….and that will make your teeth clean! #SweetSmart

I feel compelled to share a short-but-embarrassing tale from my childhood for this post.

When I was a kid, I dreamed of starring in a commercial. While other kids were emulating famous actors, I was tape-recording my own radio commercials and jingles. An infamous one was a commercial – more like a public service announcement – about keeping your teeth clean.

Only I had it all wrong. My jingle went (my parents STILL have the tape recording!): “You can brush your teeth with GASOLeeeeeeen!, GASOLeeeeeeen! and WIN-DOWS!!! … and that will keep your teeth clean!” (Yes, I made up my own tunes too!).

How I thought car fuel and windowpanes would clean your teeth, I’m not certain. I was only about 7 or 8. I think I was kind of a weird kid. Or just really focused on rhyming over content. Either way, do NOT take the advice in my song!

Fortunately, my tune has changed, and my children will grow up knowing better options for keeping teeth clean! That’s because we’ve been doing the Listerine Challenge for the past 3 weeks. Three weeks dedicated to brushing, flossing and rinsing twice daily.

Here’s things I’ve learned:

Make it visible: My son noticed the checkmark chart right away the first day – and from then on, HE was reminding ME to brush and floss and rinse, because I let him make my check mark on the chart (he is too young to use the Smart Rinse solution).

Talk about it: Even though my son couldn’t do the rinsing part, I told him what I was doing and how it’s important to keep our teeth clean. He’s very into brushing as a result.

Flossing can be fun: Using the flossing picks is easier and more fun than winding a long strand around your fingers – and it makes me want to grab the floss more since it’s easier. I even noticed hubby’s been using the Reach flosser all the time too!

Every day is a new day: Were there mornings that we woke up late and rushed out the door without EVERYBODY brushing…? sure. We would try to make up for it at lunch, but every day is a new day. The important thing is that brushing, flossing and rinsing were PART of our routine to the point that we “felt” when we had missed this important step and were anxious to make up for it!

Reward achievement: Getting to use a marker is HUGE for my son. He love the “reward” of making a checkmark after every brushing. (Even if it’s not his own!). I think associating this positive experience with healthy oral hygeine will go a long way toward instilling good habits. (Oh, and my reward? Seeing fewer and fewer “particles” when I rinse and spit – that means the rinse is working because the more I use it the less gunk is left in my mouth!).

Add oral hygeine to your family care early: Remember how in my first post about the #SweetSmart challenge I told you I hadn’t yet taken my child to a pediatric dentist. Well, I am still working on it because they don’t always have openings right away… I was hoping to include a photo of his first visit but that will have to be a later post! The take away is – get started with a family dentist early so you don’t have to wait for an appointment when your kids are older!

We’ve just come through “Candy Day” this week, and there are more holiday gatherings coming up where sweet treats are de rigour. Besides limiting sweets, a good brushing/rinsing routine will combat the effects of a few treats now and then.

… and THAT will make your teeth clean! 🙂

How do you promote good dental care into your kids’ routines?

I received products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE SMART RINSE Sweet Smart Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.