Brush, Floss, Rinse, Repeat

It’s time to make an accounting of our family’s LISTERINE® Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge. I wrote about the reasons to focus on good dental habits in this post, at the beginning of the challenge.

So, how did I do? You tell me…

Alright, it probably would help if I had posted a before pic…and done my hair…and not taken this picture first thing in the morning while I was still waking up. (Hey, I put on make-up for you! You should feel special!) Need a closer look?

Whoa! A little too close. I bet you can smell my fresh breath! 🙂

So, I did pretty well. Was I perfect at brushing and rinsing twice a day and flossing once a day? No. But I only messed up a couple of times. I’m considering the challenge a success, because I got in the habit of doing those things, and my family did, too! My kids are very concerned if they don’t have a flosser or we tell them to go to bed before they’ve had a chance to rinse. Teeth-brushing became kind of a family event. That way no one forgets! The real results will come at the next check-up , I guess!

I hadn’t thought I would write much about the products I was sent because it’s just dental floss and toothbrushes, but some of these ended up being life-changing!

Let’s start with the dental floss because it was my favorite! I had pretty much sworn off string dental floss, and had planned to just used the picks like my kids, but this stuff is AMAZING! Can you see the string? It isn’t really string at all. It doesn’t come apart and is much gentler–no bleeding gums! It made flossing daily doable! Look for REACH® TOTAL CARE Floss.

The toothbrush is way cool, too! It’s feels really gentle, but like it is really getting in all the cracks and crevices. You’ll have to try it. It’s the REACH® TOTAL CARE Multi-action toothbrush.

And I am officially a wimp about mouthwash. Even the LISTERINE®  Zero felt really strong to me, so I ended up using the Smart Rinse designed for the kids. I thought it worked great! Just don’t freak out when all of this colored stuff goes into the sink when you spit. The product is designed to show you how much more stuff you are getting out of your mouth by rinsing so it tints the debris so you can see it. Weird and cool at the same time!

One of the first things I noticed was that my teeth felt so clean and smooth–all the time! I’m loving that!

So are you ready to take your own challenge and improve the your oral care as well as that of your family? There are all kinds of tips and aids for you to download here to get you motivated and on the right track.

I’ve also come up with a printable to hang in your bathrooms as a reminder. Now I’ve actually gotten in the habit of flossing, then brushing, then rinsing, but I thought it sounded better to say Brush, Floss, Rinse, Repeat–the repeat is because you do it twice a day! Hopefully one of these colors will go alright with your bathroom decor. Click on a thumbnail to see the full size image and then you can save it to your computer. Happy brushing! (And flossing, and rinsing, too!)

*As always, personal use only. Please do not redistribute. If you’d like to share, please link to this page!*

Disclosure: Thanks to Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood for giving our family the products and motivation to get our family in gear–oral health wise and for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own!