A few weeks ago I introduced you to the LISTERINE® Brand challenge. Alongside many other moms, I announced that I was going to jump on board the Listerine 21 Day Challenge and my family was going to do the same.

So, I bet you’re dying to know how it went, right?

From this experience, I learned a couple of things. For starters, I needed to get my kids to brush for as long as they should be brushing. So about halfway through the challenge, I implemented a timer that stood on top of the bathroom sink and the kids knew they couldn’t stop brushing until the sand reached the bottom of the timer. This was a trick our dentist recommended and it worked like a charm. You could also invest in some toothbrushes that play music and when the music stops, the child knows he/she is done brushing.

This challenge also made me more cognizant of how my kids brush their teeth. Timing it is one thing, but if they are not brushing using the proper technique, then this also becomes a real issue. The 21 Day Challenge helped us to become more aware of the kind of job our kids were doing when it came to brushing their teeth. It also gave me a great opportunity to give my kids (especially my four year-old) some helpful pointers along the way.

As for the products, they worked great. With my kids we used LISTERINE® Smart Rinse that comes in an adorable kid-friendly bottle. For my son, it had Phineas and Ferb on the front of the label and he didn’t complain that the rinse burned his mouth or that it was, as he calls it, “too hot.” However, my four year-old is too young to begin a mouthwash regimen but when she is old enough, Smart Rinse will be perfectly suited for her since they make a bottle with Barbie on the front.

My husband and I used the LISTERINE®ULTRACLEAN® twice a day. Being really strict and making sure we stayed up with this challenge, we notice a difference in how our teeth look and feel – which is super clean! In addition to the mouthwash, ensuring we kept up with the flossing habit also helped us to see the difference.

And remember, for every person who still signs up for the challenge on Facebook, the LISTERINE® Brand will make a contribution to help Oral Health America’s Smiles Across America® program toward their goal of connecting 210,000 children with needed oral health services in 2013.

Disclosure: I received products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE® 21 Day Challenge. I was also compensated for my participation in this program. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.