Although there are a lot of benefits to proper dental hygiene, it's easy to slack on your tooth care duties. Even though neglecting those teeth and gums often leads to bad news, sometimes you get into a hurry and skip brushing or flossing. You might even stand up your dentist for a few months or years. Unfortunately, your teeth will not be their healthiest under these conditions.
If you have good dental habits already, then great! But if you still have room for improvement—as many people do—these apps will help you out.
1. Brush DJ
Common advice says that you ought to brush your teeth for a full two minutes at least twice a day. However, it's easy to zone out and spend far less time on this daily task.
Because brushing can be boring, Brush DJ helps keep you company until your task is complete. It will take a random song from your phone's music library and play two minutes of it while you brush. As long as the song is playing, you know that you still have some more brushing to do. Plus, the random music selection makes each session a little more exciting—at least more exciting than a regular alarm.
A few more goodies in Brush DJ include reminders for changing toothbrushes, brushing and flossing, and even visiting the dentist. It's cool to have, especially for an app that costs nothing.
Download: Brush DJ for iOS | Android (Free)
2. Trayminder
Using clear aligners can help transform your smile, but keeping up with exactly how long you wear the things can get tricky. This free app contains just about everything you need to make the most of your dental tool. Created by an orthodontist, the Trayminder app tracks your daily aligner wear, taking the guesswork out of it entirely.
A timer screen tracks how long you've had the aligners in for a particular day, and it also counts down the time you need to use each aligner. If you need to pop out the aligner for a bit, then a reminder screen can alert you to wear it again in a few minutes or hours.
You can also count down the days until treatment is finished completely. There's even a stats screen to keep up with daily, weekly, and monthly average wear time.
Lastly, a section for teeth selfies encourages you to keep a visual record of your smile's progress over the course of treatment. It's cool to watch your teeth transform over time.
With over 3,200 reviews, the majority of them five stars, this app is beloved by many people.
Download: Trayminder for iOS | Android (Free)
3. Brushout
Another toothbrush timer app, Brushout helps gamify this part of your self-care routine. It also integrates with Apple Health data automatically. In fact, linking additional health apps with your Apple Health data is a great way to get a more holistic look at your overall well-being.
An in-app calendar helps keep track of your brushing streaks, and optional notifications remind you to brush at least twice a day. Once you get some momentum, you don't want to break that streak.
Options on the free version of the app include a voice coach that tells you when to switch between different sides of your teeth. This helps ensure you're spending enough time cleaning every portion of your mouth.
A full version of the app is available as a $0.99 monthly plan, and lifetime access is $3.99. The premium option unlocks more settings such as a custom routine and widget color selection.
Download: Brushout for iOS Free)
4. Tend Dental
Offering online booking, the Tend app makes maintaining your dental health easier. You can make and reschedule appointments through the app without having to call your dentist's office.
You do need to set up an account, which takes a few minutes. But then you're able to complete paperwork about your insurance provider, medical history, and even payment info, saving time later on.
The Tend app keeps track of your treatments and recommendations from the dentist, as well as a log of past and future visits.
There's also a selection of articles covering everything from dental implants to information about fluoride. It's a great resource for anyone who's curious about dental tech and general tooth care tips.
At this time, Tend dental studios are open in New York City, Washington DC, Boston, and Atlanta. People who live outside those areas will not be able to make full use of the app (for the time being, anyway). However, you can check with your local dentist office to see whether they offer a similar app for booking services and reminders.
Download: Tend Dental for iOS | Android (Free)
5. Habit Streak
How does it relate to dental health? Because dental hygiene is all about routine, and routine is built through good habits.
Growing up, it was ingrained into my mind that I needed to brush-brush-brush twice a day: once in the morning, once before bed. Flossing was rarely ever mentioned, so I developed a strong routine for brushing but nothing for flossing. Is your story similar? Thankfully, it only takes 21 days to start (or break) a habit.
That's where Habit Streak comes in. You can use it to help track your flossing habit to make sure you make it part of your daily hygiene. It's completely free and so useful. The Pro version of Habit Streak is available for $2.49 USD, which comes with improved interface, data graphs, and widgets. Plus, once you've developed a strong tooth care habit, you'll be more invested in keeping the streak going.
Download: Habit Streak for Android (Free)
Download: Habit Streak Pro for Android ($2.49)
Dental Apps Give You Something to Smile About
Dental hygiene is one area where plenty of people could use a little reminder now and then. Not only is it important to brush and floss every day, but doing it correctly helps maximize your defense against future dental problems. These apps can help make your tooth care routine better than ever.