Brush your teeth!
There have been times in my nearly 11 years of motherhood where I was
completely unprepared.
- That first pre-baby visit to Babies R Us.
- Putting my brand new baby into a car seat in the hospital parking lot so my husband and I could take him home…alone.
- Tending to a child with a 105 degree fever.
Then there are times when I THINK I am prepared, but find out that I am not.
One of those things has been
teaching oral hygiene!
It SEEMS simple enough. Â The lectures go well, but my students’ application of techniques are a bit
lacking.
The biggest problem is getting kids to brush their teeth properly. Â We have been taking the boys to the dentist regularly which helps, but we still need to make sure that their home teeth brushing is effective…in the fastest
I gotto go play kinda way.
When I was asked to join the
Listerine ® Healthy Habits for A Lifetime Oral Care Challenge, I was excited to participate.  When I found out that it included my kids, that was a bonus.  This is something that I need to learn more about and become a more effective teacher for my kids.
So far I have learned a LOT:
- Did you know that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth?
- Did you know that there can be more germs in your mouth than there are people on earth?
- Did you know that over 50% of children 5-9 years old have a cavity or filling {according to US Dept. of Health and Human Service}?
- Did you know that nearly 75% of American adults suffer from various forms of gum disease {and may not even know it!}?
- Did you know that over 1/3rd of Americans don’t eat their favorite foods or smile in photos because of dental problems like cavities, tooth pain and gingivitis?
- Did you know that 15% don’t kiss their loved ones for the same reason?
All these things made me realize that I am not alone in questioning how to effectively teach my kids oral hygiene.
The good news is there are several things available that can have a seriously positive impact on my family’s quest for a better system!
Over the next few weeks my family and I are going to consciously increase the attention we give our mouths.
There are a few new tools to help us:
- REACH ® TOTAL CARE Multi-action toothbrush that can remove up to 90% of plaque {based on lab studies}
- REACH ®  TOTAL CARE Floss
- a 30 second rinse with LISTERINE ®  Antiseptic at least twice a day can help reduce plaque and gingivitis
My dentist is going to be so proud!
I am also excited to get the boys using the LISTERINE ® Smart Rinse for kids which can provide 12-hour cavity protection and strengthen teeth 99% than brushing alone…I suspect that with the level of brushing expertise they have, those estimates are modest!
You can follow along on my family’s challenge {and the other bloggers who are participating} by watching the
#healthyhabits hashtag on twitter or the
She is Dallas FB page. Â February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so there is no better time then to get involved! Â All the products that I mentioned and my family is using are available at
Walmart.com.
I received products and compesation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. Â All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
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