Medical Insider–Dr Rhoda entero
All that we need to know about Flossing
(Part 1)
What is meant by flossing your teeth? What is its difference from brushing your teeth? This is a new topic that we are going to discuss today.
Dental hygiene is so important that common sense itself will compel you to keep at it. There is no need for us to tell you what to do because the consequences of bad hygiene can become apparent as soon as you have your first meal of the day (such as halitosis).
Teeth maintenance and oral hygiene don’t only fight halitosis (bad breath). It also prevents issues such as gingivitis (gum disease), cavities (dental caries), and ensures your teeth are pearly white.
With that in mind, what’s the best way to clean your teeth? Do you floss first then brush your teeth afterwards? Or should you brush first then floss what’s left of the food remnants?
Brushing and Flossing
Brushing your teeth is just part of what constitutes good dental hygiene. It’s also better than nothing, but you can also do better than just brushing.
Brushing is excellent when it comes to cleaning your teeth, plaque removal, and cavities prevention. However, it has certain limits that are covered by tooth flossing when it comes to preventing gingivitis or gum disease and overall teeth health.
Brushing can also remove food debris and plaque, but brush bristles can’t reach deep into the interdental spaces to remove every last bit.
Flossing before brushing ensures better dental hygiene because it lifts and removes plaque when used properly. Ditto when it comes to picking out stubborn food bits stuck between your teeth.
Flossing keeps your mouth as clean as possible, especially when it’s done properly before brushing, with brushing removing the rest of what you missed.
Should you floss before or after brushing your teeth? This is our topic next week. (To be continued)