The role of injunctive norms in promoting healthy behaviors is explored and a model of injunctive normative influence (i.e., MINI) is proposed and tested. Health communication is employed as the context to test the model focusing on dentist-patient communication about flossing behavior. The model explores how messages from sources with legitimate power (i.e., dentists) promote injunctive norms which, in turn, promote healthy behaviors. Declarative (i.e., messages indicating normative behavior) and evaluative (i.e., messages assessing adherence to norm) communication are considered for their effect on injunctive norms. The effect of injunctive norms on behavioral intent is posited to be mediated by guilt. A test of the model employing 319 (143 men and 176 women) participants was performed looking at perceptions of dentist-patient communication, flossing injunctive norms, guilt related to flossing behavior, and behavioral intent to floss. All direct links proposed in the model are supported but the indirect link from declarative communication to behavioral intent is not significant. Unanticipated direct links emerge from evaluative communication to guilt and behavioral intent. Overall, results are largely supportive of the proposed model though evaluative communication plays a greater role than anticipated while declarative communication has a more limited scope.