How to Get Kids to Floss Their Teeth

If there is one thing I hate more than anything it is flossing. My former dentist used to say “you only need to floss the one's you want to keep” I assume he thought that was funny, me not so much. We all know brushing is not enough but some days I am doing good to just get that done.

We are self employed and so our Dental comes straight out of our pocket because it is too costly as a small business to have Dental Insurance. This means that we have to be very careful with our teeth. Not so advantageous when you hate to floss! I was also really lucky to have inherited my mom's bad teeth so I wanted something that would improve my odds. I have been looking at sonic toothbrushes which are 159 times more effective than regular tooth brushes.

Did you also know that Flossing regularly actually improves life expectancy since it decreases your likelihood of gum and heart disease. I guess I should pay attention to that since I am now 43 29 again. Recently I received a new Water Flosser from Waterpik with a sonic toothbrush all in one and got one for the kids as well. I thought this might be the answer to our prayers! I have had Waterpik's in the past but the thing I love most about my new water flosser is that it comes with a few different tips to use and it has a cover over the water reservoir so if you don't use all the water nothing can get into it. It's all right there together a superior combination of flossing and brushing how can I go wrong.

My Mom is like me, and likes to share things she knows or has recently heard, when I got my new water flosser I remembered her telling me that her dentist recommended she use 1/2 water and 1/2 mouth wash in it. So I gave it a try. It was amazing after just a few days how much better my mouth felt. I did not get bad breath as quickly and my mouth felt much cleaner. The real test came when I ate popcorn and saw the kernals come out from between my teeth after I had already brushed. I am now totally sold and am so glad I have an alternative to regular dental floss.

Now the fun part was the water flosser we got for the boys.

It looks like this with cute decals they can decorate with.

Garrett was at school so Matthew got to Decorate it. The funnest part was trying to teach Matthew to keep the flosser in his mouth while he turns it on an off. Let just say he and I both got sprayed a few times, as well as the mirror, the counter…you get the picture. I was a little hesitant as to how he would react to the power on this. I can remember using them and having it feel like I was using a pressure washer on my teeth. Having a child with oral sensitives from Sensory Integration Disorder makes me always cautious about these things. I was wrong to be hesitant Matthew and Garrett both love it. Garrett is an 8 year old boy lets say any hygiene is not top priority. Brushing his teeth every day is always a battle between he and I. Having this as well makes me feel like I have a better chance to have less cavities.

I did have to inform Matthew that he still had to brush his teeth as he was ready to just use the water flosser. It's up to 1000 times better than flossing and a lot more fun! It was easier for him to use a cup and just fill the reservoir instead of pulling the cup off. Matthew just turned 4 so I was hesitant that my bathroom would not be the same however after just a few tries he totally go the hang of it and now is a pro.

Ok yea I admit this was a total poser picture but I think he likes it what do you think? If your kids are bad tooth brusher's or flossers Run Go Get One Now! Now I got my Waterpik for free to try and the opinions here are my own but you can just “Like” Waterpik on Facebook and Get a $10 Savings coupon for a Kids Water Flosser or go to Waterpik's new site and get $10 off the adult Complete Care System

Happy Flossing!

Comments

Tutus & Tea Part says

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How cool! My daughter is a pain with brushing to even consider telling her to floss too. I'll have to look into this! Thank you for sharing at our Pinteresting Party!

Cheerios and Lattes says

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I love it! Thank you so much for posting on Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you'll be back this week to link up some more great ideas! Have a great rest of the week!-Mackenziehttp://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

Crystelle says

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Your little boy looks so excited about his waterpik flossing! How nice it is to have clean teeth....!!!

Danielle @ 2 Little says

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Thanks so much, I had no idea they made these for kids. I can't even get my kids to brush their teeth let alone floss!

Kim @ Too Much Time says

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I imagine a fun mess till they get the hang of it, but it is so fun that they will totally floss all the time!xxxKim

Celeste Winchell says

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I love this! As a dental assistant and aunt, I'm always expressing the importance to my sister about having her kids floss. I'll share this with her :)

Helen - And Who Says says

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Hi Kelley, thanks for sharing! I have serious trouble getting my little man to floss. Also, thanks for the comment, I've posted about the feature tomorrow, im very excited! First time.....;-)

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