Most children will have 28 permanent teeth by the time they are teenagers. As a mom of four children, that means I am responsible for the well-being of 140 teeth when you include my own. That’s a lot of responsibility if you ask me! I feel that good dentai habits are very important to develop while children are young so that they can properly care for their teeth as they grow up.
Sometimes it can be like pulling teeth to get my children to brush their teeth. I’m constantly reminding them, even to the point of begging them, to brush their teeth every day. There are many days when I brush every single one of my children’s teeth myself so that they will be done correctly. My oldest son is almost 8 years old – and it seems like no matter how hard I try to stress the importance of brushing his teeth regularly, he just doesn’t quite get it.
Here is a typical scene that takes place at least one morning per week before school:
Me: Have you brushed your teeth?
My Son: Yes.
Me: I know you have brushed your teeth at some point in the past. What I meant to ask you was, Have you brushed your teeth today?
My Son: Oh, no, not today. I just brushed them yesterday – why do I need to do it again?
Needless to say, that is not the attitude I want my children to have about brushing their teeth. I have tried to encourage good habits by doing everything from using sticker charts and rewards to buying every flavor of toothpaste on the market. My son’s last dental checkup was not a very good one – he had several cavities that needed to be filled. It was a wake up call to me that said my family needs to improve our oral care habits. I feel responsible for my family’s dental health and was more than willing to accept Listerine’s challenge to my family.
As part of Listerine’s Oral Care Challenge, my family will be using Listerine products for two weeks as part of an oral care routine that includes regular brushing, flossing and rinsing. My children enjoy a challenge and I think this will be a fun way to help us develop good habits together. I’ll be reporting the results of the challenge in a follow up to this blog post.
Wish us luck! Does your family want to join us in the Listerine Oral Care Challenge? Learn more about Listerine products and how they can help your family improve at dental checkups.
How do you encourage your children to take care of their teeth? I would love to have you share your ideas with me in the comments.
MadeByTammy says
Sounds like my house and my oldest is 13!