A huge, and often true, stereotype of millennials is their love of selfies. Mostly this is viewed as narcissistic and annoying behavior, but it is possible that some good is coming out of our selfie addiction--millennials taking selfies is leading to healthier dental habits.
The selfie culture can cause a lot of self-consciousness in people. Taking selfies is like looking in a mirror and seeing all the flaws. Think about that, and the risk of those pictures being put online forever and you might already be scrambling for your cover-up and hiding your teeth with a closed-mouth smile.
But millennial selfies could lead to better dental hygiene. Unless you are planning to do the duck face forever (the world will thank you if you don't), you need to make sure your smile is nice and sparkling. No amount of angles or makeup can cover up poor dental hygiene.
The fear of a bad smile motivates people to take better care in brushing and flossing their teeth. In fact, a study has shown that taking a selfie video while brushing your teeth will lead to better brushing habits. Not only does the feeling of being watched make you more careful, but a record of your teeth-brushing techniques is a useful tool in improving your routine.
The study had participants take a selfie video while brushing their teeth for one week after being trained on proper teeth brushing habits. The study found that there was improvement in the accuracy and quality of the participant's habits, which leads to better dental hygiene.
Taking a selfie video while brushing your teeth can help you, too. Show the videos to your dentist for review and they will tell you exactly what you can do to improve your effectiveness. Or, if you're not comfortable doing that, look up videos online about how to properly brush your teeth and review your own selfie videos yourself to see where you could improve.
This may seem tedious, but good brushing habits are important for preventing costly and harmful dental and medical problems in the future. So, it looks like a selfie might do some good after all.