Oral Health Care for the Family

Brushing, Flossing, and Other Things I Do Wrong

Feb

2012

I know I need to brush my teeth.

And floss.

But, honestly, while I do a pretty good job at brushing 2+ times a day(unless I fall asleep from exhaustion after a long day with the kids before I can drag myself to the bathroom), I rarely floss. And I rarely use mouthwash.

Flossing was something that I only did when I had something stuck in my teeth.

And mouthwash was reserved for when I had eaten something really garlic-y or onion-y.

I was doing it wrong.

And by doing it wrong, teaching my kids wrong, too.

Uh-oh.

It turns out that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth. And that 50% of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9.

Getting my kids to the dentist is a challenge enough when it’s just for regular cleanings- I don’t want to think about them having to deal with cavities.

So, over the next few weeks, I’m taking the LISTERINE® and REACH® Healthy Care for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge. And making the family do it along with me, of course.

We were sent a box of products from Listerine and Reach to help us: we are going to brush, floss, and rinse every day for three weeks(well, and hopefully continue these habits even after the challenge is done).

Our Oral Care Loot

For the kids, there’s a chart to keep track of their progress: and mine, too, since they tell me I need to brush, floss, and rinse when they do.

My boys giggled a little at some of the products because they had Barbie on them and then fought over the Phineas and Ferb products. This past week, after we received our box of goodies, was the first time that my boys had tried mouthwash.

The Listerine Smart Rinse is an anticavity flouride rinse that protects teeth against cavities and cleans the mouth. Lab studies show that using a rinse like this one strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone.

While the directions advise that children should be 6 years or older to use this, while on a call with some Listerine Dental Experts, I learned that really, your child just has to be able to spit, which usually happens around age 4. My 7 and 5 year-olds both do really well with the rinse: I think they like being TOLD to spit instead of being yelled at for spitting. My youngest is almost 4, so I had him try with some water first. He did a great job, so I let him use some rinse, too, though not as much as his brothers use.

We’re off to a good start with this challenge, but we still have 2.5 weeks to go.

When it’s done, I’ll be back to let you know how it went. And to give you a chance to win LISTERINE® and REACH® product samples to step-up your own oral care routine and a $100 Walmart gift card to continue that healthy habit.

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Motherhood. Oral Health statistics were taken from information provided to me by the LISTERINE® and REACH® Oral Care Challenge, but all opinions are my own.