“Selfies” have become a pretty common occurrence due to the quality of today’s camera phones. While many people tend to lament the younger generation’s affinity for taking selfies all the time, there are some benefits to doing so besides vanity. For example, recent studies have shown that taking a video selfie while brushing one’s teeth can actually help improve oral health care techniques.

Tooth Brushing Selfies

Participants of the study propped their smartphones up on stands so that they could film themselves while brushing their teeth at home. Researchers discovered that this resulted in a number of changes, including:

• An eight percent improvement in tooth brushing skill
• An increase in the number of toothbrush strokes
• An increase in the accuracy of toothbrush strokes

These changes occurred in the same amount of time the participants spent brushing their teeth before they began taking selfie videos.

According to Lance T. Vernon, who is a senior instructor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, most people want to brush their teeth the right way and have the ability to do so – they just don’t because they are using improper techniques and don’t realize it. Tooth brushing is often learned and practiced without being properly taught, and according to Vernon, changing tooth-brushing behaviors that are learned at an early age can take a lot of time and guidance since those habits become tied to muscle memory.

Filming a selfie while brushing one’s teeth can help disrupt such habits. This is because it makes participants more aware of their brushing and can help them develop new muscle memory. Selfies could also be used to receive feedback from dental professionals to ensure that people are brushing correctly.

The use of selfies haven’t just been applied to improving oral health. A whole new area of data gathering through the use of selfies has developed called mHealth (mobile health). Selfies can help identify the progression of diseases as well as the effectiveness of treatment. Be sure to keep up with all the latest health-related advancements and news by visiting us at The Benefits Store.