What is compound interest when it isn’t financial?

Compounding benefits for your oral health

“Habits are the compound interest of self improvement” – James Clear

What is compound interest?

In the world of finance, compound interest refers to the interest you earn on your interest. It explains how, over time, the interest you earn grows, even if you don’t invest any more money into your account.

Compound interest in a savings account – example

But what about when it’s not about finance?

We can usehabits as a way of reaping big rewards from seemingly small routines, every day.

Numerically, compound interest explains how Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg can afford to pay themselves just $1 per year. They’re not really earning that, they’re just able to live off the interest they’re earning from the money and assets already in their bank account.

But in the world of self development, it teaches us how positive changes snowball, with the benefits growing greater and greater over time. It’s an incredibly powerful phenomenon. And it applies to your oral health!

The golden power of marginal gains

Small choices + consistency + time = big results

Regular flossing, a hydroxyapatite toothpaste, and good brushing technique aren’t going to make you a millionaire, but when applied together they can give you a much, much healthier mouth.

Small adjustments can have a major impact on health, personal finances, relationships, and pretty much any other aspect of your life. Especially when compounded over time. Cut out the afternoon coffee at an average cost of £3. Yearly gain = £1095. Set the alarm clock half an hour earlier. Yearly gain = 7.6 days. And it’s not just the extra money or time, it’s the compound effect of what you do with it instead.

In the case of your dental health, applying marginal gains like flossing daily and changing your toothbrush every quarter will individually make a small positive difference to your oral health. A routine comprising many of these changes, however, can have a revolutionary impact – far greater than the sum of its parts.

Over time this could save you painful and expensive visits to the dentist in later life to replace rotten teeth with titanium screws.

Find out how you can make the first step towards achieving compound interest for your oral health. Subscribing to Floe means you’ll receive a new toothbrush every three months. We make it easier for you to make those all important marginal gains that add up to a healthier mouth.