Pareting in Two Minutes: National Brush Day
So, the trick-or-treaters earned their bags of candy, but unless you want them earning big ole’ cavities, too, make sure they know all about National Brush Day on November 1st.
It’s part of the Ad Council and The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, and Healthy Lives (a coalition of more than 35 leading dental health organizations).
Kids probably know they’re supposed to brush their teeth in the morning and before bed, but odds are they treat this like many other ‘obligations’ expected of them…they do it when they want to, or when you push for it to be done.
So, to help encourage them along, there’s now a special day of reminder: National Brush Day. The goal: reinforce the importance of children’s oral health and to promote good tooth-brushing habits recommended by dental experts. These days, it seems every holiday comes with a gift of some sort, so feel free to pick up a new toothbrush and some dental floss to help them celebrate.
I’m only half-joking about that.
Dental health is important stuff.
Get a load of this stat:
More than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental related illness, resulting in parents losing 25 million work hours annually.
And anyone who has had problems with their teeth will tell you cavities and oral infections can cause some serious pain. The experts say it actually can increase a child’s risk for dental issues and poor health throughout their lives.
Want another statistic?
3 in 4 parents say their kids sometimes or frequently forget to brush their teeth (based on a national survey just released by the Ad Council.
Want to change things for your kids?
Well, watch the new PSAs. They’re funny, but make a serious point.
[hana-code-insert name=’brush day’ /]
In all the things you’ll deal with as a parent, teaching the kids to brush for two minutes twice a day is minor.
You can find out more at the website 2min2x.org (which is available in English and Spanish, and includes a mobile version). Heck, you can even watch them while brushing your teeth. The kids, too.
