Whether you are a dentist or a parent, there lies a challenge in helping people prioritize their dental health. From a parents - perspective, getting a child to continuously understand and brush their teeth is a task that is difficult to accomplish.
For the dentist, the challenge involves ingraining in the patients a desire to want to take care of their dental health.
In both cases, the challenge of influencing human behavior can be a large one. It is a well-known fact that the average human being only changes or adapts new behaviors when they feel the need from within or when they are faced with no other option. As such, knowledge of these two determinants will go a long way in helping people prioritize their dental health.
Positive Reinforcement
This applies to children and adults alike. Human beings love to be appreciated for their efforts, large or small. As a parent, positively reinforcing a child for consistently brushing their teeth will boost their desire to keep doing so. From our perspective, small tokens for results seen during check-ups can help our clients want to do better.
Education
Taking the time to teach people who struggle to understand how important dental health is, can be what they need. It could be talking, looking things up online, or even asking for a visit to our office. We will take whatever time we need to make sure to teach people to keep their dental health at the right priority level.
When people understand just how important their oral health is to their dental and overall health, it often helps them make and keep their appointments with us more regularly. If you are not sure if you are taking care of your teeth properly, ask us. You can call and set up an appointment, or you can ask to speak with one of our professionals for a bit more clarification.