The Challenge

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.   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.   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.   February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so there is no better time then to get involved!   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.   All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.