Listerine Smart Rinse Review

Do you or your child brush thoroughly enough? Listerine Smart Rinse shows whether any plaque is left behind. Using Listerine Smart Rinse as a part of your child's daily oral care routine will help develop the routine and structure necessary to instill the importance of proper brushing and flossing habits. Smart Rinse also has fluoride, which helps protect your child's teeth from tooth decay.​

• Post-brush mouth rinse for kids to protect teeth from cavities and clean the mouth beyond brushing alone
• Tints the particles brushing may leave behind
• Contains fluoride to provide extra cavity protection
• Kills germs that cause bad breath
• Not intended to help prevent or reduce plaque and gingivitis
• Available in several different flavors and character themes

• Encourages brushing
• Shows your child the plaque and food particles left behind after brushing so she learns how to brush more thoroughly
• Pre-measured cap for easy dispensing

• May stain clothing and/or other fabric
• Must avoid eating and drinking for 30 minutes after use

Listerine Smart Rinse is a post-brush mouth rinse that shows the particles of food and plaque that were left behind after brushing. Because this product is especially aimed at showing children how best to brush, a 5-year-old girl was enlisted to try the Mint Shield Smart Rinse.

The bottle of Smart Rinse is very user-friendly. The child was able to open and measure out the recommended 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) of the rinse. She carefully began to swish the rinse around her mouth. While she normally doesn't like strong minty flavors, she was able to continuously rinse for the required one minute.

Instead of letting the rinse go down the drain, the drain was closed to allow inspecting the rinse for the leftover particles. When she spits out the mint green rinse, bits of dark green (plaque and food particles) were scattered throughout. It's gross, but it helps reinforce the importance of healthy brushing habits and shows that brushing is completely ineffective if done improperly.

Following her initial use of Listerine Smart Rinse, she was enthusiastic in toothbrushing. She was very eager to use her own mouth rinse and demonstrated a level of independence new to her.

The only downside to Smart Rinse is that you can't eat or drink for at least 30 minutes after use. The girl doing the test likes to have a big drink of water after brushing her teeth. The first few uses were a struggle to avoid water, but with time she recognized that she needed to wait to have a drink.

A Word From Verywell

If you struggle to get your kids to brush their teeth and you wonder whether they are doing a thorough job, a product such as Listerine Smart Rinse can be a good way to make the task more interesting. When your child gets immediate, visible feedback on how well he is brushing, he is more likely to do better at it. You may also benefit from using such a product to see if you've been brushing right.