You may think only kids need help staying on task when it comes to brushing their teeth. Not so! Without parental supervision, a lot of us seem to have lost our way … not brushing long enough, not in the right pattern, too hard, too soft. A number of app developers have caught on to our failures in tooth brushing, and have come to our rescue. Be careful, though, these apps might have you so enamored with your oral health, your phone might spend more time in the bathroom than the boardroom!
Dental apps tend to fall most easily into themes. Below you’ll find the three most popular:
Two Minutes, Twice a Day
Brush DJ is a popular app aimed at getting you to brush twice a day, for two full minutes each time. To help you achieve that goal, the app picks a random song from the music library on your phone and plays two minutes of it before stopping. So, when using the app, if you’re brushing and still hearing music, it means you should keep brushing!
Disney lovers might enjoy “Disney Magic Timer” from Oral B. With this app, the screen displays a character that brushes along with you as part of a game to reveal clues as you brush. Technically speaking, the app is aimed at kids (with stickers to collect, and all that jazz), but who cares? If you’re a big fan of Disney, and still consider yourself a kid at heart, go for it … we won’t tell.
Mouth Design
Virtual Dentist allows you to upload a picture of yourself to see what certain kinds of dental work would look like on your face. If you’ve ever used an app that allows you to test out a certain hairstyle by using a photo of yourself, you’re already familiar with how this sort of app works. If you’re planning any dental work, it’s a neat way to check out a variety of different looks: braces, veneers, fillings and even clean teeth vs. not-so-clean-teeth are all part of the experience. Teens might also enjoy it to get a good idea as to what certain cosmetic procedures would look like in their own mouth.
Creating Good Habits is Not Easy
Maintaining good oral health begins and ends with good habits. For example, some of us are great at brushing, but not flossing. Some need help sticking to at least two minutes. Others need help with all three! If you’re willing to recognize you need help establishing better oral care habits, here is a great list of tools that can help you work on habits of ALL kinds! Test one or two out for good measure on all your habit-creating tasks!