Brushing & Flossing for Adults!

1. Brushing & Flossing for Adults! By Leslie Dale

2. Purpose • This intervention is a compilation of current concepts, strategies, and theories to help individuals understand the importance of oral hygiene and developing the behavior necessary to fulfill this goal. This intervention is targeted towards adults in particular, to encourage them to practice oral hygiene behaviors everyday regardless of the events going on in their day to day lives. Likewise, this intervention will provide techniques to successfully take care of their teeth in the midst of a busy lifestyle, and will provide informative information about the negative and positive consequences behind not taking care and of taking care of ones teeth properly.

3. introduction • Oral health is an integral part of the overall health of every individual. As young children, we are taught at a very young age to take care of our teeth, and we are also taught the proper way in which we should take care of our teeth. Unfortunately, as we get older, a lot of those habits we had as young ones have decreased, and we attribute our lack of brushing and flossing on situations occurring in our lives at the time. One of the most popular excuses is that we are simply too busy with daily tasks. Another is that we are not being encouraged as much as we were when we were children. Although both of these reasons may be true, this intervention will provide strategies to work around these setbacks and get back to taking proper care of our teeth.

4. Background Concepts: What Already we know • There are many benefits behind brushing/flossing regularly and consistently which include the following: • Proper brushing and flossing can prevent tooth decay and cavities. • You can also prevent periodontal disease, which has recently been tied to your overall health and well being. • Overall, tooth care has been discovered to be tied to good heart health and health of pregnant women. • Taking care of your teeth now can save you money in the long run. • Proper brushing and flossing can boost your confidence and self-esteem.

5. Background concepts: what we already know • Likewise, there are also many negative consequences if we decide not to brush and flossing which include: • Build up of plaque on and between your teeth. • Smelly breath. • Discoloration of teeth. • Sensitive teeth and gums. • Various mouth diseases. • Periodontitus • Bacteria built up in the mouth could spread to the rest of the body and impair overall health.

6. What’s keeping you from Brushing/Flossing regularly? • As mentioned earlier, what keeps us adults from brushing and flossing as much as we should be are a number of excuses! Top excuses are: • I don’t have time to floss/flossing takes too long. • I don’t know how to floss properly. • My gums are too sensitive to floss/ it makes my gums bleed. • I use a toothpick after I eat…isn’t that the same thing? • I brush my teeth all the time…why do I need to floss? • Why floss when I go to the dentist? • My friend told me not to… • My hands are too big. • I forgot to pack it.

7. Attribution theory: What is it? • Fritz Heider (1958) was the first to propose a psychological theory of attribution. The attribution theory is the theory that supposes that one attempts to understand the behavior of themselves and others by attributing feelings, beliefs, and intentions to them. The reason why this theory is important when discussing oral hygiene is because as humans we have a nasty habit of coming up with some casual explanation as to why we are unable to practice certain behaviors, one of the top ones being practicing good oral hygiene behaviors. We like to say that our behavior is a result of a situation that we are currently in, and if we are not practicing a good habit, then there absolutely has to be a great reason why we can’t (so we think). In this theory, Heider viewed people as amateur scientists trying to understand and make common sense out of our own behaviors and the behaviors of others by piecing information together until we arrive at a reasonable explanation.

8. Breaking free from attribution theory • Well, we are only human, and we procrastinate and we make excuses for not performing behaviors that we know are good for us in the long term. The best way to change our behavior is to change our attitude! Thinking about our overall health in the long term can save us the pain and expenses later. If we decide to make an attitude change towards health today, w can potentially lessen our risks of developing certain health problems in the future. Most importantly, by practicing good oral health hygiene now, it will be easy for us to set a great example for the next generations of children, and eventually we will start a new cycle of good oral hygiene behavior.

9. Strategies for behavior change • Carry floss with you when you go out. • By carrying floss in your bag or with you wherever you go, you always have access to it whether you’re going out to lunch or dinner. If you have it on you, you’re more likely to use it more often. • Hang a calendar • One of the best ways to remember to do a task is by making a note of it. Everyday, when you go down the list, check off each behavior that you have already completed and keep record of those you have already completed and those you need to complete before the day is out. • Create a routine • We are creatures of habit. When we make a behavior into a daily ritual it becomes habit. Why not add brushing and flossing to the list?

10. Strategies for behavior change cont. • Go electronic! • Hey, electronics are EVERYWHERE and we use them EVERYDAY. We use them for everything else, why not take advantage of this and use them when it comes to our oral health? By setting a reminder on our cell phones or laptops, we can easily be reminded that it’s time to tend to our teeth. • Establish accountability • You’re more likely to follow through on a commitment if someone else knows about it. Ask a friend or relative to encourage and remind you to keep your behavior change. That way, if you slip up, you’ll have to answer to more than just your guilty conscience. • Make it easy • Don’t feel that taking care of your teeth is a ritual that must only take place within the bathroom. You can care for your teeth almost anywhere in the home. By planting floss around your house, in the kitchen, on your desk, etc, you make it easily accessible and it’ll be easier to remember to floss/brush.

11. Strategies for behavior change cont. • Print a reminder • Sometimes all it takes is a little visual reminder to establish a habit. Stick a sticky note to your bathroom mirror that reads “remember to floss!” Likewise, if you forget to brush after every meal, and your goal is to brush more, simply stick little notes around the house reminding yourself to brush after eating or snacking. • Make an association • Associate brushing/flossing with another daily activity. For example, if you have a child, try brushing/flossing your teeth at the same time they are. As you are getting your young one ready for the day, try brushing and flossing together. You’ll be killing two birds with one stone and you’ll be setting a great example.  • Replenish your supply • Many people will remember to floss every day until their supply runs out. This is when the excuse, “but I ran out of floss” arises. So, in order to prevent this from happening, when you see your stash getting low, make a note to buy more before you completely run out.

12. Recommendations • Now that we know about the different types of strategies to use when trying to develop good oral hygiene behaviors, here are a few recommendations on how to keep those teeth in the best heath possible. A few we have all heard before are: • 1. Brush your teeth at least TWICE a day for at leas t TWO minutes. • 2. Use a dry bristle brush for the first two minutes of cleaning. (it isn’t the toothpaste that cleans your teeth, but the bristles in contact with the tooth surface that removes plaque). • 3. Spend time moving the bristles at and below the gum line, where it is most important to clean. • 4. Floss your teeth DAILY and after any food that will stick in your teeth (i.e. corn, caramel, peanut butter). This cleans the other sides of your teeth that the toothbrush could not reach.

13. Recommendations cont. • 5. Use a tongue scraper. A tongue scraper is an important part of hygiene that will also work wonders with stale, smelly breathe. If you do not own a tongue scraper, simple remember to scrape your tongue with your toothbrush every time you brush. • 6. Use mouth wash. Find a fluoride mouth wash, this will help strengthen tooth enamel. • 7. Choose foods wisely. Snacking constantly can cause plaque build up on your teeth, which could increase your risk of getting cavities. • 8. Avoid sugary and/or sticky foods. Although we all love to indulge in a sugary treat every now and again, just be careful about how much you take in. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth, which then excrete substances that break down tooth enamel.

14. Recommendations cont. • 9. Visit the dentist at least every six months or whenever you have a problem with your teeth. • 10. Most important: in addition to checking signs of cavities and gum disease, the dentist can give you insight on how well your plaque removal at home is, and more importantly, give you advice on how to develop your skills. Ask your dentist to watch your technique and show you how to improve, because you can go through the motions alone at home, and your teeth could still be at risk for problems down the line. Make it your mission to stay connected to your dental hygienists because dental health is just as important as the rest of your bodily health!