Is it better to floss before or after brushing?

According to my dentist, as long as you brush and floss, the order you do them doesn't matter. I prefer flossing then brushing because flossing pulls stuff out from between my teeth and brushing then brushes that stuff away.

Before: that way when u brush your teeth, you get out all the extra stuff still trapped in your teeth

I've changed my mind on this. I now floss before brushing. By doing so I only have to rinse my mouth out once after brushing. Rather then twice as before.

Most likely before. I like to do it before and after brushing for a deep cleaning at least once a week. Remember to use a new clean piece of your floss for every cavity. Try to use the toothpicks only occasionally.

i think ans feel that it is better to floss before brushing your teeth because taking all the leftover foods from between your teeth and then brushing makes it for a super clean and shiny pearls

After. I brush to knock everything loose, then floss to get all the truly hard to reach bits, then rinse with mouthwash.

I say flossing before brushing because then you can brush away everything that came out from between your teeth when you were flossing! But the real trick is to remember to floss every night.

It is better to floss after brushing because that's the order the dentist tell you.

After you brush. I use a water flosser. It’s satisfying seeing everything you missed from brushing. End with mouth wash for a clean refreshing smile 😃.

I would say floss before brushing. That way you can get all of the plaque out before you brush….similar to how the dentist cleans your teeth

I chose before brushing, and the idea is to loosen things stuck between teeth that the brush bristles will fully extract

It probably doesn't matter. Brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste is the best-known method for preventing tooth decay. However, flossing probably does not help prevent tooth decay but does help resist gum inflammation (gingivitis). Gingivitis is the first step to most tooth loss. So, the order doesn't matter but both are important to prevent two different tooth related problems. I would do whichever is least pleasant first (flossing for me) and then the other.

I think that before is better. Flossing can dislodge food but not necessarily remove it entirely, so brushing afterwards is a good follow up.

After. As any food particles that you pull out from flossing can be brushed back into the gaps between teeth and gums by your toothbrush. By flossing second you have a better chance of completely removing said food particles.

I find it is better to floss before brushing. This way if you have any plaque, it won't leave a funny taste in your mouth. Be sure to swish and rinse after brushing!

As long as it gets done it doesn’t matter which way you do it. As a dentist, I’ve seen no studies that show either way is better. As long as you’re flossing correctly you’re going to get better gingival health. My personal preference is floss then brush.

I never thought of it I always just started flossing before brushing. I guess my thought was to loosen anything up and let the brushing take care of the rest. But thanks for posting something I never questioned before.

I prefer to floss first so if there is any remaining bits in my mouth, I remove them with brushing. Also, I feel it improves breath odor to brush after.

I instinctively think before the brushing with toothpaste. What I do is take a dry toothbrush and gently brush my teeth and gums. I follow with flossing, then I brush my teeth with toothpaste.

After. I think it's better when your teeth are clean to floss. I believe they clean teeth and floss last when cleaning my teeth. So, I think flossing after you brush your teeth is better.

Floss then brush.. Loose bits of food can then be brushed away and the brush will have better contact between the teeth when the flossing has cleared anything that was stuck there..

For me, before to dislodge anything and then sweep it away with the brush

Before, having removed part of the food that is partially stuck will allow for proper brushing of the contour of the tooth, thus eliminating more efficiently bacteria growth.

I have heard primarily that flossing is best after brushing. That is how I do it. The removal of the most of any surface debris helps the flossing be most effective. Rinsing with a salt water rinse after helps remove anything loosed by the floss, and is much less expensive than standard mouthwash!

I personally feel that it is better to floss after brushing. The brushing gets rid of all the stuff on the surface of your mouth and teeth while the flossing then gets out any of the left over stuff in between the teeth. Then swishing some mouthwash around makes sure there's no little remnants left and makes your mouth feel extra fresh!

I think it is but I change up my routine and do it before and after cleaning my teeth, depends on what I have eaten and if I rinse with mouthwash

It is better to flush before to remove any bits of food stuck between the teeth. Then when you brush after the toothpaste and the fluoride in it can reach all places and works its magic.
Remember, it’s to flush than not to. So even if you do it afterwards it’s good for your teeth.

The dentist told me it doesn't matter. They suggested I floss before brushing so I don't "forget", but I prefer to do it after and give my mouth ac good rinse. Feels cleaner that way to me.

It seems to me before brushing, because everything you ate will come from out of between your teeth and you brush and rinse afterwards anyway?

Before. You loosen plaque that then gets taken away by brushing. If you floss after you brush, you ruin all the work you just did and dirty it up again.

I like to floss before as I feel this helps loosen any food that may have gotten stuck between my teeth and then I am able to brush it all out

Its better to do so after. Youve cleaned out your mouth noe its just time to get that excess. It gets evrerything the brush dosent get.

It’s more important to do both than to do them in the correct order. But if you floss first, you will be able to brush more effectively.

I think flossing after brushing is better because you get the plague around your teeth off and then you go and floss between the teeth to get any remaining plague or “bad stuff” out

Before! That way anything that comes out from between your teeth can get washed away and toothpaste with fluoride and other anti-cavity ingredients can penetrate into the sides giving you a WAY better clean.

Before, that way when you brush your teeth, anything you flossed gets, well, brushed away. When I forget to floss first, I'll floss after then use mouth wash..

Most dentists don’t have a preference, just the fact that you’re doing both is the most important. Recent studies have shown that flossing before brushing seems to be more effective—but the bottom line is that doing both is key; the order is secondary.

I just read into it, and I think it's glossing first. I normally Floss after brushing, but will start reversing the order tonight. Apparently, if you Floss first, it helps the toothpaste have better contact with the surface area of the tooth.

Personally, I brush the majority of the crud away, floss the rest of it loose, then rinse the last of it away with a good mouthwash. I prefer something with fluoride (to protect and rebuild tooth enamel), but I sometimes use a regular mouthwash instead. That said, it would probably work just as well if I flossed then brushed then rinsed. To me, the most important parts are A. doing all three and B. rinsing last.

Before: harder to forget about it (recommended for the average person).
After: you get toothpaste between your teath.

I prefer flossing first for 2 reasons:
1. I floss while watching TV or reading bedsor bed and the flossing actually inspires me to do the rest of my running ritual. It's like a primer that ensures I brush and wash, etc.
2. I love the sensation of brushing all the floss debris away with toothpaste and water so I prefer to floss first. But I don't think it matters beyond preference.

Definitely after. Once you've brushed your teeth and they're clean you then use the floss to reach the gaps between your teeth that you didn't reach with your brush. You might technically push bacteria to the gaps with the brush if you'd do it the other way around. Unlikely, but still, first brush then floss

It is better to floss before brushing your teeth. The brushing will help disburse loose food particles from your teeth. If you floss after, the particles could remain in your mouth which could lead to dental problems.

Its better to floss after you brush. When you brush your teeth, it will take out extra stuff but sometimes some pieces of food are stuck where it wouldn’t be easy for brushes to take them out which can be done by flossing after brushing your teeth.

I prefer before because then my toothbrush can pick up anything I loosened with the floss. If I reverse the order, I at least make sure to rinse after I've flossed.

I don't know actually I haven't tried flossing before brushing but in my experience flossing after brushing is quite good 🙂

Before because the bits of food between your therth prevent the bristles making contact with the surface and joints of the teeth

I have never considered the importance of the order in which I floss. Idon't always floss before I brush my teeth but it probably would be best.

I like to floss after brushing. Let the brushing get the big stuff so the floss can do its work getting the little bits from between the teeth that will otherwise turn into tartar and plaque.
Do it every day, and you may soon find yourself flossing more frequently because you'll be more aware of the unwanted food bits between your teeth.

I floss before brushing. It feels like that loosens everything up then my electric toothbrush comes in and clears everything out. I also end with a swish of mouthwash.

I prefer to floss before brushing because I feel like my mouth gets cleaner overall than when I brush because I've already dislodged stuck food that my brush may or may not have gotten loose. Then when I spit/rinse at the very end, it feels the nicest.

I have dry mouth syndrome and have a lot of trouble with food getting stuck to and between my teeth. So I have kind of a hybrid routine. I use DENTEK® INTERDENTAL BRUSHES between my teeth before brushing to get out anything trapped between. I then brush for 2 minutes. After brushing I then floss and use a mouthwash for 1 minute. This routine leaves my mouth feeling fresh for the longest possible period of time and I get less food caught between teeth when eating.

Flossing is mostly there to break up the bacteria colonies in between your teeth. The toothbrush should come in after and get the bulk of it. Think of it like dusting before you vacuum.

Not sure which is better but I floss afterwards because that’s what they do at the dentist’s office. Then I use mouthwash last.

Before, because the toothpaste and act of tooth brushing let's you end on a fresh note after taking care of the "heavy" grime with flossing.

After, in my mind, I feel like you clean out possible missed plaque, where as brushing after could just push debris back in to the inbetweens of your teeth

I usually floss after brushing, and I do it at night. While I believe that’s generally what’s recommended by the ADA, I’d do some additional research.

I prefer to brush teeth first with normal brush and then with single tuft brush to precisely remove plaque. As I wear braces I use interdental brushes as well afterwards to clean the space around the wires. Then I floss with a dental thread and use mouthwash in the end.

I floss after brushing because the brush gets most of the obvious stuff off your teeth right away. Then I look at flossing as deep cleaning to get the nooks the brush misses.

My dentist suggests: flossing after brushing, to get at what was missed by the brush; then rinse with water if you feel the need.

Flossing after brushing has
Been better for me, brushing was a habit I already had so tacking that small task on with it is not being too difficult

My dentist recommended flossing first, so the toothpaste will reach the spots that would have been covered by plaque. Remove the plaque between your teeth with floss first, then brush.

I think before is better so you can get rid of anything you got out with the brush. Is also good to use mouthwash to sterilize it afterwards.

I prefer to floss before brushing. I do not think it matters in which order you brush or floss just so you do both

I believe it's much better to floss before brushing as you get into the cavities more and then you will be able to wash and rinse any debris from the day

Flossing removes plaque but it ends up on your teeth and gums, brushing will remove that instead of having it cling to your teeth.

I like to floss before and brush away the plaque and debris. If you floss after, just remember to rinse your mouth. Honestly, before or after shouldn't matter much, as long as you floss.

Before. When you floss, the food hiden between your teeth comes out, and then you brush your teeth to make clean them out. You you do the inverse, than the food hidden won't be cleaned.

I always floss after because I feel brushing pushes more between the teeth after it knocks plaque loose.

A dentist once told me that the simple fact that I'm doing it is all he cared about. He said it didn't matter either way and to do it whichever way I preferred. I usually floss first, then brush.

The short answer is that it doesn't matter as long as you're flossing. I prefer to floss before brushing. I feel like it loosens up the particles in between my teeth and then brushing brushes them away. The most important part is making sure you are flossing at least once a day, and doing so gently. No need to pull down or saw your way through your gums.

From everything I have read, it does not matter. All that matters is that you are brushing AND flossing.

Flossing before your brush your teeth is more beneficial. If you floss first, you are getting what is left behind with your toothbrush afterwards.

Flossing before brushing your teeth is seen by many to be more beneficial. The floss removes food particles and plaque that may be wedged in between teeth, making it easier for a tooth brush to brush away. It also allows for the fluoride in toothpaste to work its way into your gums after food particles are flossed out of the way. There really is nothing wrong with flossing after, the important thing to remember is to do both. Flossing is recommended twice a day, but dentists say once a day is better than not at all.

I always do it first. That way if I loosen anything up then it gets washed away when I brush. But I don’t think it really matters when you do it, as long as you do it. My dentist said before bed is best, that way you don’t have stuff sitting between your teeth over night.