Flossing is a sensitive bailiwick — its mere mention elicits pangs of guilty conscience and whiny excuse from alleged grown - ups across the country ( “ Iknowit ’s important , it just claim solong ” ) . So if dental professionals can get you to floss at all , it ’s generally considered a profits . “ [ Flossing is ] singularly the most important feature of cleaning our tooth , ” Dr. Larry KozektoldMorning Edition ’s Patti Neighmond on Monday ’s show . But your distinctive coppice , floss , rinse routine may not be the best for your tooth : Kozek advocate flossingbeforeyou skirmish .
Other dentists concur . The Massachusetts Dental Society ( MDS ) , for one , also recommends flossing before brushing . “ If you floss first , you excite up the particles and plaque that the soup-strainer can sweep away , ” the MDS explain [ PDF ] . “ The fluoride from your toothpaste is also more potential to reach the country between your teeth , where it can avail fight the bacteria that have cavity . ”
Dr. Edmond R. Hewlett , a spokesman for the American Dental Association , gave theNew York Timesanother reasonableness to floss before you sweep : You get the dreaded labor out of the way first . “ Let ’s confront human nature , if you ’re go to skip one , which one will you skip ? ” he state .
This order of operations is not a unanimous preference , however ( this is n’t a four - out - of - five - dentists - recommend billet ) . Dr. Philippe Hujoel , a professor of oral health sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle , tells theNew York Timesthat he advises his patients to sweep first . According to him , brushing fill your mouthpiece with fluoride ( from your toothpaste ) , which the dental floss can then aid push between your teeth .
Dr. Sebastian Ciancio , Chairman of the Department of Periodontics and Endodontics at the State University of New York at Buffalo gave a third popular opinion toTODAY.com : “ Whether you floss before brushing or after realise no departure on the efficaciousness . Flossing before you brush might give a sense of false [ shelter ] and you might not sweep as well . ”
So , kids , where does that leave us ? Floss once a day , whenever you like . But if flossing feels like a job , doing so before you sweep your tooth might amend your chance of sticking to the practice .
For more flossing and brush advice — including the most important things to take care for in a toothpaste — take heed to Neighmond’sfullMorning Editionsegment .
[ h / tNPR ’s Morning Edition ]
