# Teeth cleaning order (toothpaste, mouthwash, floss)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514 "2011-04-15T17:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smellsofgummybears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@smellsofgummybears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smellsofgummybears)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/1 "2011-04-15T17:17:35Z")
I prefer to floss last but I have recently been told this isn’t the way to clean teeth, although I’m not certain I understand the arguments (yahoo answers). How do you do it? Poll coming if you can’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/2 "2011-04-15T17:25:12Z")
I brush, then floss to get rid of the stubborn bits, then mouthwash last (because stubborn bits left in my mouth is vile). ---
**Author:** ![smellsofgummybears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@smellsofgummybears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smellsofgummybears)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/3 "2011-04-15T17:55:25Z")
I see there is someone who uses mouthwash first… wasn’t expecting that! ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/4 "2011-04-15T18:16:04Z")
I do mouthwash first. I like how it kills germs but I like the taste my toothpaste leaves in my mouth more. I’ve done it my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/5 "2011-04-15T18:20:27Z")
PS I don’t really floss all that often. Maybe a few times a week. Definitely not every day, but when I do it I do it before I brush. I never thought to do it any other way. You get the stuff out of the cracks and then brush everything clean, right? Yep I was raised in a barn. By wolves. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/6 "2011-04-15T18:47:46Z")
Brush, waterpic, sometimes mouthwash but not usually ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/7 "2011-04-15T18:52:56Z")
I do waterpik, floss, mouthwash and brush. The brushing is to clean the surfaces. I figure that waterpik or floss is to get the majority of the stuff that gets stuck and the mouthwash is to loosen up any plaque on the surfaces. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/8 "2011-04-15T19:02:59Z")
I brush, then floss, but never use mouthwash. Mouthwash doesn’t really do anything plain water doesn’t, unless you’ve got something medicated from your dentist for gum disease or something. Once asked the dental professional the order of brushing and flossing. She said it was more important to do both than the particular order in which you did them. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/9 "2011-04-15T19:07:53Z")
Flossing comes first; mouthwash is last. Also, per my dentist, I brush with baking soda before toothpaste. Also you left out [tongue scraping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue_cleaner), which happens betwen flossing & brushing. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/10 "2011-04-15T19:11:47Z")
I just brush. Really, really well. For like five minutes, twice a day. Apparently it does the job; my dentist always assumes that I floss. I floss maybe six times a year. I only use mouthwash if I’m stuck sleeping at someone else’s house and I don’t have a toothbrush. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/11 "2011-04-15T19:45:57Z")
I floss first, then brush. My mouth feels nasty if I floss last - all those food bits I didn’t get through brushing are suddenly out of their hidey holes and even rinsing my mouth out with water or mouthwash doesn’t get rid of all of them. For what it’s worth, I rarely use mouthwash. I’ve tried, but my teeth are supersensitive from years of grinding while I sleep (luckily I just got a bite guard - first time in years I haven’t had hours of headaches every morning). Mouthwash tends to reverse the effects of the sensitivity toothpaste I use. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/12 "2011-04-15T20:16:21Z")
When I floss (once a week?) I do it first. Then I use an electric toothbrush with only water on it. Then I swish my mouth out with water. (I don’t like the taste of toothpaste and mouthwash. Ick.) My dentist is my sister-in-law and fully endorses this regime. She tells me my teeth are well cared for. If she thought I was neglecting them, she would rip me a new one, so I don’t worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/13 "2011-04-16T02:36:54Z")
I floss first to get the bits out from in between. While brush bristles may not reach in there, the fluoridated water and toothpaste bubbles do. It seems like they won’t reach small spots if there’s still pre-floss goo stuck in there. Last is saline rinse. My hygienist is perfectly happy with me using a saltwater rinse rather than mouthwash. 1/2 teaspoon to 8 ounces of water, kept in a mouthwash bottle! I flavor it with a couple drops of essential oil - lime and basil. I kinda dislike mint unless it’s paired with chocolate! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/14 "2011-04-16T02:45:57Z")
I’ve never used mouthwash. Can’t explain why, I’ve just never used it, and it’s never really occurred to me that I should. Brush, floss, brush again. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teeth-cleaning-order-toothpaste-mouthwash-floss/578514/15 "2011-04-16T04:09:56Z")
I floss at some point in the evening (usually while watching tv), then brush before going to bed, then use a special tool to clean my gums. Nobody bothered to tell me that I was going to get gum disease in my 20’s if I didn’t floss (oral hygiene wasn’t a priority in my family, and we couldn’t afford dentists). So I have to clean my gums and do my best to stop the gum recession now to try to keep my crappy teeth.