Lifehacks are ever popular online, and encourage patients to rethink their daily routines. As our everyday lives become busier and more stressful, many people may look to these shortcuts as ways to improve their lives with minimal effort.
In healthcare spaces, precaution is required. Small changes to the oral hygiene routine can be effective, but they must be safe and clinically proven.
Sometimes, however, the ways a patient can make a big difference to their oral health and their smile is by simply engaging in everyday cleaning routines. The lifehacks that come alongside this may include changes to behaviours and cleaning aids in order to optimise the outcomes from their efforts.
Initiating change
In order to provide smile-defining advice to patients, an understanding of their current oral hygiene routine is required. This can vary widely between individuals, with many brushing twice a day and using interdental cleaning adjuncts to outstanding outcomes, but 20% of UK adults clean their teeth just once a day, and another 2% have even more infrequent habits, brushing less than once per day.[i]
For these individuals, any small changes should help them engage with a more regular oral hygiene routine. Identifying the reasoning behind such complacency and devising a way to surpass this should be the goal. Repeated oral hygiene instructions and clinician-initiated motivation are known to be vital for reducing plaque index and improving periodontal health, but no successful outcomes can come unless the patient is actively engaged.[ii]
The COM-B model helps clinicians understand and improve patient behaviours.[iii] It looks at the relationship between capability, opportunity and motivation, and how they cumulate to affect behaviour.
Clinicians need to consider if the patient has the understanding and physical capabilities to keep an effective oral hygiene routine, if they have the time and oral hygiene tools available to them, and whether or not the behaviour is already part of a routine, and if it holds importance to a person.
For patients who are able to brush their teeth without help, but site a lack of time or forgetfulness, the small change of mentally linking it to another daily behaviour – such as showering, or preparing a bag for work or school – could ensure they brush their teeth more often, having a significant difference on their oral health outcomes.
Setting reminders on a mobile phone at regular times may also be a simple but effective nudge every morning and evening.
For the already engaged patient
The majority of patients will already keep regular oral hygiene routines, and so the changes that clinicians can suggest need to be closely tailored to their existing behaviours. One of the most significant changes is simply implementing interdental cleaning alongside toothbrushing.
Interdental cleaning 5 to 7 days per week is associated with an increased prevalence of functional dentition amongst adults, with more favourable results than those that performed interdental cleaning on 1 to 4 days per week.[iv] There are additional benefits for general health, with a 2026 study showing that toothbrushing combined with interdental cleaning can reduce the risk of dementia.[v] Many patients do not use anything more than a toothbrush in their routine; the Adult Oral Health Survey from 2021 revealed that just 30% of UK adults use dental floss, 21% use interdental brushes, and another 11% use aids such as interdens, toothpicks or woodsticks.i It’s important to note that these figures may include patients that use multiple options, further diluting the number of people engaging in some form of interdental cleaning.
Interdental cleaning may only extend the oral hygiene routine by a couple of minutes, but the improved oral health outcomes are worthwhile. Patients may be apprehensive, as traditional dental floss may feel difficult to use at first, especially for those with little experience. Access to the posterior dentition may also be complicated for some, which can create frustration and lead to patients giving up on the routine. To help the behaviour stick, and for patients to reap the rewards, the right interdental cleaning aids need to be recommended.
Solutions they can trust
The Waterpik™ Cordless Pulse water floss is an accessible, easy to implement oral hygiene aid that ensures patients achieve a thorough clean every day. It features 2 pressure settings and 2 flossing tips, including a Tongue Cleaner for fresher breath, and can remove up to 99.9% of plaque bacteria from the treated areas in as little as 3 seconds exposure.[vi] With a waterproof design that allows convenient flossing in the shower, and an easy-fill reservoir for everyday use, it can help your patients transform their smiles for the better.
The smallest changes and ‘lifehacks’ for your patients are sometimes simply engaging with toothbrushing and interdental cleaning more frequently. Changing the way advice is framed to patients may encourage improved behaviours, and in turn create healthier smiles.
For more information on WaterpikTM water flosser products visit www.waterpik.co.uk. WaterpikTM products are available at Amazon, Costco UK, Argos, Boots and Tesco online and in stores across the UK and Ireland.
[i] Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, (2024). Adult oral health survey 2021: health-related behaviours. (Online) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-oral-health-survey-2021/adult-oral-health-survey-2021-health-related-behaviours [Accessed July 2026
[ii] Abbinante, A., Antonacci, A., Antonioni, M., Butera, A., Castaldi, M., Cotellessa, S., … & Graziani, F. (2024). Concordance and clinical outcomes improvement following oral hygiene motivation: a systematic review and report of the workshop of the Italian Societies of Dental Hygiene. International Journal of Dentistry, 2024(1), 8592336.
[iii] Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme, (N.D.). Guidance, Treatment components, Assessing treatment response, Engagement. (Online) Available at: https://www.periodontalcare.sdcep.org.uk/guidance/treatment-components/assessing-treatment-response/engagement/#comb [Accessed July 2026]
[iv] Zhou, W., Liu, Y., Yin, T., He, M., Fang, C., Peng, S., & Liu, Y. (2025). Association of Interdental Cleaning Frequency With Tooth Loss and Self-Rated Oral Health: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Dental Journal, 75(4), 100803.
[v] Lee, Y. J., Go, H., Kang, K., Kuboniwa, M., Lee, Y. E., & Choi, Y. H. (2026). Combined Effect of Toothbrushing and Interdental Cleaning on the Risk of Dementia. Yonsei Medical Journal, 67(3), 259-268.
[vi] Gorur, A., Lyle, D. M., Schaudinn, C., & Costerton, J. W. (2009). Biofilm removal with a dental water jet. Compendium of continuing education in dentistry (Jamesburg, NJ: 1995), 30, 1-6.
