My family has been invited to take the Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge and I gladly accepted because we are not doing so well in the healthy habits department when it comes to our teeth and gums. My husband and I both need dental work, but just cannot afford to have it done all at once. We definitely do not want our children (currently 8, 5, and 5) going down this road, but when it is a struggle just to make sure they are brushing at least twice a day, doing more seems nearly impossible. After hearing what dental experts had to say about oral care in young children, I realized that we must have our children floss, brush, and rinse twice a day every day. And as the adults, my husband and I must lead by example. That means no more working until 1am and then just throwing myself into bed without brushing because I am too tired!
In this challenge, my family has agreed to floss, brush, and rinse with mouthwash at least twice a day for 3 weeks. Here are some dental facts I had learned that convinced me more than ever that succeeding at this challenge is a necessity:
- Brushing alone only cleans 25% of the germs in your mouth.
- 75% of adults suffer from some form of gum disease
- 50% of children have their first cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9 years old.
- It is recommended that a child should visit a pediatric dentist as soon as his or her first tooth erupts.
- It is recommended that parents begin to floss their children's teeth as soon as there are two adjacent teeth.
Since it is National Children's Dental Health Month it seemed like the perfect time to take on this challenge. The first day of our challenge started off pretty well. The children were happy to be able to decide on their own weapons of choice, including licensed character Reach Kids toothbrushes, Plackers Kids Flossers, and Listerine Smart Rinse mouthwash in a variety of flavors and characters. We had the children test out the flossers and were pleasantly surprised that we did not receive any complaints or resistance. Then we had the children brush with their new toothbrushes and children's fluoride toothpaste. Finally, we had each child try to rinse with mouthwash for as close to a minute as they could and then spit it out.
It will take a few days for the children to become accustomed to the floss and the mouthwash, but based on how well things went this morning, I am extremely optimistic that we will successfully complete this challenge. As a reward, if all 5 of us complete this challenge, we will take the children to a family movie of their choice.
Over the next 3 weeks, look for updates on how our family is doing in the Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge on Facebook and Twitter. Once our 3 weeks is over, I will update our 3G2S readers about what has worked for us and what has not. For tips about how to improve oral care habits for your family, visit Walmart.com, who is doing their part by selling Listerine and Reach products at very affordable prices.
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.
