Stop Flossing After Brushing Your Teeth
Switching up our daily habits can be challenging. Especially if we’ve been doing something a certain way for years. For instance, there’s advice that you shouldn’t rinse your teeth with water after brushing. And now another new dental hygiene tip that’s circulating across TikTok says you should floss your teeth before you brush them. Here’s what the American Dental Association says about when to floss, and why some believe flossing first is better. For more, here’s whether you should brush your teeth before or after breakfast.
What’s the reason for flossing first?
A small 2018 study of two test groups showed flossing before brushing reduced whole plaque significantly more compared with those who brushed before flossing. Fluoride concentrations were also much higher in those who flossed first. But there wasn’t a significant difference in marginal plaque between the two groups.
Flossing helps to loosen plaque and stuck food residue between teeth to help prevent tartar buildup. Sensodyne says that flossing before you brush can result in more particles getting flushed out from those hard-to-reach spaces between the teeth, while also retaining more fluoride.
What if you’ve been flossing after you brush your teeth?
If you were taught to floss your teeth after you brush, don’t fret. As long as you floss once per day, you’re already one step ahead. It also doesn’t matter what time of day you floss. For instance, if you’d rather floss in the morning instead of the evening, you can. As long as you do a thorough job, it doesn’t matter when you floss. The bottom line? Just make sure you’re flossing once a day for your tooth and gum health. But if you really want to kick up your dental hygiene a few notches, try to floss beforehand.