{"id":90,"date":"2026-01-03T18:20:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T18:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/?p=90"},"modified":"2026-01-16T18:20:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T18:20:37","slug":"new-year-resolution-to-floss-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Young<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Every year, many people set New Year\u2019s resolutions to improve their health, and flossing more often is a common one. Flossing may seem like a small habit, but it plays a big role in preventing cavities, gum disease, and bad breath<\/a>. The challenge isn\u2019t knowing why to floss\u2014it\u2019s sticking with the habit long term. Here\u2019s how to turn your flossing resolution into a routine that actually lasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Start Small and Be Realistic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest reasons resolutions fail is aiming too high too fast. If you currently floss only occasionally, committing to flossing perfectly every night may feel overwhelming. Start by flossing once a day, even if it\u2019s not at the same time each night. Consistency matters more than perfection. As flossing becomes easier, it will naturally fit into your daily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Flossing Convenient<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If floss isn\u2019t easy to access, it\u2019s easier to skip. Keep floss where you\u2019ll actually use it: next to your toothbrush, in your shower, or in a travel bag. Some people prefer floss picks or water flossers because they\u2019re quicker and easier to use. The best flossing tool is the one you\u2019ll use consistently, so don\u2019t be afraid to experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pair Flossing with an Existing Habit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Habit stacking is a powerful way to build consistency. Attach flossing to something you already do every day, such as brushing your teeth, washing your face, or watching your favorite nighttime show. When flossing becomes part of an established routine, it feels less like a chore and more like a natural step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on the Immediate Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Long-term health benefits are important, but immediate rewards help habits stick. After flossing, notice how clean your teeth feel and how fresh your breath is. Reduced gum bleeding and less tenderness can also be noticeable improvements within just a few weeks. These quickly reinforce the habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set Visual Reminders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visual cues can be surprisingly effective. Place a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, set a phone reminder, or use a habit-tracking app. Checking off each successful day can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Kind to Yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Missing a day doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve failed. The key is to avoid the \u201call-or-nothing\u201d mindset. If you skip a night, simply floss the next day and move on. Building a habit is about progress, not perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Accountability from Your Dentist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your dentist and hygienist can be great accountability partners. Regular dental checkups help track your progress, and hearing positive feedback about healthier gums can be incredibly motivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticking to a New Year\u2019s resolution to floss more doesn\u2019t require willpower alone\u2014it requires smart habits and realistic expectations. By making flossing convenient, pairing it with existing routines, and focusing on progress, you can turn this simple resolution into a lifelong habit that protects your smile and overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Has it been 6 months or longer since your last dental checkup? Here at EMA Dental of Westfield for Family Dentistry, we provide comprehensive preventive care for patients of all ages! You\u2019ll enjoy our comfortable, modern dental office \u2013 plus the fact that we maximize dental insurance and even have financing available if you need to spread out the costs. Come see why we\u2019re a trusted provider of preventive dental care. Schedule an appointment online<\/a> or call one of our conveniently located offices in your area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, many people set New Year\u2019s resolutions to improve their health, and flossing more often is a common one. Flossing may seem like a small habit, but it plays a big role in preventing cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. The challenge isn\u2019t knowing why to floss\u2014it\u2019s sticking with the habit long term. Here\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMA Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"emadentalwf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"emadentalwf\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"emadentalwf\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60\"},\"headline\":\"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":587,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60\"},\"description\":\"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"EMA Dental Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60\",\"name\":\"emadentalwf\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"emadentalwf\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/emadentalwf\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog","description":"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog","og_description":"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/","og_site_name":"EMA Dental Blog","article_published_time":"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"emadentalwf","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"emadentalwf","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/"},"author":{"name":"emadentalwf","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60"},"headline":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More","datePublished":"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/"},"wordCount":587,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325-300x200.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/","url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/","name":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More - EMA Dental Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-03T18:20:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-16T18:20:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60"},"description":"Flossing is one of those habits many people never develop. Here\u2019s how to stick to your New Year\u2019s resolution to do it more often.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AdobeStock_478330439__4___1768587546_38325.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/new-year-resolution-to-floss-more\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Stick to Your New Year\u2019s Resolution to Floss More"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/","name":"EMA Dental Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c17b526a928f57ec09682cbf5e1c0d60","name":"emadentalwf","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ff01ec3dc59ef396b24ee8ad82cfe1e476636485d8114cc8c51a8730006f00c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"emadentalwf"},"url":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/author\/emadentalwf\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emadentalwestfield.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}