BRUSHING OR FLOSSING – WHICH SHOULD COME FIRST?
Posted on June 29, 2018 at 12:00 AM
Brushing and flossing regularly is the basic of any dental care regime. It is strongly recommended by dentists to floss daily for good oral health. But does it really matter which act you do first – brushing or flossing? Well, it depends on who you ask. The whole dental community seems to be divided between the 2 opinions – brushing before flossing & flossing before brushing. Here’s our take on what comes first and why.
Brushing first:
- Brushing your teeth first removes bulk of plaque leaving only those areas in between teeth where a brush can’t reach but a flosser can.
- Brushing before flossing also allows residual fluoride from the toothpaste to enter the gap between the teeth ensuring thorough cleansing and protection.
Flossing first:
- As opposed to the above argument, it is said that flossing first removes the plaque and debris out of the way, “opens” the area between the teeth and gum and allows the toothpaste and fluoride to enter the gaps easily.
- Flossing first also dislodges most of the plaque, tartar and remnant food from the teeth ensuring thorough & effective clean up while brushing.
- Some dentists recommend flossing first so as to ensure that you floss regularly alongside brushing and not skip it completely.
As per the Indian Dental Association (IDA), ‘Either way is acceptable as long as you do a thorough job.’ It doesn’t matter if you brush first or floss; there is no right or wrong answer here. Whichever way you prefer is the right way so long as you stick to the regime and remember to floss along with brushing your teeth.
Most of us either skip this act completely or do a bad job out of it. Here is the proof – according to Dr. Hujoel, a periodontist, “Self-flossing clinical trials have failed to show a benefit in the reduction of dental decay.” So perhaps the key to better oral health lies in flossing properly rather than flossing first or later.
Here lies our problem- most of us find manual or string floss quite cumbersome and inconvenient. So what is our option besides visiting dental professionals for a thorough clean up? Water Flossers! Water flossers are clinically proven to be 5 times more effective than traditional string floss to remove plaque and tartar build-up. That is not all; water flossers also improve gum health and reduce gingivitis.
Oral Care Solutions provides you with a range of family oral health products, including the compact & portable Smart Water Flosser & convenient Tabletop Water Flosser for advanced oral health care.