When to floss your teeth and oral hygiene

Should you be flossing before or after brushing your teeth? A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says flossing first gives a better result in reducing some types of dental plaque. The same research also found that fluoride was absorbed more efficiently probably due to plaque removal in the first place.

So the order and frequency of cleaning your teeth should be: floss your teeth at least once a day, brush your teeth twice a day, and use mouthwash no more than once a week, though it’s not medically necessary.

Floss picks and interdental brushes can be useful if you have larger gaps between teeth. Water flossers have become popular in recent years but they’re not as effective as manual flossing.

Tongue scrapers can get rid of bacteria on your tongue that cause bad breath.