Beautifully healthy smiles run my family. My sister and I have the same gorgeous, big grin.

My kids have the same wide smiles too.

And all of us hope to keep these beautiful healthy smiles.

Parents today know so much about good oral health and the importance of starting those healthy habits early.  I introduced my children to the dentist in their toddler years and shared the necessary tools for healthy for oral care habits.

As advised by our pediatric dentist, I’ve always brushed my children’s teeth until they turned ten years old. As much as my kids have hated me obsessing over their oral care, I gave them first dibs on brushing their teeth independently and then, it was Mommy’s turn to brush their teeth.

But there’s always been an added component to my overprotective parental periodontal care.  Ever since my kids were small, I’ve always sang the same silly toothbrush song (sung to the tune of Skip to My Lou) as part of our morning routine to instill a habit of brushing our teeth for about two minutes.

Top teeth!

Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush your top teeth, my darling.

Now the bottom!

Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush, brush
Brush your teeth.
Brush your bottom  teeth, my darling.

Now the tongue!

You get the idea. I’ve been singing this song for about 13 years now, since my oldest daughter first grew her stubby teeth and now, I’m sure each of my kids sings Mommy’s silly toothbrush song in their heads like a good oral health earworm. Of course, this toothbrush routine also added flossing and rinsing with mouthwash to build, beautifully healthy smiles.  After all, you’re never fully dressed without a HEALTHY smile.

Brushing your teeth alone misses 75% of your mouth, leaving millions of germs behind. Left untreated, these germs can lead to oral care issues such as plaque and gingivitis. I often tell my kids, “Your smile is your first impression. Your mouth says a lot about you and no one wants to talk to someone is bad breath.”

In fact, the health of your mouth has a surprising and substantial impact on how other people perceive you – from assumptions about your overall health and social life to opinions about your success in romantic relationships and even your career.

In a recent survey, LISTERINE® Brand and GFK’s unveiled some interesting insight to the general oral care and the social implications of poor oral health and oral disease.

• Close to 50% of American adults over the age of 30 suffer from gum disease. In adults 65 and over, prevalence rates increase to 70%.3
• Nearly all American adults over the age of 20 have had cavities at some point in their lives (91%) and one in four have untreated cavities (27%).2
• About half of all Americans aged 20–64 have lost a tooth due to oral disease.
• While more than 8 in 10 people think that they have a healthy mouth, the truth is that most Americans suffer from some form of oral disease.
• More than half of Americans believe that oral health issues can negatively impact one’s success in their relationships (52%), more than an unhealthy weight (33%) or bad skin (19%).
• More than 7 in 10 Americans consider bad breath to be a “deal breaker” in new relationships (76%), more so than spitting when talking (72%), chewing with an open mouth (62%), not offering to pay (59%) and texting in the middle of a meal (56%).nearly all Americans suffer from some form of oral disease.

This Tuesday, October 27 at 12:00 pm EST, join in an hour long conversation hosted The Motherhood and LISTERINE® to discuss the social impact of poor oral health and how to achieve optimal oral health habits.

Use your social for good! From October 1 – December 1, 2015, use #LISTERINE in all your social media posts and a $10 donation (up to $40,000) will be made to support the Oral Health America’s Fall for Smiles campaign to educate communities about the importance of proper oral care.

To save $1 on a variety of LISTERINE® products or learn more about the LISTERINE® Brand survey and Oral Health America’s Fall for Smiles campaign, click here.

Disclosure:  I received LISTERINE® Brand products from Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this LISTERINE® campaign. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.