Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge #healthyhabits

As an adult its my responsibility to make sure my kids understand how important oral care is. They visit the dentist every six months and brush daily. What I haven’t been good at is making sure they floss and use mouthwash. All very important steps in oral care. Steps I haven’t been good at encouraging my children to do. Since they have a good routine down with the brushing we’ve taking this oral care challenge to focus the importance of flossing and using mouthwash!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.

My challenge is to do it with them! I had the benefit of sitting in on a conference call the other day with live-chat with Dr. John Dodes, Dr. Kaneta Lott, Danette Nittel and Chris Charles and one of the great suggestions was to brush when your kids brush. Don’t make it a supervising moment but to make it a moment to show that you take your own personal oral care important. When I thought about it I realized that my kids hardly ever actually saw me brush my teeth. My husband and I brushed before they woke up or after they left for school at the end of the night we were doing it after they already went to bed. By making it a family challenge we were all doing it together and we were showing our kids that it wasn’t just important that they take care of their teeth but that we all did. I thought the idea was a great one. Plus, an added benefit is that I’ll be a lot less likely to eat before bed.

As you can see we were sent quite a pack to begin our challenge with! The boys were super excited about the Phineas & Ferb products! Gavin did stick with his regular tooth brush though. As a mom I’ve learned letting kids pick their own tooth brush is very important. Such a small choice makes such a difference and Gavin prefers a motorized one with his favorite character on it. Johnny jumped at the chance to take the P&F brush for himself. I’ve also found that with kids the floss sticks are often easier.

Tips for brushing with your kids:

• Make oral care fun (e.g., make it a game; brush, floss and rinse to music; etc).
• Reward their behavior (e.g., give gold stars for good oral care).
• Show, don’t tell – make oral care a family affair.
• Involve them in their own oral care routine by providing products like

Tips for adults:

• Clean the entire mouth.
• Make sure you are brushing and flossing correctly.
• Avoid sticky foods.
• Go to the dentist twice a year.

Did you know?

• Nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of periodontal (gum) disease* and don’t know it.

• Brushing your teeth alone misses the germs in 75 percent of your mouth.
• According to a survey conducted by the makers of LISTERINE® and REACH®, over one-third of Americans don’t eat their favorite foods or smile in photos because of dental problems like cavities, tooth pain and gingivitis.
• Even sadder, 15 percent don’t kiss their loved ones.

So take the Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge with us and help bring your oral care to the next level! If you haven’t seen the dentist in awhile make your appointment now. Even at 8 months pregnant I just had my regular cleaning and my kids have theirs next week!

“I received products and compensation 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.”