat healthier,” but that resolution, for many people, is far too broad of a task to complete. Instead, keep it simpler by starting small. You can always step it up with cooking healthier meals later, but make your first nutritional goal something more attainable.

At the office, it can be far too easy to rely on the nearest snack available to absolve our hunger, even if that snack is a bowl full of candy or some homemade cupcakes. When we get back from school, a long day visiting houses, or any other job, it can be just as easy to eat the first thing we see. It makes sense—after all, we’re hungry and are feeding our bodies as needed. But this is not what our bodies—and especially our teeth—truly need.

By limiting sugary or processed snacks, we’re helping our health as a whole for the same reasons that come from cutting back on sugary drinks. Certain healthier snacks can serve as excellent alternatives. Apples, for example, have a low glycemic index, and increase saliva production, which can wash away some of the excess plaque in our mouths. Almonds are another great food, which are high in protein and calcium—nutrients that our teeth and gums simply love. Yogurt and cheese are some delightful dairy options that provide the calcium your teeth need, just be sure your yogurt is plain and absent of added sugars.

It might seem like a little step, but resolving to eat healthier snacks is a goal that can pack a punch.

Some of the most common resolutions that people collectively enact deal with health, but our teeth are often left behind in those goals. Our teeth are just as important to our health as a whole, and for a final resolution that you can add to your list: make an appointment with Alexandria Dental Health & Smile Studio! This is one of the best ways to ensure your teeth and gums are doing well and living up to your healthy expectations. Contact our dental clinic today to get in for a teeth cleaning, invisible braces consultation, and so much more!