Kids Teeth 101
RINSING KIDS’ TEETH
If your kids are ages 6 and up, in addition to teaching them the healthy habits of gently brushing and carefully flossing (and ideally avoiding too many sweets in the first place), you could try introducing them to a simple rinsing regimen for kids’ teeth. You can say that rinsing twice a day helps get their whole mouth clean.
Here are some tips to help your kids’ teeth stay clean:
Let Them Choose
When the kid picks the toothpaste, the brush, the rinse — you’re on your way to oral health compliance. So, encourage kiddo to find his or her favourite character, and choose the most fun-sounding flavour. LISTERINE® SMART RINSE® has two tasty variations represented by popular characters from children’s movies and television programs. Try it on your nearest kids’ teeth!
For A Song
Let your kid pick the tune and you sing it while they brush, floss and rinse. Suggest they hum along while they’ve got rinse in their mouth. If your kid would rather pretend it’s a sporting competition, try bringing a stopwatch into play (an hourglass can be substituted to pull off the same trick).
Gamify It!
Don’t be surprised if putting up a gold star for each day of the calendar your child takes proper care of their teeth pays off in the long run. How about, most consecutive days of twice-daily kids’ teeth cleaning wins a prize? If they keep it up all year, an extra-big super-prize!
Tooth Tales
Dramatize the quest for cleaner kids’ teeth. Bacteria make great villains; those heroes and heroines appearing on the toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash containers are ready to take the fight to the front gum lines. The entire oral care routine becomes an epic quest to brush away invaders and floss out traitors. When the battlefield’s clear, ‘salt the earth’ with a fluoride rinse.
KID-FRIENDLY ROUTINES
FOR KIDS AGES 6 & OLDER
1
Hold the LISTERINE® SMART RINSE® bottle upright and squeeze the front and back (not the sides) of the bottle. Fill to 10 mL line. Stop squeezing. Excess liquid will drain back into the bottle.
2
Pour into a cup and then guide your little one to empty the liquid into his or her mouth. Make sure to dilute the solution with water and instruct them not to swallow.
3
Guide them to swish for a full 60 seconds to thoroughly rinse their mouth (try counting aloud while they swish, or making it a game by using a stopwatch or singing a song), and then let them know its time to spit out the liquid.
4
Reward Time! Try a sticker or other kid-appropriate reward for being a clean-mouth hero.
Teach your child that after completing a twice-daily oral care routine, they should not eat or drink for half an hour. Learning this tip early can put them ahead of the oral health game.