Every morning and night, without fail, I brush and floss my teeth. It’s a habit my mother instilled within me as a young child, and I’m thankful she emphasized the importance of proper oral care, because as a 30 something year old woman, I’ve yet to have a cavity. Similarly, I’ve started my children along the same path. As soon as their first tooth emerged, we started brushing with a soft, tot-sized toothbrush and kid-friendly toothpaste. Both of my kids see our Pediatric Dentist for screenings and cleanings every six months and we’ve just started a flossing regiment with my older child. We also support a healthy smile by limiting the amount of sugar they intake and ensuring they eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
This month, our family will be taking Listerine’s Oral Care Challenge along with a fabulous group of bloggers and their families. I honestly feel really good about the challenge because I think we’re already on the right path. We recently put up a Responsibility Chart to help my son remember things like picking up his toys, being kind to others, and brushing his teeth. The visual reminder, as well as the reward system, have been extremely helpful for all of us as we seek to instill these important habits and character qualities within my son. Since both of my children actually enjoy and look forward to our toothbrushing sessions, my goals this month include helping my son learn to floss (per his dentist’s recommendations) and teaching both my son and my daughter to brush properly.
Last week, I gleaned some oral care wisdom as I sat in on a webinar hosted by The Motherhood. Did you know that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the US (CDC)? Or that 50 percent of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9 (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry)? We are a country with access to more resources than I can count, yet oral care is still a struggle for many families. Cost, time, and lack of knowledge all factor in to these statistics. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t take but just a few minutes each day to begin or improve your oral care routine.
Because brushing alone may miss germs in 75 percent of a person’s mouth, flossing, rinsing, and routine cleanings/screenings are an integral part of a person’s overall oral care routine. We’re about to embark on a month long journey towards better overall oral health. Will you join me?
Stay tuned as I’ll be sharing updates on what we’ve learned and accomplished over the next month.
This is part of a compensated campaign with The Motherhood and Johnson & Johnson. Products were provided which helped facilitate this challenge.
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That is a cute board! I had one kinda like it but it got lost when we moved. Its probably packed up somewhere.
it is great to teach them this so young! then it becomes a healthy habit!!
We have this same chore chart in our house!! Great idea to use it for teeth cleaning. 😉
I love that responsibility chart from melissa and doug. It’s great and great idea!
This is making me feel so guilty right now.
I seriously slack off in this dept. of my parenting.
My reasoning? They are just going to fall out anyway.
I know! Horrible! Don’t lecture me! *bows head in shame* …..
Thanks for the great idea…. I am going to start a chart with my son, maybe that will help…. for the first tiem he is actually letting me brush his teeth. Maybe it’s time to take it to the next level. Cute blog by the way. 🙂