Your Vernon Invisalign® Provider
Before beginning your daily oral health care routine, you may have wondered, "Should I brush my teeth first, or should I floss first?" Our Vernon dentists hope to solve this conundrum in this post. The first step is to discuss the significance of brushing and flossing and what each practice does for us.
Reasons to Brush
The benefits of brushing one's teeth are self-evident; it is one of the first lessons in cleanliness that many children learn. We advise our patients to brush their teeth at least twice per day. Brushing our teeth cleans them and removes plaque and bacteria that can harm our oral health. Brushing, when done correctly, excels at cleaning the surfaces of our teeth as well as our gums.
Brushing twice a day helps by keeping teeth and gums clean, limiting the buildup of harmful bacteria and; ideally, preventing gum disease and tooth decay. This routine complements your regular visits to the dentist for dental cleanings and exams.
Reasons to Floss
Flossing is crucial because it keeps the parts of our mouth that brushing sometimes misses clean. The ideal result of flossing is to keep plaque and unwelcome bacteria from accumulating in the spaces between our teeth and below the gum line. In turn, flossing helps keep our mouths clean, which can result in fewer health issues and a better overall experience when it comes to maintaining good oral health.
We advise doing it at least once every day. We also advise leaving your floss in a prominent location to help you establish a permanent mental connection between brushing your teeth and flossing, which is important because oral hygiene care is largely about routine and habit. To make sure all of your teeth get the attention they need, wherever one comes to mind, the other should too.
Should you brush or floss first?
We recommend flossing before brushing your teeth. What is most important is that you always do both in accordance with your dental care routine.
We recommend flossing first because flossing can loosen bacteria and food debris on and between our teeth. Brushing can be more effective at removing food particles as a result of this.
Another advantage is if you use fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is a fluorine compound that works with another element or group to keep teeth clean. If you floss after brushing, the fluoride in your toothpaste is more likely to be removed, making it less effective.
When it comes to maintaining an excellent standard of oral health care, we should always strive to do our best, and sometimes small changes can have a significant impact on our dental care routines. One of those small changes could be choosing to brush after flossing. If you have previously flossed after brushing, we recommend doing the opposite and flossing before brushing.