This is a partnered post.

As the granddaughter of a dentist, I’ve known the importance of good dental health from day one. My family taught me how important it was to take good care of my teeth by brushing and flossing thoroughly every single day and going to the dentist regularly. As a result of these good habits, I’ve had extremely healthy teeth my whole life – in fact, I didn’t get my first cavity until age 32! I feel lucky that my parents emphasized dental hygiene so much, because tooth decay is actually the most common childhood disease.

Because oral health is so crucial, February has been designated National Children’s Dental Health Month as a way of getting families actively involved with encouraging their children to build healthy habits. My family always did this by brushing teeth together and explaining to me from a very young age what we were doing, and why. Start early, and make it a game so that kids look forward to it!

Aside from taking the time to brush and floss, it’s also important to look at what you’re using. We all know that we should change out our toothbrushes at least every 3-4 months, and I honestly throw mine out even more frequently because I get grossed out easily. If my toothbrush happens to fall on the floor, or get stuffed in my purse while I’m traveling, I toss it in the garbage even if it’s brand new. And apparently I’m not being too finicky by doing this, because according to pediatric dentist Danielle Gilbert-Fowler, D.M.D:

You wouldn’t clean your child with a dirty washcloth. Why clean their teeth with a dirty toothbrush? It’s important to keep toothbrushes in a clean environment and separate from other family members’ toothbrushes.

As we all know, kids drop things everywhere without us noticing, and I feel so wasteful when I throw away brand new toothbrushes constantly. So what can we do instead? Enter the genius invention of Steripod!

Steripod is one of those “Why-didn’t-I-think-of-this” products. A clip-on protector that fits over any standard or electric toothbrush, it shields your toothbrush from dirt and keeps it fresh with a patented vapor shield of thymol, an ingredient used in many mouthwashes and oral antiseptics. It’s been specifically designed to let air circulate freely, so your toothbrush can dry naturally – I think this is important, as I’ve used toothbrushes that came with basic clip-on covers and they always seem to get really damp and yucky.

You can take Steripod anywhere you go – no batteries or cables are needed. Just clip it, and go! Steripod works for up to three months, so you can change it out at the same time as your toothbrush. No longer will I have to throw my money in the trash by tossing otherwise-good toothbrushes, because I can protect them with Steripod!

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, Steripod is offering a 10% discount and free shipping on orders of $19.99 or more through February 29th. Use the coupon code NCDHM during checkout at Shop.GetSteripod.com to claim. And be sure to follow Steripod on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and share why you want to join the Pod Squad with the hastag #GetYourPodOn for a chance to win a year’s supply of Steripod. There will be four winners selected in February, so start getting social!

We know that brushing teeth isn’t always the most exciting thing to do, so this year the American Dental Association have adopted a space theme for National Children’s Dental Health Month, encouraging kids not to go to the dark side in the Sugar Wars! You can can click here to download a free printable Sugar Wars activity sheet including coloring, word search, puzzles and crafts. And here’s a few of my tips for making dental health a little more fun:

Be a role model and brush your teeth at the same time as your kiddos.

Let them pick out their own toothbrush and choose what color Steripod they’d like. Pink is a big hit around here!

Do a fun family activity together after you visit the dentist to make it an event they look forward to, rather than dread.

Get even more tips & inspiration at MouthHealthy.org.

Enter To Win:

Two lucky MomStart readers will receive a year’s supply of Steripod for a family of four (16 Steripod), ARV $39.98!

To Enter:

Enter this giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway ends on February 29th, 2016 at 11:00 PM PST. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US, 18 years of age or older – sorry, no PO boxes. Please see widget for full details, and click here to read our giveaway rules.