Floss Before Brushing (alearningaday.blog)

What about rinsing your toothbrush as you brush? Is there a min number of times you should do so? Just can I just wash it out when i am done?

I guess this goes for water pickers use too

I stubbornly floss every day and every yearly checkup my dentist tells me it does not help and recommends me to stop doing it.

I'm surprised that this isn't self-evident. Flossing dislodges stuff from between your teeth. Brushing beforehand means you don't have an opportunity to remove that stuff.

I thought the ideal order was brush, floss, mouthwash.

Did they teach it the other way around somewhere? Here (Germany) I've been told floss before brush for as long as I can remember...

This is how I've always done it and I was blown away when I found out people do it backwards. It makes no logical sense.

I also rinse after flossing before brushing. Then I rinse again after brushing.

I also rinse throughout the day whenever I can. It's not a routine for me as much as a habit along with generally always having plenty of water to keep things moving and clean.

Is there empirical evidence that this order is more effective?

I mean, it's advice from someone on the internet, are there any studies to back it up?

Edit: I missed the study linked at the bottom.

I floss after brushing, just because brushing removes a lot of particles. If I floss before, there is just so much more flossing I need to do to get everything out. I learned another thing recently, to use a proper brushing technique, I think it's the modified Bass technique. I also make sure to let the bristles go underneath the gum line.

Might sound like an ad but I don’t care:

I cannot recommend enough Jordan Expand floss. There are probably other brands that have these but that’s just the one I know.

The amount of shit this floss scrapes out is like an order of magnitude more than regular floss. Going back to plain floss feels like you’re not even flossing, it just glides over without really doing anything.

While we're on the subject, if you brush after meals, you're doing it wrong.

Brush first thing in the morning (before your first meal/drink, other than water), and last thing at night (well after your last meal).

Plaque acid is at its lowest, so this approach results in the least damage to enamel from brushing. (Amongst other reasons.)

For a similar reason, only have a thorough brush in the morning, and a mild brush in the evening.

It so happens that this is what I was doing, which is good. However, for years I was brushing after eating my breakfast because I assumed it was the better way as then you aren't going about your day with your breakfast on your teeth. But when I looked into it I found that for a variety of reasons it is apparently better to brush before breakfast. So it was an important lesson in not assuming the "obvious" (to you) way is the best.

How do people here feel about water flossers?

Worth pointing out the evidence for flossing at all is pretty darn poor.

For anyone who's curious, Reach TotalCare Floss is the best:

   * Very shred-resistant
   * Grippy, even when wet, so you don't have to turn your fingertips purple
   * Thin enough to fit most teeth, but supposed to have some sort of textured surface to work better

On the subject of dental health: Bill Burr, the comedian, worked as a dental assistant when he was younger. He gave a piece of advice on his podcast that I wish I had heard when I was young: if a dentist tells you that you have a cavity, get a second opinion.

Once that outer layer of enamel is breached, it will never be as resilient again.