Do you floss then brush... or brush then floss?

[Top41]

I was hanging out with friends tonight and was surprised to find they floss after brushing. I always do it beforehand--what's the point of scrubbing your teeth clean if they still have stuff between them? Their counter-argument was that brushing is more general while flossing specific--hence brush first, then floss.

Which do you do?? And which is considered the "proper" order of operations?

 

[thestrangequark]

You really are passionate about dental hygiene! I brush first, then floss, then rinse. My grandfather was a dentist -- the head of the Seattle chapter of the ADA or something, and taught at the UW. I clean my teeth his way! Though I can't really see that it would make too much of a difference which order you brush and floss in, so long as you're brushing and flossing.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Garibaldi: You want to talk mouthwash?
Sinclair: I'm not having this conversation.

 

[RoJoHen]

Brush, floss, rinse. It's how my dentist told me to do it.

 

[JonathonWally]

Brush, floss, rinse, brush again.

 

[Yoda]

WTF, I'm with Top41 on this one? Floss, to get the shit from between your teeth, all the nasty chunks and what not... then brush to clean, and optionally top it off with some mouthwash. What sense does it make to brush little chunks of food before spitting em out? Is there something I'm missing?

I wouldn't even think to ask the question in the same way I would never ask "Do you take a shit and wipe your ass, or do you wipe your ass first and then take a shit?"

The only think I can think of is that the phrase "brush and floss" is both in alphabetical order, and rolls off the tongue a bit better... if there's any actual dental logic to that order I'd love to hear it and reconsider my position.

Brush, floss, rinse, brush again.

Since you threw rinse in as a step, I have to ask... are you sure it's not brush, rinse, floss, rinse, brush again, rinse?

 

[mimic]

Brush, floss, rinse. Can't say that I ever put thought into the process - my teeth feel clean afterward and I've never gotten a cavity, so...

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Floss, brush, floss, then mouthwash. Leaves my teeth squeaky.

 

[Mr Light]

I don't floss, just brush. Where's that option?

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

Floss before brushing.

 

[Holdfast]

I don't floss, just brush. Where's that option?

+1

No fillings & no gum problems either. Flossing has always struck me as a tremendous waste of time, effort & money. Same for mouthwash. I just can't be bothered. A good brushing's always been enough for me.

 

[RogerWaters]

Brush, floss, drybrush, rinse & mouthwash. That's what my dentist told me to do.

 

[Starbreaker]

I didn't know anybody flossed before brushing. I like for my teeth to feel clean before I start nitpicking.

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't floss, just brush. Where's that option?

+1

No fillings & no gum problems either. Flossing has always struck me as a tremendous waste of time, effort & money. Same for mouthwash. I just can't be bothered. A good brushing's always been enough for me.

My gums tend to bleed when I don't floss regularly.

 

[Mr. B]

I floss first... I think I'd have to brush twice if I didn't.

 

[Aurian]

I brush, and floss, and then brush again.

 

[auntiehill]

Brush, floss, rinse and then mouthwash. Works pretty well, I think.

 

[Top41]

WTF, I'm with Top41 on this one? Floss, to get the shit from between your teeth, all the nasty chunks and what not... then brush to clean, and optionally top it off with some mouthwash. What sense does it make to brush little chunks of food before spitting em out? Is there something I'm missing?

My thoughts exactly! I can't imagine brushing without flossing first... all those little chunks of food still between my teeth. :/

I wouldn't even think to ask the question in the same way I would never ask "Do you take a shit and wipe your ass, or do you wipe your ass first and then take a shit?"

Me neither, before tonight. I'm surprised so many are saying they do the reverse--I admit, I've never even thought to do it that way, and it seems like the majority do!

As for those of you who don't floss... How do you live life without the joys of flossing??? I love to floss.

 

[Captain Ice]

I brush, floss, and then rinse. To me it sounds a bit odd to floss first because I'd be removing the food particles from between the teeth, only to put them back right away with the brush. Though I admit that if you were to rinse in between it wuld work just as well.

Another question - when you brush, how long do you spend actually brushing? Per my dentists recommendation, a couple of years ago I bought a Sonicare toothbrush. The one I bought has a timer on it that automatically shuts it off after two minutes, which I found out is the amount of time you should be actively brushing.

 

[Daneel]

I didn't know anybody flossed before brushing. I like for my teeth to feel clean before I start nitpicking.

Ditto. I can't imagine flossing before brushing; it just seems less messy to floss after my mouth is already mostly clean.

As for mouthwash, eh, I only use that every so often, and as for whether or not I use it before or after brushing, I defer to the instructions of the bottle (the one I have now says to use it before).

I must be doing something right -- I haven't gotten a cavity yet!