Dental floss is one of the best oral hygiene maintaining techniques, which is sometimes said to be better than tooth brushing, only due to the reason that the regions which can not be reached by brush, can be accessed by the floss thread, and it effectively removes the bacterial dental plaque from those regions, and minimize the risk of dental caries.
So, coming to the point of when to floss –
It is the night time before bed, when you can get the best use and results for flossing. Because it is the time when saliva in the oral cavity is less in amount, and the conditions are favorable for bacteria to grow and form dental plaque. The prevention of dental plaque or removal of freshly formed plaque can keep your teeth bacteria-free till next morning when you brush your teeth.
It is advised to floss at night time, though if you find time, you can do it after brushing in the morning too. But the most dental plaque formation is during night time as there is no activity in the mouth and bacteria can grow indefinitely at that time.
Nice tip there chetan, in India i dont think flossing is given that much importance leave alone the normal person even doctors dont do it.
I think prior to bed is an absolute “must” for flossing.
Ideally, people should floss after each meal as well.
I’m a realist, so I know this isn’t always possible. Good to strive for, however.
We cannot overemphasize the simple importance of flossing as a preventive measure to dental woes.
Great post!
excellent post…. if only people would pay attention! i have a question for you … what is an orthopentogram? plz help me!
Yo no me termino de apañar con el hilo dental, no acabo de cogerle el truco
You are right dr Chetan. We in India hardly take flushing seriously. In my undergraduate days I had Dr Rajan Rehman as my room mate. He was a dentist. I have seen him preaching about flushing. By the way I am an MBBS.
Nice, that is when I like to floss too. What times are the best for brushing your teeth?
Morning, noon, or night….I wish I could get my patients to commit to once a day. Anytime of the day :-). Really this is a good post. I often get this question a lot from patients. I often recommend that they dip their floss in Listerine (bacteriostatic) to help lessen the bacterial content between teeth before bed
very nice….
same way any special about interdental toothbrushes? should we use it daily like our regular toothbrush? and plz tell me regarding its use in case of fixed bridges?
thank you sir….
Excellent tips… If we can’t follow this in day time. Atleast, we should use in night time before bed.
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So whats your opinion, floss before or after bushing..
I’m in the after camp.
Very good advice for flossers. I am knowing things of which dentists talk, the article’s contents being the same. Once with a thin foss or rope performed between each tooth structure should suffice when performed daily after each time eating or drinking. Please spread word. Here in America it is done with rigor. In India it is underperformed, even by educated class.