Flossing: Before or after brushing?

[Tattooed Goddess]

I refuse to floss. I lie every time I go to the dentist. I wont do it now especially because I have braces... and it would take me half an hour to do. I pre-rinse with that Listerine Whitening crap, brush with Colgate expressions (vanilla, lemon, or orange) Depending on what colour package I want to use at the time. I special little plaque cleaning things too for around the brackets. I'm almost 20, flossed consecutively for about 2 days out of my entire life... never had a cavity, see no reason to start now.

I used to not care as much when i had braces, i dont think i flossed once in those 2 years, i just used the little christmas tree brush thingies. I have a brother who doesnt know what the hell a toothbrush is and has never had a cavity, while i brush and floss everyday and i have about 30 fillings. I asked my dentist yesterday when the hell am i going to run out of surfaces to drill on? He said i had beautiful teeth but thin enamel from genetics. Also, i have some blood sugar issues which causes dry mouth which can cause more problems.

I wish i didnt have to brag about sending my dentists kids to Harvard!

 

[Meniscus]

...never had a cavity, see no reason to start now.

I never had cavities until my early 20s. Then I started getting cavities between the teeth, which is kinda like getting 2 cavities for one (1 in each of the affected teeth). Now I have a mouth full of silver fillings, because I didn't floss.

I agree with what the old man says at the end of Prelude to a Kiss. "Can I give you two a piece of advice? Floss."

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

Meniscus, i have the same problem, between the molars getting attacked. Also i have very deep crevices in my molars which makes me stay away from chewy candy because its a bitch to get out.

When i see your name, i cant help but think about meniscus cartilage!

 

[rob_just_rob]

During.

 

[B_Think_Kink]

I never had cavities until my early 20s. Then I started getting cavities between the teeth, which is kinda like getting 2 cavities for one (1 in each of the affected teeth). Now I have a mouth full of silver fillings, because I didn't floss.

I agree with what the old man says at the end of Prelude to a Kiss. "Can I give you two a piece of advice? Floss."

Well that sucks. I may or may not start when the braces come off.

 

[Pecker]

I brush morning and night but I floss everytime I eat something. Since I have a thing about not putting my fingers in my mouth I use those little plastic floss thingies.

I have three fillings and all of my teeth.

 

[Jovial]

I floss every day now. I used to not floss which was partly to blame for receding gums. I also use an electric toothbrush now. It's way better at getting all the surfaces of your teeth. I think periodontists are split on whether to floss before or after brushing, so I don't think it matters too much. It's more important to do it every day.

The reason to floss is not only to get food out from between your teeth. It's to get the bacteria out from under the gum line. If the bacteria stays there it causes gum disease, then the gum dies and you get receding gums. This exposes the lower part of the tooth and can cause sensitivity and more decay.

If bacteria stays on your teeth it forms plaque, a thicker layer of bacteria. The bacteria closest to the tooth surface must use anaerobic respiration which produces acids, and this leads to demineralization of the tooth surface and an eventual cavity.

Most people don't realize that the teeth are constantly demineralizing and remineralizing. If demineralization wins, you get cavities. Acids, like orange juice and sodas, can demineralize. Milk is good for remineralizing. The flouride in toothpaste also remineralizes. And saliva on the teeth remineralizes.

People who get cavities easily might want to ask their dentist about tooth sealants as a preventative measure.

 

[sdbg]

I brush first, scrape the tongue second, and floss last. I follow with a good swish.

 

[simcha]

Blech, I have deformed teeth. My mom almost died of Peritonitis when I was born and I was given a heavy dose of antibiotics shortly after I was born and the antibiotics deformed my teeth.

So, tomorrow morning at 7:30am I get a gold crown on one of my upper molars. I've had 2 rounds of root canal on that tooth in the past 2 weeks. The molar was being reabsorbed by my body and there was an air pocket inside the molar. And they had to kill the cells that were reabsorbing the molar. My dentist said that in his 30 years of practice he's only seen 20 cases of this. It's never fun when you become "interesting" for a dentist or a doctor... LOL!

So, all of my fillings are because of having deformed teeth and they're all in molars. I've never had any tooth decay...

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

I've got six fillings which I've had since I was a teenager, my mums 76 has all her own teeth and doesn't have one filling, she takes really poor care of her teeth, grrr life just isn't fair.