Most people understand the importance of brushing their teeth and flossing. It can remove plaque, keep your teeth white, prevent cavities, and remove bacteria that can be detrimental to your dental health. After all, there's a reason dentists almost always know when you sit down in their chair if you have been flossing or not. But should you be flossing before or after brushing?
The when is not nearly important as the should. You should be flossing, because it is hugely important to your dental health. It can prevent plaque buildup and cavities between the teeth.
Likewise, how you floss — whether you use a dental floss pick or string floss — isn't nearly as important as whether you floss.
That being said, make sure that you floss with a tool designed for flossing, not just an unusual or, worse, unusual and unsanitary, flossing item. Flossing with your fingernails, cutlery, folded paper, or another item not designed for flossing can damage your teeth and cause infection.
Before answering the question, "Should you be flossing before or after brushing?", let's reiterate: floss. The timing matters less than whether or not you actually do it.
The timing is important, however. Studies have shown, and dentists have confirmed, that you should floss first and then brush your teeth. Specifically, flossing before brushing can remove more plaque between teeth than flossing after brushing. Furthermore, flossing before brushing can help to keep toothpaste fluoride between your teeth, thus making your teeth stronger.
Flossing before brushing shakes loose bacteria and the bits of food that get stuck between your teeth. Flossing first followed by brushing allows the toothpaste to better clean your teeth. So, brushing becomes more effective at keeping your teeth clean and preventing dental health issues.
However, flossing after brushing is better than not flossing at all. So, the answer to the question, "Should you be flossing before or after brushing?" is, floss before brushing if you want brushing to be most effective. But flossing is helpful to your dental health whether you floss before brushing or vice versa.
If possible, yes. Flossing and brushing together work in tandem. You floss to remove plaque buildup and other debris that has settled in between your teeth. Brushing can further remove them and help destroy the harmful bacteria that can cause gum disease and cavities.
However, you might not always have the time to both brush your teeth and floss. And you might not be able to floss after every meal. But this is not a big problem. Though dentists recommend that you floss and brush after every meal, you should at least floss once a day and brush your teeth at least twice a day.
It takes plaque at least 24 hours to build around your teeth. Flossing helps to prevent plaque whether you floss before or after you brush your teeth. Also, whether you floss first thing in the morning or before you go to bed is not important. The important thing is to floss and to do so using the right interdental cleaners as well as the right flossing technique. Interdental cleaners are cleaners that are specifically devised to completely clear the area between your teeth and gums, removing any debris and plaque. Two common types of interdental cleaners are dental floss and floss picks.
Though you should aim to floss as often as you brush your teeth, it's unrealistic to floss after every meal, especially if you like to enjoy several snacks throughout the day. But, ideally, you should floss after the main meals. Doing so can help to better protect your teeth and prevent dental health issues. If you cannot floss after meals, at a minimum, floss once a day. Studies have shown that it can reduce gum disease better than brushing your teeth alone.
Flossing as well as brushing regularly can keep your teeth healthy by preventing gum disease, cavities, and other dental issues.
Should you be flossing before or after brushing? Floss before brushing, whenever possible, to remove the food bits stuck between your teeth, so that brushing can be more effective. But remember that whether you floss before or after brushing matters less than whether you should floss and how often you should floss. It's always better to floss, regardless of whether you do it before or after brushing. Use the right technique and the right interdental cleaner, whether it's floss picks, string floss, or a water flosser.
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