Did you know that February is National Children’s Dental Health Mouth? I didn’t but I love the reminder! Last year was the first year we took our boys (now 3 and 5) to the dentist and ever since we have worked on oral care as a family. We started out having the kids watch us while flossing, brushing and rinsing. Then it turned into doing the same along side them. I think though having the dentist talk to them about brushing really helped because of course kids never listen to their parents but tend to listen to other adults!
I also had no clue that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth? After learning that I realize how important it is to push mouthwash on my whole family – kids included. I was pretty fortunate growing up with just basic cavity issues but another startling fact I learned is that “Nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of periodontal (gum) disease and don’t know it.”
So I am proposing a routine, or challenge you could call it, for my husband, sons and I to work on improving our own oral care. First the routine needs to start with a good toothbrush, LISTERINE mouthwash (which yeah it comes in kid varieties), and of course toothpaste! The few minutes it will take for this routine twice a day is nothing compared to the time that I hope we will all be saving from dental visits! Plus with the low prices at Walmart I won’t be breaking my budget by buying these products!
Here are just a few more startling statistics:
- Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the U.S.
- In fact, 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.
Oh and a great incentive I have found is a reward chart for kids. You can make your own or if you have a Chuck E. Cheese by you they have one called “Terrific Teeth” you can print out and complete for ten free tokens!
VISIT: Learn how to establish better oral care habits by visiting www.walmart.com/AHA/Listerine/Reach to access to tips from leading dental experts and great values and prices on oral care products.
Mom and More Disclosure: 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. Please see my Disclosure Policy.