Should You Floss Your Teeth Before or After Brushing?

How Often Should You Floss?

It’s American Dental Association recommends that you floss daily. Regularly flossing your teeth helps keep them healthy. When you floss between your teeth, you remove plaque and food particles from places traditional brushing can’t reach. This keeps your gums healthy and prevents gum disease and tooth decay from occurring in those hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.

The ADA also recommends brushing before bedtime since it can help dislodge food particles stuck between two or more teeth during the day. Brushing before bed also helps reduce morning breath.

Floss before or after brushing? Which is Better?

Both times can work. According to the ADA, it does not matter when you do it as long as you do it daily.

Plaque builds when you eat or drink. The plaque can harden and turn into tartar, making it hard to remove, and flossing before brushing removes food particles from between your teeth. This allows for a deeper cleaning, preventing cavities and gum disease.

If you brush first, you’ll remove some plaque, but there will still be plaque left between your teeth. Flossing will help remove that plaque. Either way, you’re taking care of your teeth.

It’s important to note that flossing after brushing can also be problematic. Using too much pressure when flossing can damage the gums around your teeth—or even cause bleeding, which can result in inflammation of the gums (gingivitis).

What Happens When you Don’t Floss?

When you don’t floss, plaque and bacteria can build up in your mouth. Plaques can harden to calculus or tartar, which increases the risk of gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath. You will need to visit a dentist in 89183 to have the tartar removed professionally,

Tips to Help You Floss Right Every Time

• Use a floss threader. This tool helps guide the floss under your gums and between your teeth. The threader is handy for people with braces or dentures, as it can make flossing easier and more comfortable. If you have difficulty reaching certain areas of your mouth, use a pre-threaded dental flosser instead of regular dental floss (and never use a regular string).
• Use just enough pressure to feel the resistance of plaque on your tooth surface when flossing (don’t force it!).
• Floss before you brush. It’s best if you can do both at the same time, but if that’s not possible, floss first, then brush afterward (but don’t use mouthwash)
• Keep the right length of floss on hand at all times. You should be able to wrap the end around two fingers and still have a few inches left over.
• Floss once a day, especially after meals or at night before bedtime.
• Make sure you rinse with mouthwash afterward!
• Use an S-pattern. The best way to floss effectively is to move the dental floss gently up and down in an S-shaped pattern. This helps remove plaque between teeth, which can become hard and cause cavities if left alone for too long.
• Get a mirror (or visualize where things are). Using a mirror when you clean between your teeth can help ensure that all surfaces get cleaned properly; sometimes, we miss spots when we need clear visibility!

Other Oral Care Tips for a Healthy Mouth

A healthy mouth is important for one’s overall health. A healthy mouth helps to prevent many illnesses and conditions. The following are some oral care tips for a healthy mouth:

• Keep hydrated and avoid sugary drinks, like soda or fruit juice, which can cause tooth decay.
• Visit a dental clinic in Las Vegas every six months for assessment and cleaning.
• Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco. Nicotine can stain the teeth and also affect your gums.
• Eat crunchy, raw vegetables like celery or carrots instead of chips, crackers, or cookies to help clean your teeth as you eat.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit Modern Dental Care for more information about flossing and brushing techniques.