Next, hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers, with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of floss between them, before gently applying a "rocking" motion to guide the floss between your teeth.

Still, there's an argument to be made for flossing first, before you brush, Dr. Chavala Harris, a dentist in Durham, North Carolina, told Live Science in an email.

Many of us, including me, were taught to brush our teeth and then use floss to remove anything the toothbrush missed. Even dental hygienists floss after they're finished brushing our teeth.

If you were taught to floss your teeth after you brush, don't worry. As long as you're flossing once per day, you're already one step ahead, Dr. Edmond Hewlett , consumer adviser for the ADA and ...

After you floss and brush your teeth, spit out excess toothpaste and leave your mouth for some time. This is to give your fluoride-rich toothpaste time to fight and kill bacteria completely.

Whether to floss before or after brushing has left many confused.(Pexels) A lot of effort goes into a bright, healthy smile. The due credit goes to being consistent with a well-dedicated oral ...

While the shape of your teeth and whether you floss before or after brushing may have some effect, it is most important to floss properly, thoroughly and routinely to maintain good oral health ...

In short: it’s best to floss before brushing and skip rinsing after brushing, but if you really prefer to rinse (or just have a hard time remembering not to), don’t stress.

Basically, there’s no real consensus on whether to floss before or after you've brushed. Dentists argue that flossing is such a low-cost, low-risk activity that it’s worth it to keep doing it ...

Flossing helps remove food debris and plaque before it hardens into tartar — a hard mineral deposit that can only be removed by a professional. Flossing also reduces the likelihood of gum ...

Flossing is equally important for many of the same reasons — but should you floss before or after brushing? The official stance of the American Dental Association (ADA) is that it doesn't matter.