# Strange dentistry question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402 "2009-01-15T08:01:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/1 "2009-01-15T08:01:08Z")
Should I brush/floss my teeth when I go to have them cleaned? I always do, but WTF for? What am I (or more correctly, my insurance company) paying for, anyway? Kind of a goofy question, but one I wondered about the other day as I was getting ready to go to a 6 month cleaning/check-up appointment. They clean, and even floss my teeth during these things. Isn’t it kind of dumb for me too brush and floss before hand? Perhaps I should do a Steven Wright and eat a box of Oreo cookies while I sit in the waiting room. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/2 "2009-01-15T08:23:03Z")
I make sure I’ve brushed since I last ate or within a few hours of the appointment because I think it makes the hygienist’s job slightly more pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/3 "2009-01-15T08:37:43Z")
It is good to at the very least remove the debris. A thorough brushing will do that. What it will not do however is remove plaque and calculus. That is for the hygienist. Let them remove that. You remove the fucking pizza and peanuts. If it is bad they will likely give you a brush and ask you to brush and them come back. Wasting valuable plaque removal time and possibly embarrassing you. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/4 "2009-01-15T12:03:46Z")
I always brush and floss before my appointment because I would be thoroughly embarrassed if I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/5 "2009-01-15T15:13:49Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > What am I (or more correctly, my insurance company) paying for, anyway? I’m paying for the dentist and hygenist to check the condition of my teeth and to clean out things which I cannot (as \*\*fifty-six \*\*mentions). I’m also paying for use of their equipment, and their expertise and training, which is as it should be. I keep my teeth scrupulously clean so that the hygenist’s time is minimized. I’m not spending one more minute in that chair than I have to. I also think that it’s more courteous, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/6 "2009-01-15T15:43:47Z")
The cleaner your mouth is when you sit down in the dentist’s chair the less time the hygienist has to spend scraping, digging, and cleaning. For that reason alone, pre-visit brushing and flossing is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![FORTRAN\_forever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f17d59/32.png) [@FORTRAN\_forever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FORTRAN_forever)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/7 "2009-01-15T17:37:04Z")
Never piss off your dental hygienist. He/she will be attacking your tender dental parts for the next half-hour or so with a series of sharp instruments and you want to get him/her **annoyed** first??? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/8 "2009-01-15T17:44:01Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The cleaner your mouth is when you sit down in the dentist’s chair the less time the hygienist has to spend scraping, digging, and cleaning. For that reason alone, pre-visit brushing and flossing is worth it. When I was a kid, I used to think as the OP did, until one day I somehow realized that, the less I left for the dental hygenist to do, the less time I would spend in the dentist chair. And spending as little time as possible in the dentist chair was very high up on my list of good things. ---
**Author:** ![Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Picard_Kills_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/9 "2009-01-15T17:46:27Z")
seriously I am sitting in the dentist chair right now reading this on my iPhone. Thank god I removed the fucking pizza and peanuts!!! Hahaha! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-dentistry-question/481402/10 "2009-01-15T21:53:50Z")
Last time I went to the dentist, I was in a hurry. I left a meeting late, went to grab my wife, and rushed to the dentist. I forgot to brush and floss. It was embarrassing to have my teeth cleaned that time.