About 44% of people living in the United States make resolutions at the new year. I’m sure our community here in North Carolina is no different! The most common resolutions over all age groups tend to be health-related: making improvements to mental health, losing weight, improving fitness, and eating better were all popular choices for resolutions according to a Forbes Health poll conducted in 2022. Despite the good intentions, however, many resolutions go unfulfilled. A 2020 New Plate/Ipsos survey shows that the rate of failure exceeds half of the resolutions made: 55% of resolutions don’t make it a year. So, if the population polled was 1000 people, then 440 people made resolutions and 242 of those people won’t be able to keep their resolution for the year. About 48 people will have already dropped out by now.
With such high rates of failure, why do people still make resolutions? Well, because a lot of people still experience at least partial, if not total, success! Of the 1000 people we’re using for our nice, even number, 198 were able to make it the entire year with their resolution. That’s great! And even those who dropped out before the year’s end were able to make improvements for a time. Partial success is still a significant improvement over doing nothing.
Now, why would your dentist care about resolutions and whether they’re successful? Because there are applications to your oral health and overall wellbeing. The American Dental Association or ADA recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day, clean between your teeth regularly (floss), eat a healthy diet low in sugar, and see your dentist regularly. If you’re not already doing all those things, then setting a goal to do better and seeing it through for even a month or two is beneficial. Brushing your teeth once a day or even once a week is better than not brushing at all. Having at least one checkup a year is better than not going at all; partial improvement is still improvement and small successes can set the stage for more successes down the road. By being willing to risk failure, you can still experience better health. We’re trying to improve the dental health of all of our patients in North Carolina, even if it’s one habit change at a time. If you’re in Randolph, Chatham, Guilford, or Alamance County and you’d like to talk to Dr. Moses or one of our hygienists about steps you can personally take, give us a call or come by our office to make an appointment. We want everyone to experience a healthy, clean mouth!
