Brushing or Flossing: Which Comes First

You may think you know enough about cleaning your teeth, but there’s so much you have to learn! Having a happy and healthy smile isn’t as simple as brushing after every meal—it takes having the right diet, the right lifestyle, and the right knowledge to keep your pearly whites shiny and strong.

Brushing Is Not Enough

Brushing your teeth alone is not going to maintain your healthy smile. Even if you brush for longer than three minutes or use more toothpaste, you still won’t be able to clean every part of your mouth. 

Brushing two to three times a day is good, but it can only do so much. Not only are there areas that the toothbrush cannot reach, but there are also too many factors and circumstances that can impact your oral health. 

Remember, white teeth don’t mean good oral health. What use are shiny teeth if you have swollen, bleeding gums? You will still need dental treatment for that! If you want to ensure that your teeth and gums stay in perfect condition for years, you have to visit your dentist regularly for checkups, cleaning, and upgrades to your oral hygiene routine.

Adding Flossing to Your At-Home Oral Regimen

Besides brushing your teeth, one of the essential habits everyone should practice is flossing. Most people regard brushing as necessary and flossing as optional. Contrary to popular belief, flossing is a necessary practice for the maintenance of oral health. Some of the benefits of regular flossing include:

Plaque Removal

Plaque is the transparent, sticky film that forms on and around your teeth when bacteria mix with starchy or sugary foods and drinks. When plaque lingers in your mouth for too long, the bacteria can create toxins that cause tooth decay and may weaken your teeth. Eventually, your teeth may chip or decay from constant exposure to these toxins. Unfortunately, there is neither replacing your adult teeth nor hiding damaged front teeth, so you would need a dentist to add composite fillings to your front teeth.

Flossing removes food particles between your teeth and the areas that your toothbrush can’t reach. This prevents any plaque buildup from forming.

Bad Breath Prevention

When you fail to remove food debris stuck between your teeth, it can cause an unpleasant odor as your pearly whites begin to decay. If you want to avoid having a smelly mouth, floss your teeth regularly to get those food particles out.

Gum Disease Risk Reduction

When you don’t take care of your teeth well enough, plaque can build up and cause inflammation and infection to the gums. 

While some gum diseases are easy to treat, others can be more difficult, causing extreme tooth decay and root canal issues. Flossing your teeth prevents plaque from building up, ensuring that your gums stay pink and healthy.

Just like brushing your teeth, flossing is a necessary part of your oral hygiene routine. Failing to floss can cause so much irreparable damage and pain that need a dentist to fix. You would need to find a professional that practices restorative dentistry near you.

Should You Brush or Floss First?

Over the years, there has been quite a bit of debate about which you should do first. However, unlike the chicken and egg dilemma, researchers have done many studies concluding that flossing first is the most effective way to maintain your clean, healthy smile.

Flossing first is ideal because it allows the fluoride from the toothpaste to be pushed between the teeth while flossing. Doing so can also significantly reduce plaque and increase the fluoride concentration between your teeth instead of brushing first.

Conclusion

Achieving the smile of your dreams takes effort! To have good oral health, you must do everything right, from your oral hygiene routine to the type of foods you eat. If you want to have a happy, healthy smile for years, make sure to be responsible and regularly visit your dentist.

Leave it to our expert dentists Southview Dentistry to handle all of your dental needs! Southview Dentistry, a top Charlotte dentist, is experienced, modern, and offers the most current dental treatments. Request an appointment today!