I know that I haven’t always taken the best care of my mouth and teeth, especially when I was younger. But clearly, oral health is important for today and for the future. I knew something had to change in my routine, but what?
When I started working on the LISTERINE® team and learning more about oral health, I heard some pretty alarming facts: Nearly half of American adults suffer from some form of gum disease and many don’t even know that they have it, and oral disease is now the #1 chronic childhood illness in the U.S. I didn’t want to fall into that camp and certainly didn’t want my son to be affected.
I wanted my family to work on their oral health as well, so together, we decided to take the LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge! I enlisted my husband, John and seven-year old son, Will, to start rinsing.
At first, they were skeptical – does rinsing really matter? Schedules are already so busy; it felt like there was no time for another thing to do. Especially with Will, brushing is a challenge as it is. He wasn’t so sure about rinsing. But persistence pays off. After a few tries, Will got the hang of it. He likes the flavor and always smiles in the mirror to see how good his teeth look after he rinses. Getting others to start a new routine, particularly kids, can be tough, but now they don’t miss a day. And if I forget, my son reminds me!
Everyone is pressed for time but this is an easy thing to do for yourself and for your family. You can also help children in need gain access to oral care. Through school-based or school-linked settings, Oral Health America’s Smiles Across America® program reaches children who don’t have regular dental visits due to lack of resources, insurance, transportation, or because of low literacy or language barriers. Take a “Swish Selfie” and post it to the LISTERINE® Brand Facebook page and the brand will make a $5.00donation (up to $64,000) to Smiles Across America® to help children in need gain access to dental care.
Happy rinsing!
Nancy lives in New Jersey with her husband John, son Will and family dog Potter. She has worked for Johnson & Johnson in Global Strategic Insights for the last nine years and worked across personal care products. In her free time, she and her family enjoy hiking, gardening, and sports.