It’s almost trick-or-treat time, which means lots of sugary sweets and treats will be consumed. Now is the perfect time to learn about the importance of good oral health habits and share these practices with your children.
Did you know oral disease has become the #1 chronic childhood disease? I had no clue until I heard Fern Ingber, Founding President and CEO of American’s Toothfairy speak about how dental disease can lead to serious illnesses and affects a child’s overall well-being.
America’s ToothFairy is focused, as a nonprofit organization, on the elimination of children’s preventable suffering from dental disease. They work with community-based organizations, civic groups and others.
Here are a few stats:
- 44 percent of American kids will suffer from pediatric dental disease before they reach kindergarten.
- Of the 4 million kids born each year, more than half will have cavities by the time they reach 2nd grade.
- 43% of Americans lack dental insurance.
- All in all, 16 million kids suffer from untreated dental disease.
Let’s face it, brushing alone is NOT enough. It is critical to keep your child’s teeth and mouth healthy and prevent childhood cavities, which can be done by brushing, flossing AND rinsing with a post-brushing mouthrinse like LISTERINE SMART RINSE.
This year, I am determined to prevent cavities so my family will be taking the LISTERINE three-week Sweet Smart Challenge. What is the sweet smart challenge? Brushing, flossing and rinsing twice a day! While we already take good care of our teeth, this challenge will help my son get in the ritual of flossing and rinsing, too.
I’ve been attempting to teach my little guy how to use mouthwash, which is proving to be tricky. I am hoping by the end of this challenge, he will master it. Right now, we are using small amounts of water and trying to swish it around and spit it out. Unfortunately he keeps swallowing it, so I know he’s not ready to try mouthwash just yet.
Important information about mouthrinse:
- LISTERINE SMART RINSE bottles come with a pre-loaded top. Squeeze the bottle and two teaspoons of mouthrinse is the maximum that pops up at a time. Pour that into a bathroom cup and rinse for one minute. Try hard to swish between the teeth. Then spit it out.
- SMART RINSE is sting-free since it does not contain alcohol.
- SMART RINSE contains fluoride which is important for preventing cavities. It is recommended to begin post-brushing mouthrinse at age 6. Studies show that by age 6, kids have good control over oral muscles and can prevent swallowing the fluoride in the mouthrinse.
Here are the products we will be using:
My son is very excited about the Phineas & Ferb mouthwash and brushes! I love that LISTERINE and REACH recognize the importance of keeping children interested by using fun characters. I guess Barbie is for me since I am the only girl in the house (but I do not mind since the SMART RINSE is bubble gum flavor)!
Join me and take the LISTERINE #SweetSmart challenge. I’ll share our experiences in a follow-up post to let you know how we did!
Here are a few tips for getting your kids to practice good oral hygiene:
- Help your children brush their teeth until the age of 8.
- Children should brush at least 2 minutes and use LISTERINE SMART RINSE for 60 seconds. If you purchase LISTERINE SMART RINSE at Walmart, you can download a song that your kids can brush/rinse to. Find songs at www.disney.com/phineasandferbmusic or www.barbie.com/listerinekids.
- If your child has braces, he or she should be rinsing with LISTERINE SMART RINSE twice a day. Braces trap food around braces, adhere to teeth, and cause more cavities.
- There is no set age for children to begin flossing, but it is best to begin when a child’s teeth touch.
- Children should have a dental visit no later than 12 months of age. Some dentists will say they won’t start seeing kids until age 3 or 4, but a pediatric dentist – who specializes in dentistry for kids, just as a pediatrician specializes in kids’ health – will start seeing kids much younger.
- The recommendation is either to bring your child to a dentist 6 months after the first tooth is seen in the mouth, or at 12 months, even if the child doesn’t have teeth at 12 months of age, to establish a baseline.
* Disclosure: I received products and compensation from LISTERINE and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.