Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge

My son actively brushing his teeth.

My mother is probably going to kill me for telling you this but she is frightened of the dentist. She goes but let's just say it is a stress inducing situation for her.  She is the first to admit that her dental phobia comes from not being taken to the dentist regularly as a child and thus having dental problems. Because of her experience, she made sure that I was at the dentist early. Not only do I not fear the dentist but despite having had to have a couple of fillings, I have never had a shot of novocain. Yes, I have a high tolerance for pain but because of my regular dental visits I've never had a deep cavity they have always been on the surface and needed a couple of seconds of drilling.

You can imagine with my history, I started my son at the dentist as soon as possible! He starting going to a Pediatric dentist at 18 months. I won't say that it was easy for him but the older he gets, the less fearful he is of the dentist. Admittedly, like 50% of children between the ages of 5 - 9 my son does have a cavity. Early on I made the mistake of allowing him to brush on his own and learned that I should help out in the process.  We are learning about great oral care together and so when asked to participate in the Reach and Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge I immediately said yes!

Despite all I know about good oral health, I am not the best about it. Yes, I brush my teeth twice a day but that clearly is not enough. At my last dental visit I was told I have BEAUTIFUL teeth but mild gingavatis. Easily preventable with flossing. I HATE flossing but during this challenge I am not only going to brush - which by the way misses 75% of your mouth - I am going to rinse with Listerine and floss for the next three weeks.

My son's rinse Batman, matches his toothbrush!

And since it takes 3 weeks to develop a habit, I am setting the foundation for a lifetime of healthy oral care. My son is getting in on the fun too. We've already started by using a timer for brushing his teeth and he is rinsing too! Flossing is a little more challenging but we are working on that. You can find

I'll update you in a few weeks and let you know how we do!


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.