Floss or brush first?

August 3, 2006 8:28 PM

Should one floss before brushing, or brush before flossing?

Teeth, that is.

posted by R. Mutt to Health & Fitness (34 answers total)

I think the general advice is to floss before brushing...
posted by moxyberry at 8:32 PM on August 3, 2006

Floss first.
posted by evariste at 8:33 PM on August 3, 2006

i just asked my dentist that very question. he said if you brush back and forth, floss first. if you brush up and down, floss after brushing.
posted by brandz at 8:42 PM on August 3, 2006

I floss first...it makes flossing more satisfying for some reason.
posted by nickerbocker at 8:53 PM on August 3, 2006

The stuff that comes out from between my teeth when I floss tastes yucky. So I'd want to brush my teeth afterwards even if I'd brushed them before.
posted by winston at 9:02 PM on August 3, 2006

Brush afterwards, especially if you bleed at all during flossing.
posted by cellphone at 9:13 PM on August 3, 2006

Holy cow. I've been flossing wrong for 20 years.
posted by fshgrl at 9:14 PM on August 3, 2006

Me too.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 9:17 PM on August 3, 2006

Me three. On the other hand, I've never had a cavity and I'm 35.
posted by bingo at 9:18 PM on August 3, 2006

I suppose in a perfect world, you would brush -- and then floss -- and then brush once more.
posted by davidmsc at 9:23 PM on August 3, 2006

I floss before, and I had a big disagreement about this subject with a friend who flosses after. I still don't see why anyone would floss after (because it's better to get the stuff out and then brush it away, I said) and she doesn't see wht anyone would floss before (because it's better to brush away the big stuff and then get the little stuff brushing missed, she said).

In the end, it probably just matters that you do it.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2006 [1 favorite]

In davidmsc's perfect world, everybody would have receding gums and sensitive teeth from overbrushing :-)
posted by flabdablet at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2006

I agree with ThePinkSuperhero's friend, as that's the way I do it—brush first to get rid of the big stuff, then floss to get what's left.
posted by limeonaire at 9:28 PM on August 3, 2006

Brush then floss then listerine.
posted by sockpup at 9:31 PM on August 3, 2006

Floss, brush, scrape or brush tongue then listerine.
posted by kar120c at 9:45 PM on August 3, 2006

if i floss i do it before brushing, if i use the waterpick i do it after brushing. and on a sidenote.. i threw out my listerine after having a well trusted dentist tell me it only covers up bad breath but doesnt help treat it or germs. i dont know for sure, but i stopped getting canker sores after i stopped using it, so thats good enough for me.
posted by trishthedish at 9:47 PM on August 3, 2006

I'm glad you specified teeth, cause I thought you meant flossing in a different context.

Anyways, I always brush after flossing, the nasty stuff that comes out of your teeth needs to be washed away.
posted by gregschoen at 10:01 PM on August 3, 2006

brush floss brush.
posted by eebs at 10:15 PM on August 3, 2006

Wow. I brush, floss, then rinse with mouthwash.
posted by Joh at 11:23 PM on August 3, 2006

I floss, then brush, but that's mainly because I use a prescription toothpaste that has to stay on my teeth for at least a half hour. I'm probably gonna need orthopedic shoes at some point too...
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 4:39 AM on August 4, 2006

I brush floss rinse. No justification, that's just how I roll.
posted by muddgirl at 5:12 AM on August 4, 2006

The way I've had it explained (and this may be particular to my own dental peculiarities) is that flossing is less for cavity prevention and more for gum health. It can disrupt bacteria that brushing can't. So by brushing after you help get rid of the bacteria flossing stirred up. Of course, I do this and still have gum problems (but no cavities...).
posted by artifarce at 5:38 AM on August 4, 2006

I brush first, in order to get the major plaque out of the way, then floss to clean the gumline areas that my brushing missed. I feel like if I flossed first, the flossing would be overloaded with tooth goo and wouldn't be as effective at cleaning near the gums.

To get rid of the nasties that have been dislodged by flossing, I just rinse vigorously with water.
posted by tentacle at 5:49 AM on August 4, 2006

I like to get the big stuff out of my teeth with the floss first. Then the brush can do it's work more effectively with the toothpaste. If you leave the gunk in until after you floss then the toothpaste can't past the things stuck in your teeth. Not to mention all sorts of foodstuff transferred into the bristles of your toothbrush. Yuck.
posted by JJ86 at 6:06 AM on August 4, 2006

I am PinkSuperheores friend. And to get the taste out of my mouth after flossing, I rinse my mouth out with water. But I really hate flossing, so the less there is to get, the faster it goes is my thinking.
posted by dame at 6:39 AM on August 4, 2006

brandz: Your dentist told you that either brushing up and down or back and forth were *acceptable* brushing motions?
*Jazz Hands runs screaming "No, No No!*

One must brush in little circles, people, little circles! Brushing back and forth or up and down makes the bristles jump from high spot to high spot and never gets them nestled down and sweeping into the lower contours at the gumline.

I am completely psychotic about oral hygiene, but I don't sweat flossing before or after brushing, it's usually after because I pick up the brush first without thinking about it. Then I floss, scrape tongue and finish with Listerine.
posted by Jazz Hands at 7:05 AM on August 4, 2006

I should add that unless I actually have something in my teeth, chicken or popcorn etc, then I would have run not walked to the nearest place of privacy to floss that sucker out!

I floss people all day long and what really creeps me out? Watching someone floss, I can't do it. It is right there under watching someone fuss with contact lenses. *Shudder*

For some reason I can't do a linky-thingee, but here is a good diagram of proper brushing. Or the link might work now, it is hard to tell in preview.

http://www.dentistry.com/corner5.asp

posted by Jazz Hands at 7:11 AM on August 4, 2006

Jazz Hands - I read your *Jazz Hands runs screaming No! No! No! as you running away while doing jazz hands. It was quite amusing.
posted by bibbit at 7:44 AM on August 4, 2006

". . . flossing . . . can disrupt bacteria that brushing can't. So by brushing after you help get rid of the bacteria flossing stirred up. . . ."

Flossing does get what brushing can't. So that's why you should brush before flossing. Brushing after flossing just pushes the schmutz back between your teeth. Tentacle is right:

"I brush first, in order to get the major plaque out of the way, then floss to clean the gumline areas that my brushing missed. I feel like if I flossed first, the flossing would be overloaded with tooth goo and wouldn't be as effective at cleaning near the gums. To get rid of the nasties that have been dislodged by flossing, I just rinse vigorously with water."

Well, almost right. Rinse with mouthwash or hot salt water (1/2 tsp to 6 oz. water).

If you're really hardcore you'll rinse first (to help loosen the plaque), brush, floss, and rinse again.
posted by Dave 9 at 8:57 AM on August 4, 2006

I floss, then rinse with Plax, then brush.

I figure the flossing exposes all the surfaces of my teeth that may have been otherwise covered by whatever food particles were stuck in there. Then the Plax rinses it all away and primes my teeth for the toothpaste, then a nice bubbly brushing and my teeth are twinkling clean.
posted by bink at 10:33 AM on August 4, 2006

WebMD on effective tooth brushing and flossing. The site recommends "[b]rush[ing] after each meal, snack, and before you go to bed" & "floss[ing] at least once a day."
posted by NYCinephile at 2:36 PM on August 4, 2006

As long as you floss at least once a day I don't think it matters too much. but... If you want to be a perfectionist about it, as I think I am. Floss first. This gets rid of the big chunks and plaque allowing the brush bristles to get deeper under the gums and between the teeth.
posted by zgott300 at 4:37 PM on August 4, 2006

If there's something I can feel between my teeth, I'll floss first, rinse, then brush; I don't like getting food gunk in my toothbrush. Otherwise, I'll brush, then remember that I need to floss, so I floss afterward.

Several good points were raised here, especially the part about flossing loosening up crevices where the toothbrush can get into I think I'll start flossing before I brush all the time now.
posted by nakedsushi at 5:04 PM on August 4, 2006

Recent news from WebMD about the benefits of flossing.
posted by NYCinephile at 3:46 PM on August 9, 2006