Happy New Year from Joshua Colkmire, DDS, JC Dentist, FL

We wish you all a happy and blessed 2018! We are deeply grateful to each and every one of our patients, suppliers, neighbors, and friends in the community who helped make 2017 what it was, and we look forward to a year to come that is full of more reasons to be grateful. As we keep on creating beautiful smiles in the Sarasota area, we thought today would be a great day to cover the New Year’s resolutions we think your teeth would want you to make. While you’re thinking about your goals and resolutions for the year, don’t forget about the health of your teeth!

1. Brush twice daily

If this is already a habit you’ve got down pat, you can congratulate yourself — that’s one less resolution that you have to make! If you’re an adult and you let your tooth brushing regimen slide, you’re not alone: the National Smile Month organization reports that one in four adults in the UK doesn’t brush twice a day. We’re guessing that is comparable to what happens in the US.

Here’s what we’ve observed: Everyone knows that they ought to brush their teeth. Everyone knows that they could get tooth decay if they don’t. However, they still don’t always do it. The difference? In many cases, it comes down to the fact that it’s hard to relate this daily discipline to the long-term reward. The solution? Fix in your mind as clearly and vividly as possible a vision of the pain, discomfort, and sorrow that you’ll be in for if you fail to take the simple precaution of brushing twice daily today. (Prepare to be scarred for life if you ever type in “tooth decay” into Google Images – but it’s one way for you to see for yourself what we see on a daily basis. You’ll be amazed at how quickly and effectively that develops a sense of urgency in successfully keeping this resolution.)

Don’t forget your kids! You should start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as their first tooth appears. You’ll be doing your child a huge favor if you ward off tooth decay and establish good habits early.

2. Don’t miss your twice-yearly dental cleanings.

Typically, in our experience, we see three main groups who tend to miss their twice-yearly dental cleanings.

People who have great teeth – they feel like they can afford to put it off with minimal risk.
People with fear of the dentist – it’s hard to psych yourself up to go to the dentist when you’re afraid it’s going to hurt.
People without insurance – paying for a twice-yearly dental checkup is a luxury that many people simply can’t afford.

If you haven’t made it to the dentist for your 6-month checkup recently, why not make it your resolution to be more consistent?

If you have great teeth, don’t just assume that they will always be great. Having strong, healthy teeth is a gift too valuable to give away.
If you’re afraid of the dentist, a visit to Dr. Colkmire just might redefine how you view dentistry. Our patients rave about the extraordinary treatment they get at our office. It’s safe, compassionate, and gentle.
If you struggle to afford dental care, then at least do what is available to you: Brush regularly and reduce or eliminate your consumption of sugary and acidic foods and drinks. Maybe you can’t make it every six months, but try to come when you can so that any serious oral health issues can be detected early.

Thank you again for being part of our Sarasota dental family in 2017. Here’s to a safe and prosperous 2018!

Schedule your appointment now.