How To Get Your Kids To Look After Their Teeth

Having a bigger age-gap between the boys and Hunter has been great on so many levels. With a four year gap between Brody and her, it’s meant we have all been able to really enjoy her and make the most of all those special first year milestones. I have loved that even though the boys are at such different developmental stages to her, we still get to celebrate so many of their firsts respectively.

The irony though is that while we have waited with anticipation for Noah to lose the first of his milk teeth, so have we waited with giddy excitement for hers to make their first appearance. We have bid farewell to three of Noah’s precious milk teeth (so far!), while Hunter welcomed 6 brand new perfectly cut little teeth in her first year. And we continue to wait for her next lot to make their appearance. (With a little less excitement and more dread as we enter the next phase of teething and the many sleepless nights!)

But it’s really no surprise that over the last few months, maybe even close to a year, teeth (whether losing or growing new ones) have been at the centre of many discussions in our home. Brody, feeling somewhat lost in between it all has also caught onto the excitement, going as far as declaring that he too has a wiggly tooth! (Even though, bless his dear heart, he still has a little way to go)

So how do I use this latest fixation to work in my favour? Well, I tell them that the tooth fairy only gives money to the kids with the pearliest whites, to those who actually look after their teeth. I have told Brody that he better start taking EXTRA care of his teeth, so that when the day does finally come, he will have something to offer the tooth fairy that he is proud of. And let’s be honest, one that his mom will be proud of too.

You see because like with most things of this nature it’s left up to mum isn’t it? We are the ones responsible for making sure they eat enough vegetables, don’t watch too much TV, wash behind their ears and generally get through life as well adjusted, well-looked after human beings. So like everything else, it has become somewhat important to me that I teach them the importance of good hygiene and more specifically looking after their teeth.`

For the last year or so we have, with my husband’s encouragement started going the extra mile and introduced them to Listerine’s Smart Rinse. Daddy bear has away been rather pedantic about dental care and after years of the boys watching their dad use Listerine mouthwash, we were stoked to discover that Listerine have a range for kids! Every night and every morning, after brushing their teeth, we watch as they decant some Listerine Smart Rinse into the cap before pouring it into their mouths for a good swirl. We count to 10 and watch them make funny faces at each other as they try not to laugh. I love it that it’s become a bit of a novelty and one that doesn’t seem to be wearing off any time soon.

Besides this, here are few other reasons why we have grown to love Listerine’s Smart Rinse range for kids :

1. It teaches my kids from a young age to form good dental care routines. Teaching them to take an extra 20 seconds as part of their morning and evening routine, will hopefully become a habit and stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
2. It comes in two awesome flavours, Mild Berry and Mild Mint and so they have so much fun alternating between the two.
3. It gets to everything that their toothbrushes can’t. I usually try do a proper brush of my kids teeth every so often, or at the very least put a timer on so I know they are giving it a decent go. But even then, there are parts that a tooth brush can’t always reach, and this is where Listerine Smart Rinse comes in handy. It contains fluoride, which strengthens their teeth and reduces cavities, more that brushing alone. It also helps fight germs, a major cause of plague and gum disease.
4. It’s alcohol and sugar-free which means it’s perfectly safe for kids and isn’t counterproductive with nasty sugar in it.

5. And lastly, with all the food my kids consume all day, it’s great to know that Listerine, reveals and targets food particles! 

This last weekend we celebrated the loss of Noah’s third tooth. It was amazing to see how proud he was of his beautifull, well- looked-after little milk tooth. As we placed it into the envelope with our hand-written note to the tooth fairy he looked up at me and said “You see mom, dad was right, our mouthwash does make teeth stronger…..I only lost mine when I was 7 and most of my friends lost their first ones when they were 5 or 6… Mine lasted longer hey? And it definitely made this one whiter. I think the tooth fairy is going to be happy with it, do you? “

And of course I told him what any mom would. I said “Of course my boy, now keep it up!”