When you think of your smartphone, you probably don’t automatically think of your teeth. But what you may not realize is that there are many ways you can use your smartphone to care for your teeth, and more are arriving all the time. From games to make dental appointments more fun to an innovative new way to get dental insurance, our phones are becoming more and more in tune with our daily lives. Whether you’re looking for brushing reminders or a way to nudge your kids into better oral hygiene, here are some of the best up-and-coming oral health apps!
Beam
The Beam app isn’t for everyone – your employer needs to offer Beam insurance. But if you are an employer or your company’s dental insurance plan is lacking, Beam might be a viable solution to introduce to your HR department. Beam not only offers dental insurance, but it also offers a toothbrush, paste and brush-heads that sync with an app. When data from your brushing activity each day gets uploaded to Beam (uploading is optional), that data is used to grade you. The higher the grade, the lower your dental insurance premiums! It’s a pretty cool and useful way to encourage great oral hygiene.
Yonder
Yonder is an app designed by a team at the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center. But researchers never intended to make an app – in fact, they initially set out to make a new child-restraint device for children who will not remain safely seated in the dental chair. Instead, researchers came up with Yonder, an app that follows a hippo named Mimi through her first dental appointment. Studies on the app have shown that almost all the children who used it were able to successfully get through their first dental checkup. Though the app isn’t available to download just yet, look for it in your app store soon.
Level
The Level app is another dental insurance app that works a bit differently than Beam. Level is an insurance app that not only provides its own insurance, but also explains your policy in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Level allows you to choose your provider based on up-front out-of-pocket pricing, so there are no surprises at checkout. Not all employers offer Level, but based on its user-friendly operation, we’ll likely be hearing more about it soon. To schedule an appointment with Dr. George, please call 724-220-2347.
