Brushing your teeth is important for keeping your mouth clean, preventing cavities, and preventing bad breath. Flossing is just as important for many of the same reasons, but should you floss before or after brushing?
The official position is American Dental Association The ADA’s argument is that either approach is acceptable: “As long as the job is done thoroughly, either approach is acceptable,” the ADA states.
“Flossing is effective in any order because it reaches deeper into the gums than a toothbrush alone and removes food particles that a toothbrush can’t reach.” Dr. Naomi Lanea board-certified pediatric dentist in Greensboro, North Carolina, told Live Science.
Still, there are arguments in favor of flossing before brushing. Dr. Chavala Harris“These findings suggest that the FDA has been unable to provide accurate information about the condition,” a dentist in Durham, North Carolina, told Live Science in an email.
Related: How does plaque cause tooth decay?
“Flossing before brushing helps remove food particles and plaque that have built up between the surfaces of your teeth,” says Harris. “Brushing after flossing helps remove all the food particles and plaque that have built up on the front and back of your teeth.”
But Lane noted that this is more of an educated guess than scientifically based advice.
“There’s no research to date that has looked at doing things in a different specific order, so there’s no science to prove it,” Lane said. “But if you think about it, [flossing before brushing] First, remove any large chunks of food so that you can reach the toothpaste, then Fluoride It helps the toothpaste ingredients reach those gaps a little better.”
Flossing is also good for your gums; It helps remove plaque from below the gum line, reducing the risk of gum pain and periodontal disease. Gingivitisor inflammation of the gums.
Is it better to floss in the morning or at night?
The ADA recommends brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day, but is it better to floss in the morning or at night?
“Again, it doesn’t matter; you can do it any time of the day,” says Lane. This is another situation where the science doesn’t advise one way or the other. But Lane notes that dentists generally recommend paying the most attention to your nighttime oral hygiene habits, since there’s a long time between your last brushing and waking up in the morning.
“At night, the salivary glands Reduce production“This creates a dry mouth environment,” Lane explains. “So if food particles are left on your teeth overnight, you’re at higher risk for demineralization and tooth decay.” Decalcification refers to the loss of minerals, such as calcium, that leave white specks on your teeth.
The most important thing, she says, is to create a habit you can stick to consistently: “If doing it during your lunch break works for a particular person’s schedule, then that’s definitely effective.”
Although your mouth may feel clean after brushing, don’t neglect to floss. Flossing can leave important areas that your toothbrush can’t reach, which can lead to cavities and other problems outside of your mouth.
Of course, tooth decay can cause localized problems in the mouth, like pain, chewing problems, and infections, but “the overall goal of cavity prevention is to stop those by-products from traveling through the bloodstream and causing damage to other parts of the body,” Harris says.
That’s why flossing is important not just for your teeth and gums, but for the health of your gum tissue and “your overall health,” Lane said.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice.
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