What is the most effective sequence for your oral hygiene routine? Recent research suggests flossing before brushing your teeth is the way to go. This approach is superior for eliminating dental plaque on tooth surfaces and boosts the fluoride concentration in your mouth. Flossing before brushing helps strengthen your tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay.
A straightforward two-step dental care routine can wipe out plaque and fortify teeth. And remember, your journey to optimal oral health is a partnership beyond the dental chair.
The Importance of Flossing with Orthodontics
You might wonder if flossing makes a difference during your orthodontic treatment. The answer is yes!
A disciplined oral care routine is necessary to avoid other dental problems. Orthodontic appliances don’t damage the teeth but can create nooks and crannies that are challenging to clean. These tricky spots can accumulate plaque and food, leading to permanent white marks (decalcification), cavities, swollen gums, bad breath, and even periodontal disease.
Flossing plays a vital role in maintaining the health of your teeth and gums, and it’s even more critical when you have orthodontic appliances.
- Target Hidden Areas: Braces, aligners, and other orthodontic appliances often create numerous small spaces that are difficult to clean with a toothbrush alone. Flossing can reach these secluded spots, minimizing the risk of plaque buildup.
- Prevent Gum Disease: Accumulated plaque between teeth and along the gumline can lead to gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Regular flossing helps reduce plaque accumulation and prevent this condition early.
- Preserve Tooth Enamel: Plaque and tartar can erode the enamel of your teeth. Flossing contributes to enamel preservation by eliminating this plaque and its harmful hidden particles and bacteria.
- Reduce Bad Breath: Food particles caught in orthodontic appliances can cause persistent bad breath. Flossing aids in removing these particles, thus helping to keep your breath fresh.
- Protect Overall Oral Health: Poor oral hygiene can lead to cavities, mouth sores, and even more severe conditions like periodontal disease. Consistent flossing complements brushing to provide thorough oral care.
Tips for Becoming an Active Participant in Your Oral Health
Maintaining a healthy smile while undergoing orthodontic treatment is a collaborative effort. It involves you, your dentist, and your orthodontist. Your responsibilities include:
- Brushing for two minutes after each meal or snack. Can’t brush right away? Rinse your mouth with water as a temporary measure.
- Prioritizing flossing at least once daily, optimally, before brushing.
- Ensuring your teeth are squeaky clean before going to sleep.
- Getting regular dental check-ups every 4-6 months for cleanings and assessments.
- Avoiding sugary foods and beverages that can lead to tooth decay and decalcification.
Top Tools and Tips for Oral Care
Navigating the maze of oral hygiene can be challenging when wearing braces or other orthodontic appliances. While instrumental in aligning your teeth, these devices also create additional areas in your mouth that can trap food and bacteria. The key to maintaining optimal oral health lies in regular cleaning and using the right tools for effective cleaning. Knowing what’s available can significantly enhance your daily oral care routine, making it more accessible, more efficient, and, ultimately, more effective.
Many tools are available to enhance oral hygiene, from brushes designed to reach tight spaces to water irrigators that flush out debris. Here’s a roundup of indispensable tools that can up your oral hygiene game and some pro tips from orthodontists to get the most out of them.
- Interproximal Brushes: These specialized brushes are fantastic for removing plaque and food particles between teeth and around brackets and wires.
- Water Flossers: These devices use water pressure to clean between teeth and around orthodontic devices, making them highly efficient at removing trapped particles.
- Fluoride Mouth Rinse: Whether you opt for over-the-counter or prescription strength, a daily fluoride rinse can help strengthen tooth enamel and ward off decalcification.
- Floss Threaders: These are essential for threading floss through the spaces between teeth and wires, enabling you to clean hard-to-reach areas.
- Orthodontic Flossers: These flossers are explicitly designed to navigate around wires and brackets, thereby making the flossing process more accessible and effective.
- Rubber-Tipped Gum Stimulators: These tools can gently massage the gums, stimulating blood flow.
Your orthodontist may recommend specific techniques, like dipping an interproximal brush into a fluoride rinse for targeted protection or using a fluoride rinse as the liquid in your water irrigator, to make your oral care regimen even more effective. You can even ask your general dentist about using a prescription toothpaste to help fortify your teeth while in treatment!
Why Trust an AAO-Certified Orthodontist?
Consider partnering with an American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) orthodontist to attain a stunning, healthy smile at any age. AAO orthodontists specialize in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, ensuring your teeth and jaws are correctly aligned. They bring a wealth of skill and experience to help you achieve your best smile. To find an AAO-certified orthodontist near you, visit aaoinfo.org/locator.
FAQs
Recent research suggests flossing before brushing your teeth is the way to go. This approach is superior for eliminating dental plaque on tooth surfaces and boosts the fluoride concentration in your mouth. Flossing before brushing helps strengthen your tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay.
Which comes first, flossing or brushing? ›
While it may be surprising, a study has found that flossing first followed by brushing with a fluoride toothpaste is more effective in removing interdental plaque than brushing first, flossing second. In addition, flossing before brushing results in greater fluoride retention between teeth.
Does the ADA recommend brushing or flossing first? ›
Should I brush or floss first? Either way is acceptable as long as you do a thorough job. Some people like to floss before brushing to better ensure that any material between teeth is swept out of the mouth. Others prefer to first clean their mouth by brushing before working with floss between their teeth.
What is the correct order for oral hygiene tasks? ›
Flossing, Brushing Then Mouthwash
If you floss first, you're more likely to give it the attention and time it deserves. It's general human nature to spend the most time on the first task, and focusing on floss is important, but remember you'll need to brush afterward for three minutes as well.
Do you floss or brush first with braces? ›
You may be wondering if it matters whether you brush or floss first when you have braces. According to recent studies, it does. Research shows that flossing first could be the most efficient method for removing dental plaque by helping to increase the fluoride concentration that is delivered from the toothpaste.
Can you just floss and not brush? ›
According to the dentist in Sugar Land, TX, brushing, and flossing both are important for your dental health. However, if you have to choose one, flossing is more important and sufficient if done properly. The aim of flossing is to remove the plaque, which consists of active colonies of destructive bacteria.
How to properly brush and floss? ›
Hold your toothbrush at a slight angle against your teeth and brush with short back-and-forth motions. Brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of your teeth, as well as your tongue. Floss your teeth one at a time, rubbing the floss against the side of the tooth in an up-and-down motion.
What is the correct order of flossing brush and mouthwash? ›
While the exact order of your 3-step oral hygiene routine isn't as clear cut as you may like, Listerine recommends brushing, flossing, and then rinsing with mouthwash.
Can you floss after brushing your teeth? ›
So, should you brush or floss first? The short answer is that it's entirely up you! As long as you continue to pair flossing and brushing as part of your daily oral hygiene routine, you're still getting the thorough clean your mouth needs to keep your teeth strong and gums in good condition.
What is the ADA approved brushing technique? ›
In general, the American Dental Association suggests that people place the toothbrush against the gumline at a 45-degree angle to remove plaque from above and just below the gingival margin, and move the toothbrush gently back and forth in short strokes.
Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Clean between your teeth daily using floss or interdental brushes. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and limit added sugar intake. Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and preventative care.
What is the standard oral care protocol? ›
No high-level studies have indicated the optimal frequency of oral care for hospitalized patients, resulting in reliance on guidelines and expert opinions. The ADA has long recommended brushing twice a day for 2 minutes as the standard for healthy adults and children to prevent tooth decay.
Which is the first step of the dental hygiene process of care? ›
Step 1: Medical History
As with any health professional the first step the dental hygienist will take will be a thorough review of your medical history. It is important for the hygienist to know of any prevailing medical condition.
What order should you brush your teeth with braces? ›
Once you have rinsed your mouth and no longer see food particles in your sink start brushing at the gumline. After brushing the gum line move to the top of the brace's brackets angling down to brush on top of each bracket. Next, you will perform the same brushing stroke at the bottom of the brace's brackets.
What happens if you don't brush your teeth for a day with braces? ›
Because of their design, braces are traps for plaque and food. Bacteria, food particles, and plaque will accumulate around the little brackets that are glued straight to your teeth. If these are not removed, they may demineralize the enamel around the bracket and form cavities.
What happens to your gums if you don't floss with braces? ›
However, having braces can make this task tricky - bits of food easily get stuck between them and the wires. When you don't floss adequately, these bits turn into a comfortable home for bacteria, which can lead to red, swollen, and bleeding gums.
When is the best time to floss? ›
Once again, the ADA says that it doesn't matter what time of day you floss, as long as it gets done! Studies done in 2018 showed that if you floss before you brush your teeth, you can get a better clean. The floss helps loosen plaque and debris, making your brushing more effective.
Is a waterpik better than flossing? ›
Is Water Flossing as Good as Dental Floss? The American Dental Association says water flossers with the ADA Seal of Acceptance can get rid of plaque. That's the film that turns into tartar and leads to cavities and gum disease. But some studies find water flossers don't remove plaque as well as traditional floss.
Does flossing whiten teeth? ›
Conclusion. In a nutshell, flossing does not whiten your teeth but it keeps your teeth white by preventing plaque build-up which results in tooth decay or yellowing. In general, even whitening flossers don't bleach the enamel of your teeth but keep them clean and sparkling.
