I was provided with product and compensated for my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. However, all thoughts and opinions are all my own.
Not quite a month ago, we began the Listerine Oral Care Challenge. We were provided with floss, toothbrushes and Listerine and as we used the products twice a day, we were to notate how clean our mouths felt.
The older kids in my family were a dismal flop. Apparently, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them use floss OR Listerine. You can, however, coerce an 8, 9 and 12 year old by giving them their very!own!bottle! of Barbie, Phineas and Ferb or Batman Listerine.
My younger kids took to the product like great gangbusters. I merely had to say, "Time to floss, brush and rinse!" and there they went. My youngest in particular was extremely enthusiastic and I'm fairly certain we've created a convert. My 9 year old was not quite as accepting, but one small reminder of the two fillings that she had to have done made her an entire convert. She NEVER wants to go through that again. They both loved the way that their mouths felt - "Very clean, Mom!"
My 12 year old proclaimed it to be the perfect blend of just a little bit spicy and just a little bit not. Not only that, it had his favorite superhero - and we can do a lot if Batman asks us.
I'll admit it - I've not been a fan of Listerine before. It's too spicy, leaves my mouth on fire and I don't care how good it works - I can't stand the taste. I agreed to try the newer formulation - and I'm a convert. I tried the Fresh Mint, which was, oddly enough, a light pinkish/purple color - and I really loved how it left my mouth feeling clean and tidy at the end of the day. A few nights, I went to bed without rinsing - and I got up just to do so - my teeth didn't feel as clean as they did when I used the Listerine.
It's now on the shopping list. ")
I am an avid flosser - some might say that I've overwhelmingly anal about it. The Cleanpaste is a newer formulation, and I thought it was a wonderful product, given that I have a few teeth that are very, very tight. With regular floos, it often shreds when I'm trying to use it - but the Cleanpaste goes right through.
For more information, check out the Healthy Habits for a Lifetime page - there's some really good info there.
The Motherhood, WalMart and Listerine would like to give you $100 to help you restock your bathroom with new toothbrushes, floss and Listerine for your entire family. To enter, share your best tips for encouraging your family to engage in healthy oral care habits. Those who provide their tips will be entered for a chance to win LISTERINE® and REACH® product samples to step-up their oral care routine and a $100 Walmart gift card to continue the healthy habit.
No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, Eighteen (18) years of age or older. Sweepstakes end March 30, 2012. Prize(s) provided by Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products, a division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules for complete details. Prize will be fulfilled in a 4-6 week timespan.
Buying toothbrushes that light up & change colors for different quadrants of the mouth was the best thing I did for my 9 & 11 year old kids. It's no longer a struggle to make sure they brush long enough, or thoroughly. We love the Listerine rinses, too -- it's an easy add-on after they brush to rinse.
Posted by: Melanie | March 12, 2012 at 05:28 PM
It always astonishes me how my kids can "forget" to brush their teeth at night. I mean, it's not something we only do every third Thursday. Unfortunately, my best tip is to ask them when I'm tucking them in if they've brushed their teeth. If they say no, or "can't remember," I make them get up and do it.
Posted by: Becki | March 12, 2012 at 05:33 PM
My kid's incentive is that she knows her teeth will rot and fall out if she fails to brush and floss. I've mentioned this to her many times. She loves to brush and then breathe in my face for proof.
Posted by: Vicky C | March 13, 2012 at 10:46 PM
DDs are always happy to pick up their own brushes and flavored toothpastes. This is how I encourage them to engage in healthy oral care habits.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
Posted by: Jessie C. | March 14, 2012 at 12:35 AM
Each of our four children has a little plastic bucket stoked with toothbrush, toothpaste, rinse, floss and a timer. They set the timer for two minutes while brushing and that helps a lot. They keep their buckets in their rooms so they can carry them along to any sink in the house and not have to wait in line for one bathroom. I try to keep refills stocked up in a cupboard for them. The dentist always says they have good home care, so I am happy this is working!
Posted by: Alyssa | March 14, 2012 at 04:02 AM
My kids use Listerine Agent Cool Blue. It turns your teeth blue before you brush and then you have to make sure you brush it all off. Hilarity ensues... but so does proper brushing!
Posted by: Kristie | March 14, 2012 at 07:40 AM
The biggest thing I do with my little boys (5, 3, and 1) is to let them choose their own toothpaste and flossers. When they have their very own toothpaste whose flavor they like they're WAY more likely to remind me we're going to brush our teeth. And as for flossing, my littlest boys think the plastic colored flossers are AWESOME. My oldest tolerates it, but since we've ALWAYS done it, he knows it's part of the routine.
The right tools is the best thing I can recommend.
And "kissing" before bedtime to check and make sure their mouths are really clean.
Now if only anybody could help me remember to brush my kid's teeth in the AM we'd be getting somewhere!
Posted by: Emily C | March 14, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Put an brightly colored egg timer in the bathroom and use it.
And sing a song in your head while you are brushing. Don't stop until you get to the chorus. (Or whatever part you decide that is a long enough time.)
Posted by: Christal | March 15, 2012 at 02:04 AM
My boys each get to pick out their own toothbrushes, and they use Listerine Smart Rinse. They love that stuff, but must brush first!
Posted by: Lauren | March 16, 2012 at 06:11 PM
When my kids were young, I wanted products that tasted good. A kid is not going to brush and rinse willingly with toothpaste or mouthwash they don't like. Kids also like toothbrushes with princesses or superheroes on them. Anything to make them want to brush.
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Posted by: Marcia Goss | March 20, 2012 at 04:08 PM