Snap a Selfie and Improve Your Oral Health
Selfies. These days, they’re such a big part of our culture that almost every single person — regardless of their age — knows what they are and has probably taken one (or a hundred). We take them when we’re on vacation, at a fancy event, or simply when our makeup or hair is on point.
Whether or not you’re a fan of selfies, you have to admit that they’re a cornerstone of today’s social media. But what if we told you that snapping a selfie may have a beneficial impact on your oral health? Would you believe it? Well, a small pilot study from 2016 says this might be the case.
Selfies and Oral Health: The Study
According to a 2016 pilot study done by Case Western Reserve University, researchers found that a very small group of people were able to learn improved oral health care techniques from recording videos of themselves while brushing their teeth.
To help carry out this research, participating individuals propped up a smartphone to record selfie videos while they brushed their teeth. Before the study, each participant went through a thorough brushing assessment where their tooth brushing methods were critiqued by researchers. After the study, researchers were able to find an increase in brush stroke accuracy, as well as a marginal rise in skill. However, the amount of time a person spent on brushing their teeth did not change.
Researchers believe that recording a selfie while brushing may help make people more conscious of exactly how they are brushing their teeth. This may be because their “normal” routine has been altered, causing them to shift the focus and pay extra attention to exactly how they are brushing.
The study also shares how photo and video selfies are becoming more and more integrated into the medical and dental field, allowing doctors, dentists, and researchers to make important advancements.
How to Truly Take Care of Your Smile
Because this study is so small, it’s hard to say anything definitive when it comes to selfies and oral health, except that if you know someone who has trouble taking care of their teeth, you may want to recommend they record themselves doing it and check back with their dentist to see if there’s any improvement after two weeks!
Selfies and videos aside, when it comes to truly taking care of our teeth, it’s important to choose a toothpaste that helps to actively strengthen tooth enamel. Pronamel Gentle Whitening, helps continuously protect against acid erosion and rebuild enamel strength.