My box from Listerine arrived the day we moved in. What a fabulous treat after a long day of moving boxes. We got to open this box and find all sorts of goodies to help us tackle our teeth!
TheMotherhood.com along with Listerine Smart Rinse, Reach Tooth Brushes, and AmericasToothFairy.org have invited our family to participate in a three week long clean teeth challenge! They sent this fabulous box to help us. We got 6 tooth brushes {all different so we spent an hour deciding who would get which toothbrush}, 3 packages of floss {one was a fabulous flossing stick- love them!}, and four different bottles of smart rinse. There was also a magnetic chart we could put up on the fridge for keeping track, complete with some cute magnetic dry erase markers. So here we go, night one....
Everyone excited???
OK, Up to the bathroom!
{remember that we just moved in and our house is a disaster ;0}
***Did you know that pediatric dentists recommend that YOU brush your kid's teeth until they are 8yrs old*** That way you can teach them until an age they are able to take over.
Pop that new tooth brush out of the packaging...
***Did you know the American Dental Association recommends you replace your toothbrush every three months***
Now plop on the toothpaste...
***Did you know that if your kids don't like to use toothpaste, it's OK*** Have them brush with water, then still floss and rinse with mouth wash.
Now start brushing...
***Did you know that you are supposed to brush for two straight minutes***
Guess what? With the purchase of Listerine's Smart Rinse at Walmart, you can download a song for your kids to brush too!
Check that out at the following:
and
Awesome!!! Emmalee will be so excited!
Keep brushing! Your two minutes are not up yet!!!
Don't forget the tongue!
***Did you know that much of the bacteria in your mouth resides on you tongue*** Always be sure to brush your tongue and use mouthwash to keep your breath fresh, as well as prevent tooth decay and oral diseases. {source}
Fabulous! Now we floss!
We actually had a debate about this in our lovely lavender bathroom...
Madison's dentist told her to floss before she brushes, that way all the debris is pulled out and then brushed away. I researched this idea a little, and came up with no no real conclusion about which should come first, the brushing or the flossing.
I did find this on Wiki Answers:
I found that not even dentists agree on this question. They fall about even on either side of this debate, so the main thing is as the saying goes, "Just Do It"...
Then he finally comes to this conclusion {that sounds pretty wise}:
Brush, floss and then rinse with a proper anti-cavity product, not just mouth wash. This way, you are flossing clean teeth and not forcing bacteria into your gums and the mouth rinse will wash away anything left behind after flossing. Rinse for at least 60 seconds.
Either way, floss those pearly whites!
I like the flossing sticks myself...especially when you are flossing in enemy territory!
***Do you know when you should start flossing*** There isn't really an age specifically, but Dr. Lott from our Listerine Sweet Smart Challenge Q&A recommends that you start to floss as soon as the teeth start touching. With Emmalee, my 4yr old, her teeth are still pretty far apart, but you would be amazed how much pot roast was lodged in between her tiny teeth, discovered only by flossing!
OK, Don't stop now! Time to rinse with Smart Rinse. These bottles are so cool! You just stand it upright, squeeze the bottle slightly until the mouth wash floods the top cap. You keep squeezing until it hits the 10ml line, then you are ready to swish! The instructions say to pour the mouthwash into a bathroom cup and then pour it into your mouth, but I guess Eli wanted to claim this bottle as his own ;0)
***Did you know that your kids should start using mouth wash twice a day at the age of 6*** This is the age they figure the kids are old enough, and in control of their oral muscles enough not to swallow the rinse. You do not want to give the mouth wash to children {or adults} that would swallow the rinse. It has fluoride in it. Fluoride is great for your teeth, but not for your tummy!
Keep swishing!!!
***60 seconds is the recommended time for swishing mouth wash***
OK, now spit that into the sink...
Wipe your face...
And sit back and enjoy the feeling of clean!
And please, PleAse, PLEASE, do not eat or drink anything for 30 minutes so the mouthwash can continue to do it's thing!
{All facts not specified with a source were supplied via our Q&A session with Dr. Lott, Pediatric Dentist, or from the back of the Listerine Smart Wash bottle!}
Emmalee had so much fun brushing our teeth as a family, she was asking what we were going to do next...
Were we going to get our pajamas on as a family...NO!
Were we going to read stories as a family...Sure :0)
Kids sure love any chance they can get to be all together.
The Sew*CakeMaker family will be working hard on the Listerine Sweet Smart Challenge all this month. If you have any good ideas about how to keep motivated to keep teeth clean, how to make brushing time more fun, or stories about what you have done in the past, please feel free to comment.
In the mean time, you can check out Listerine.com for more info and this $1 off coupon for mouthwash!!!
Happy Swishing :0)
***Disclaimer***I received products and compensation from Listerine and TheMotherhood.com as part of my participation in this challenge. While I was compensated, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are totally my own :0)
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