8 New Year’s Resolutions For Your Teeth & Gums (that you can actually keep!)

Christmas is over. No doubt your teeth and gums have seen better days after the indulgence of everything naughty. Go on, admit it. We know you’ve been scarfing mince pies and candy canes over the holiday period, even if you did have to sneak behind the Christmas tree to do it. 

All jokes aside, we don’t for a minute expect you to hold yourself to a low sugar diet during the festive season. After all, that’s what holidays are for – overindulgence!

But with a new year approaching, it’s time to set some healthy New Year’s Resolutions – and ones that you can actually keep!

More often than not, people tend to choose restrictive and unsustainable resolutions, which means within a few weeks, they’re broken. This is why people usually make the same resolutions year after year. 

Our intention for you is that you break the cycle of not sticking to your commitments and make achievable resolutions that not only improve your oral health but can also be implemented into your daily life forever!

Here are 8 New Year’s resolutions for your teeth and gums that you’ll actually be able to keep. 

1. Schedule dental appointments/cleanings 

If you’ve been slack with paying a visit to your dentist, you’re certainly not alone. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), approximately one-third of people in the US see a dentist less than once a year.

Let’s see if we can change that!

We recommend that you schedule a dental cleaning and a dentist evaluation every 6 months to support your personal efforts. The reports that you can receive on your gum-pockets’ depth, on plaque and calculus formation, and on the general health of your gums can be valuable feedback on the effectiveness of your personal oral hygiene practices. And if any potential problems are discovered, it’s best to treat them as early as you can, before they become more difficult to treat. 

As well as paying two visits to your dentist this year, we also recommend scheduling a bi-annual professional cleaning with your dental hygienist. This will help to remove any hard calculus that may have cemented on your gum line. For more information on professional cleanings, check out our article, ‘Why You Should Never Skip a Professional Dental Cleaning’.

So why don’t you give your dentist a call, schedule those appointments, and mark them in your calendar right now? There’s no time like the present!

2. Cut back on soft drinks

Because sugar is one of the biggest culprits in our country’s ever-declining dental health problem, it’s a smart idea to cut back on sugary beverages and soda. 

Not only does the sugar in soda become food for the ‘bad’ bacteria in your mouth making dental plaque so acidic that it attacks tooth enamel, but it can negatively affect the body in numerous ways. Sugary drinks and soda are linked to obesity, heart disease, insulin resistance, and of course cavities and gum disease. 

If you’d like some ideas for healthy soda alternatives, take a look at our article, “I’m thirsty, but water’s not cutting it.”

3. Eat more whole foods

One of the easiest and most sustainable ways to improve oral and overall health is to include more whole foods into your diet. 

As we’ve said time and time again, the reason why our most ancient ancestors had such impeccable oral health is because they ate a completely raw, unrefined, and highly nutritious diet. 

Eating healthily not only boosts our immune system but also nourishes our soft oral tissues which are the most vulnerable in the body. 

So next time you’re at the grocery store, stock up on whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fish, which all contain an abundance of nutrients that your body needs to function at an optimal level. 

4. Get more quality sleep

Getting adequate sleep is absolutely essential to our living of a healthy happy life. 

Our brain, heart, mood, immune function, and metabolism are just a few things a lack of sleep can dramatically alter, which in turn, can lead to diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, and obesity.

So set an intention for the year ahead to adjust your lifestyle so it’s conducive to a good night’s sleep. That means no screen time at least an hour before bed and going to bed at a reasonable hour.

You may even want to have a relaxing bath with some gentle music just before bedtime. Also cutting back the caffeine will help you fall asleep more easily.  

To understand more about why sleep is so important, take a look at our article “Why your body loves sleep”.

5. Move more, sit less

It’s easy to become a couch potato over the holiday period. And that’s OK! But whether it’s due to having a sedentary job or simply being inactive, many people generally sit more than they should. 

Sitting too much can have negative effects on your health and is linked to a whole variety of diseases. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle can even be linked to an early death.  

Going for a brisk walk, attending a yoga or exercise class, or even doing a few laps around the front yard will do you the world of good. 

Making a resolution to sit less is an easy and sustainable resolution that can be tailored to fit your lifestyle. 

6. Have more ‘me time‘ and practise self-care.

We can’t stress enough the importance of having a diligent self-care practice. It’s absolutely imperative for optimal health and well-being. 

We know, for those with busy schedules, it’s not always easy to carve out time, but we recommend starting small and increasing your ‘me time’ bit by bit.

A short morning self-care routine might include 10 minutes of movement, 10 minutes of deep breathing and 10 minutes of journaling. If that seems too long, then just start with 5 minutes of intentional breathing and write down 5 affirmations.

Or even if that feels like too much of a stretch, then how about having a bath once a week or attending one of your favorite weekly yoga classes, or going to bed extra early. 

We want these resolutions to be achievable, remember? Find simple ways to relax and bring more peace of mind into your life; a relaxed mind means a relaxed body, and a relaxed body means a healthy body. 

Think of something nice you can do for yourself and commit to it. You won’t regret it!

7. Use natural household products 

It’s pretty obvious that what you put into your body can significantly impact your overall health and well-being. But the same is also true when it comes to the household products you use. Remember, your skin is the largest organ of your body, and since it’s porous, it absorbs whatever you put on it. And what gets absorbed by the skin is then transported to the rest of our bodies. 

To eliminate a lot of toxins and chemicals that are harmful to our bodies, try and choose certified organic and natural skincare products. Make sure you read the labels and become familiar with what ingredients you should avoid. 

Make a New Year’s resolution to purchase more natural cosmetics, laundry detergents, household cleaners, and personal care products to create a healthier environment for you and your family.

8. Switch your toothpaste for a natural tooth powder. 

Maintaining good oral health is a New Year’s resolution idea that can and should be sustained for life. 

Not only do you need to make sure you’re brushing and flossing regularly, but what’s more important is what you’re brushing your teeth with!

If you are using a fluoride-based toothpaste, throw it away right now! We’re not joking. Especially if you’re a person that tends to struggle with your oral health, then it is likely that the oral health products you are using could be contributing to your problems. 

Conventional types of toothpaste are packed full of toxins that are extremely detrimental to your oral and overall health. Check out our article, ‘Toxic Ingredients In Your Toothpaste,’ which explains exactly what harmful ingredients you may be brushing your teeth with and why they are so harmful to your health. 

When you use a product with completely natural ingredients, you are letting your body do the work to heal itself naturally. You are letting your body do what it was born to do!

This is why we created Good-Gums!

Good-Gums 100% natural tooth powder is jam-packed full of all the essential nutrients for optimal tooth and gum health. Good-Gums contains completely natural and pure ingredients and is absolutely free from all chemicals, toxins and artificial ingredients. 

Good-Gums soothes sore gums and strengthens tooth enamel, while also counteracting acidity in the mouth and neutralizing bacteria that cause plaque buildup.

Our formula is designed to be absorbed into your gums, putting back all the vital nutrients that are necessary to get your teeth and gums back in tip-top shape.

If you would like to try our all-natural tooth and gum formula please click here.

Let’s make 2022 the best year yet! Here’s to a newer, healthier you!