Kid-Friendly Guide to Rinsing

When kids come into contact with candy, cookies and sugary foods, start them early on oral care habits by explaining the link between sugary foods and mouth health. Encourage healthy habits like brushing, flossing and rinsing. If you get them to form good oral habits, like rinsing twice a day (instead of getting them to quit sweets completely) that’s a win. Remember to reinforce that hard brushing can harm teeth and try brushing together to emphasize that the motion should be gentle, not forceful, and that rinsing gets the whole mouth clean, along with brushing and flossing. And feel great about introducing your child to LISTERINE^® mouthwash!

Mouthwash Routine for Kids Aged 12 ond older

1. Squeeze 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of LISTERINE SMART RINSE mouth rinse (with your child's favorite character, from Barbie and Avengers to Disney Frozen) into the bottle opening.

2. Guide your child to empty the solution into his or her mouth. Do not dilute the solution.

3. Guide your child to swish for a full 60 seconds to thoroughly rinse the mouth (try counting to 60 aloud while they swish, or making it a game by using a stopwatch or singing a song), and then lead your child to swish.

4. Award a gold star sticker or other kid-appropriate reward to your child for being a clean-mouth all-star.

TIP: Teach your child that after completing a twice-daily healthy-mouth routine, it's important to refrain from eating and drinking for 30 minutes. Learning this tip early can put them ahead of the oral health game.

Maintain Overall Mouth Health

Remember that a full rinse routine also includes brushing and flossing.

Take the Three-Part Approach

Remember that as effective as antiseptic mouthwash is, it is still a supplemental part of a comprehensive healthy-mouth regimen that includes brushing with fluoride toothpaste and flossing. That’s because brushing alone is not enough…it only cleans 25% of the mouth. To get your whole mouth clean, you also need to rinse with LISTERINE^® Antiseptic Mouthwash.