Should You Floss Before or After Brushing? Here’s What You Should Know

We’re sure you’ve been to a dentist’s appointment where the dentist has a superhuman ability to tell if you flossed. Furthermore, flossing is a crucial part of a good oral hygiene routine that is often neglected. It is important to brush and floss regularly to prevent tooth decay, cavities, and gingivitis. You might not have considered this, but you should floss before or after brushing your teeth?

In this post, we’ll talk about how brushing and flossing keep your teeth and gums healthy. Additionally, we’ll see if flossing before or after brushing makes any difference at all.

Flossing: The Missing Link

The importance of flossing your teeth cannot be overstated. You keep food bits in your mouth when you eat. Your teeth gaps and gum spaces are among their favorite hiding spots. Just like the rest of the mouth, these spaces harbor bacteria, but that’s perfectly normal since some bacteria are beneficial for oral health.

When these bacteria have access to food, they start eating the debris and creating waste products. Plaque forms when bacteria accumulate in the mouth, a thin film of bacteria.

While brushing alone can effectively remove this film, there are still some places in your mouth that a toothbrush cannot reach.

You should also know:

Does it Matter if You Floss Before or After Brushing?

Yes, in a nutshell. Brush your teeth before flossing.

An order of this magnitude is significant. The brush’s mechanical action combines with the toothpaste’s detergent properties when you brush your teeth. Physically dislodging and removing debris and plaque film from your teeth is accomplished by both devices.

If you floss after brushing, the particles and films that you are dislodging from your teeth won’t have a place to go until the next time you brush. You continue to have them in contact with your teeth and gums inside your mouth. Thus, they can continue to cause periodontitis.

Therefore, floss before brushing is the best advice. By using floss, you will be able to dislodge debris in those hard-to-reach places, leaving them ready for your toothbrush and toothpaste to remove.

By flossing, brushing, and spitting, more particulates are eliminated. Brushing alone does not eliminate all particulates.

The Bottom Line: The Order Matters

So to answer the question: should you floss before or after brushing your teeth? A fresher feeling in your mouth can be achieved by flossing first and brushing afterwards.

References:

https://www.today.com/health/there-s-right-order-flossing-brushing-dentists-say-t230172

https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/floss-before-or-after-brushing

https://www.byte.com/community/resources/article/flossing-before-after-brushing/

https://www.oralb.co.uk/en-gb/oral-health/why-oral-b/why-floss/floss-or-brush-first

https://www.perio.org/consumer/brush-or-floss-first