Embarking on the Listerine Smart Rinse Sweet Smart Oral Care Challenge {#SweetSmart}

While I have always hoped that my children wouldn't inherit my lack of patience and strong stubborn streak, I have had my fingers crossed that my dental genes would be passed on to them.

Having received my own pearly white, evenly-spaced, no-need-for-braces set of chompers from my father, it doesn't seem too far-fetched that I'd wish the same for my own kids (not to mention that my husband's teeth genes are just not nearly as up to par).

But... other than my genetics, I have to admit that my oral care habits could use a little improvement. I do brush twice a day, but floss? That's more like a few times a week. And rinsing with mouthwash to further protect from plaque and germs? Nope, never.

So although my kids brush daily and floss often (thanks to our dentist's stern warnings and my husband's dedication), I'd love for them to think of oral care behaviors as routine as opposed to a chore.

Which is why it felt like perfect timing when we were invited by the makers of Listerine Smart Rinse to re-evaluate our family's oral care habits and learn why taking a few extra minutes a day for a complete oral care routine that includes brushing, flossing and rinsing is so important. Sign us up for the Listerine Smart Rinse Sweet Smart Oral Care Challenge!

Oral disease has become the number one chronic childhood illness in the U.S. – and just in time to help combat the Halloween sugar rush, the makers of Listerine Smart Rinse are teaming up with non-profit organization, National Children's Oral Health Foundation, known as America’s ToothFairy, for the third year to teach kids how to be Sweet Smart when it comes to protecting their teeth each day.

As part of this campaign, my family received an assortment of adult and children's products from the makers of Listerine and Reach and we are committed to brushing, flossing and rinsing every day, twice a day for three weeks.

Oral disease has become the #1 chronic childhood disease with 44% of American kids suffering from pediatric dental disease before they reach kindergarten. Scary, right?

I have long heard that brushing should last two minutes, but thanks to pediatric dentist Dr. Kaneta Lott, I recently learned that brushing really doesn't do it alone – it actually misses 75% of your mouth! It is the essential combination of brushing, flossing AND rinsing that will keep our children's teeth and mouths healthy and prevent childhood cavities.

When Dr. Lott went on to inform me that a fluoride-based rinse like Listerine Smart Rinse provides 12-hour cavity protection and strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone, I knew that this was something that my kids (ahem, and I) needed to try.

Why would we not want to use something so simple when it acts like a magnet to grab particles left from brushing to help complete our healthier oral care routine?

So here is to us as we embark on this challenge to improving our oral health in a fun and easy way! I'm looking forward to tracking our progress for the next three weeks and hopefully building a healthy regiment of brushing, flossing and rinsing for our whole family. Rinse away!

I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Listerine Smart Rinse Sweet Smart Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.