Well, I originally flossed before brushing, because it seemed common sense (as set forth by other posters here). Then when I got a cavity and the dentist had me describe my oral hygiene habits, he said, no, you should brush first, then floss. Apparently, if you do it the other way around, the brushing process returns some of the germs to the areas you just cleaned by flossing. So now I brush first, and I haven’t had a cavity since.
Funny, my dentist told me the opposite and I haven’t had any cavities!
I’m reminded of a joke from a Pizzaro cartoon.
“Four out of Five Dentists recommend that you avoid the Fifth Dentist.”
Or “when four Catholic dentists get together, you can usually find a fifth”
Or get two Jews in a room and you’ll get three opinions!
Like some of the other respondents here, I’ve been advised to avoid alcohol-based mouthwashes so as to avoid drying out my gums. My dentist said I should use any over-the-counter alcohol-free mouthwash after brushing, but he specifically keeps Closys in stock, so that’s what I use.
I also found this column, written by a dentist, which advises folks to use Closys (non-alcohol-based) as well as Listerine (alcohol-based).
(By the way, my dentist advised me to floss before brushing, so that the flossed-out food particles can be brushed away.)
I figure as long as you rinse (either with mouth wash or just water) after you floss, that will probably be taken care of. I’ve heard dentists recommend small portions of cheese or chocolate to help dental health because the flavors promote salivation, which helps keep your mouth clean (since the spit is gradually washing away the loose stuff)