There are mornings that I have to actually threaten bodily harm to my children’s Wii to get them to brush their teeth.
Disgusting right?
Because, to me, as a largely sensible, nearly all the way grown up human, brushing my teeth is like first on my list of things I want to do when I get up in the morning.
Behind peeing. And drinking coffee. And checking my Facebook page and Twitter handle.
Okay, so brushing my teeth is one of the first five or so things I like to do when I get up everyday.
But, apparently, Dudes are gross. And they just can’t be bothered to care about the fact that the inside of their mouth is all filthy and smelly and ew.
Aside from #3, who is mildly obsessed with good hygiene and living an overall clean existence (side note: I kid you not, last time he went in for a cleaning, the dentist was astounded by the lack of plaque on his teeth. He actually called in his team to see just how clean his teeth were!), my Dudes seem to think that things like showering on a semi-regular schedule, wearing fresh underwear daily, brushing twice a day, and flossing ever are nothing more than optional burdens their nagging mother won’t let them get out of.
Fortunately, I don’t have a problem with brow beating people and, since I am also very concerned with dental health (side note again: because seriously, having healthy teeth is just part of having a healthy body and poor oral hygiene can actually cause poor overall health; don’t believe me, Google it people, you’ll see), the Dudes have been able to avoid having issues with their teeth.
We brush, we floss, and now, we are upping our teeth awesome by taking the Healthy Habits for A Lifetime Oral Care Challenge with Listerine and Reach. They are even pretty excited about the #SweetSmart Challenge I secretly signed us up for; their little eyes lit up like Caesar’s Palace when they saw the Smart Rinse mouthwash they get to use (I have no idea why they love mouthwash so much but they do).
And I’m excited that they’re excited because it makes my life easier when I don’t have to put them in a sleeper hold to get their teeth brushed they are on board, and being on board with this is NOT optional.
Did you know that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth? Or that 50% of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of 5 and 9?
Scary facts you should probably face if you’re one of those people who don’t force encourage your kids to clean their teeth or visit the dentist.
As far as I’m concerned, you can never be too healthy in your mouth, so reminding The Dudes to brush and floss daily is something I take seriously. By using positive reinforcement and encouragement and junk. And, when all else fails, I just jump straight to scare tactics…
They may think my oh-my-gosh-your-breath-makes-me-gag rants are a little over the top, but even they know they don’t want a grill like this.
pBd Admits It’s Free: Today’s post was brought to you in part by Listerine (who sent me the products to try), The Motherhood (who organized this campaign), and yuck mouths everywhere. The fact that my Dudes are gross and everything else in this post is may own opinion.
My youngest three think brushing their teeth is the coolest thing in the world. it’s my older three i have a hard time with. in all honesty, i think they would go weeks without brushing their teeth or even showering if I would allow it. what is up with that? :)
They totally need to invent a Wii game that has them brushing their teeth. And teaches them how to rinse soap out of their hair in the shower!
I use Listerine every day, so I’m very excited to see that they have a kids version. I just might have to pick some up for the boys. I know they’ll be ecstatic…they like mouth rinse too.
My dude is 14 now and I can’t believe we are STILL having this same fight on a daily basis. What IS it with boys? Even his brothers weren’t this bad. I have literally exhausted every trick in my parental arsenal on this one. I think I’m going to get the Barbie version and tell him I’m going to make him use it and post a pic of it on FB for all his friends to see. I’m not afraid of a little public humiliation at this point! Hey, whatever works….
I have only one child and he’s a boy…Today, he is a 15 year old boy. It was ALWAYS an uphill battle getting him to brish his teeth, but all of a sudden in 7th grade the switch flipped!!! He started bathing willingly and brushing his teeth twice a day!!! I’m pretty sure a girl was involved because right around the same time half a bottle of my husband’s colgne disappeared in a week. The next hurdle was daily deordorant. That obstacle was conquered last year!! Boys are still gross!!!
Dudes are gross! My husband and I have worked on the whole mouth hygiene thing. We have a great dentist who encourages the boys to take care of their teeth in a fun way. My oldest uses the Phineas and Ferb Listerine product and loves it!
I’m here to attest that we cannot blame just dudes because my girls? Whoooo doggie. It ain’t just boys is all I’m saying.
I like the colors of the mouthwash. I think that’s why my girls like it/noticed it in the store. I once tried to give my oldest daughter some of my regular Listerine (I diluted it (some), HUSH!). That was funny. Pretty funny. I’m still giggling at how fast she spit, how high she hopped. Yes, I am evil. And still giggling.