Brushing your teeth is important to keep your mouth clean, prevent tooth decay and avoid bad breath. Flossing is just as important for many of the same reasons – but should you floss before or after brushing?
Official position American Dental Association (ADA) is that it doesn’t matter. “Either way is acceptable as long as you do a thorough job,” says the ADA.
“Flossing goes deeper into your gums than a toothbrush alone and gets all the food debris where a toothbrush can’t, so really every order is effective.” Dr. Naomi Laneboard-certified pediatric dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, told Live Science.
Still, there’s an argument to be made for flossing first before you brush, Dr. Chavala Harrisdentist in Durham, North Carolina, told Live Science in an email.
Related: How does plaque cause cavities?
“Flossing before brushing will help remove any food debris and plaque build-up between the tooth surfaces,” Harris said. “Brushing after flossing will then remove any remaining food debris and plaque build-up on the front and back surfaces of the teeth.”
But it’s more of an educated guess than science-based advice, Lane noted.
“There haven’t been any studies looking at doing a different specific regimen, so we don’t have any science to prove that,” Lane said. “But when you think about it, [flossing before brushing] it makes sense that you take out the larger pieces of food first to get the toothpaste and then fluoride your toothpaste will make it a little easier to get into those crevices.”
Flossing is also good for the gums; can help remove plaque from the lower gum line and reduce gum soreness and the risk of developing gingivitisor gingivitis.
Is it better to floss in the morning or at night?
The ADA recommends brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. But is it better to floss in the morning or at night?
“Another one where it doesn’t matter — it can be done at any time of day,” Lane said. This is another situation where there is no scientifically based advice one way or the other. But in general, dentists recommend paying the most attention to your nighttime oral hygiene because there’s a long time between your last cleaning and waking up in the morning, she noted.
“At night our salivary glands reduce their performanceso your mouth is in a drier oral environment,” Lane explained. “So if there’s any leftover food left over at night, it might have … a higher risk of turning into some kind of decalcification or potential cavities.” “Decalcification” describes when minerals are lost , such as calcium, leave white spots on the teeth.
The most important thing is to create a routine that you can stick to consistently, she said. “If it works better in one particular individual’s schedule to do it in the middle of the day at noon … then by all means it’s efficient.”
And even though you may think your mouth is clean enough after brushing, you shouldn’t skip flossing. If you do, you’ll miss important places your toothbrush can’t reach; this can cause cavities that can lead to problems far beyond the mouth.
Of course, tooth decay can cause local problems in the mouth, such as pain, chewing problems, and infection. But “the overall goal of cavity prevention is to make sure that the byproducts of cavity bacteria don’t travel through the bloodstream and negatively affect other areas of the body,” Harris said.
So flossing is important for gum health and “for the health of the whole body,” not just the teeth and gums, Lane said.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice.
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