I Am Taking The Listerine Oral Care Challenge

I am not a flosser (shhhhhhh don’t tell my dentist). I brush, of course, but I don’t floss or rinse. My hubby (on the other hand) is like dentist’s dream, he flosses every day (and gives me a hard time about it). But I just wasn’t taught to floss every day. Please don’t read that as any blame on mom and dad. We were taught how to brush well, but flossing just wasn’t a daily chore. We were taught how and we flossed from time to time, but not daily. Since I like to buy things in bulk, I have this giant roll of floss that I have basically had forever. (Another running joke with my husband.)

But now, my flossing habits aren’t just about my teeth. Now that I am a mom it’s about teaching my daughters. The whole “do what I say not what I do” thing doesn’t really fly with little ones, so it’s time to step up and show my girls how to care for their teeth. It’s time to add flossing and rinsing to my regular routine.

I am stepping up and taking the Listerine Oral Care Challenge.

The timing is perfect. If you didn’t know, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and so my daughter has been learning a lot about keeping her teeth healthy lately. She came home from school and informed Daddy that coke is bad for his teeth. (But we still have to work on what is good and bad for teeth because she seems to think pizza is good for her teeth.) So she is in that sweet spot where the timing is perfect for her to learn.

A few facts to chew on:

• Brushing your teeth alone misses the germs in 75 percent of your mouth.
• Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the U.S.
• 50 percent of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9.
• The surgeon general reports that 51 million school hours are missed each year because of dental-related illness.
• Nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of periodontal (gum) disease and don’t know it.

Armed with an arsenal of dental supplies (really… how long do you think it will take us to go through all of that Listerine and three spools of floss?!!?) and the inspiration of teaching our daughters’ better habits than my own I am challenging myself to become a flosser and a rinser. Fundamentally, K wants to do and be good. So getting her to let us brush her teeth and even floss isn’t a problem (well, most days), but I need to be a good example for when the novelty wears off.

Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to become a flosser and a rinser. For even more incentive, I’ll report back and let you know how I did.

Wish me luck.

Disclosure – This post is brought to you by Listerine and TheMotherhood, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.