Good dental hygiene comes with many benefits and taking care of your teeth, dentists say doesn’t necessarily mean that you are only striving at keeping off bad breath.
However, when it comes to flossing and brushing teeth, many don’t give much thought to the proper order. It's then recommended that from just doing both on a regular basis and in the right order, flossing before brushing your teeth is the way to go.
Pacific Nkusi, a dentist at King Faisal Hospital says good dental hygiene normally involves more than just brushing your teeth, noting that although brushing is the best way to clean your teeth, this alone isn’t enough to keep the teeth healthy as well as prevent gum diseases.
He says this is where flossing comes in, contributing to good dental hygiene because it lifts and removes plaque and food in between your teeth.
"It’s ideal to note that the bristles of a toothbrush can’t reach deep in between teeth to remove plaque and food debris. Flossing then becomes important as it helps keep the mouth as clean as possible.
Flossing before brushing; what is the rationale?
It’s recommended that because plaque is a primary cause of gum disease, it’s important to floss and brush each day. Plaque usually hardens on the teeth within 24 to 36 hours. If one flosses their teeth regularly, and then brush afterward, plaque usually will not harden on your teeth.
Christine Uwamwezi, president of Rwanda Dental Association working at Inkuru Nzinza Orthopedic Hospital in Gikondo, Kigali says when you floss and brush after, the brushing action removes dental plaque released particles from the mouth.
As a result, she says there’s less dental plaque in your mouth, thus one would have a lower risk of developing gum disease.
"The issue with brushing before flossing is that any food, plaque, and bacteria released by flossing from in between your teeth remains in your mouth until the next time you brush,” she says.
Also, she adds that the fluoride in your toothpaste is also better able to do its job in protecting your teeth when particles are removed first.
In addition to this, Uwamwezi says as mentioned above, flossing before brushing helps prevent gum diseases (mouth infection that destroys the soft tissue and bones that support your teeth), and gum diseases that occur when there are too many bacteria on the surface of the teeth.
Gum disease also called periodontal disease, gum disease occurs when there are too much bacteria on the surface of the teeth.
This, she says can happen as a result of poor dental hygiene which includes not brushing or flossing properly, and skipping routine dental cleanings.
After flossing and brushing, dentists advise that it's ideal to always remember to spit out any remaining toothpaste in your mouth.
However, one shouldn’t rinse their mouth. This likely comes as a surprise since many people have been conditioned to rinse out their mouths with water or mouthwash after brushing.
Nkusi says rinsing your mouth after brushing washes away fluoride, a mineral added to many dental products to help strengthen teeth. As a result, toothpaste isn’t as effective at preventing tooth decay.
How to do this
From different studies and research, it's advised that one best way of going about this is by flossing regularly.
It’s advised that one should always floss their teeth at least once a day, either in the morning or at night before bed.
To properly floss, break off about 12 to 18 inches of floss and wrap both ends around your fingers. Gently move the floss up and down the sides of each tooth to remove plaque, bacteria, and food debris.
Skip the toothpick.
Use floss instead of a toothpick to remove food stuck in between your teeth. Using a toothpick can damage your gums and lead to an infection.
Brush twice a day. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, for a full two minutes. Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle and gently move the brush back and forth over your teeth. Be sure to brush the inner and outer surfaces of all your teeth.