The Ultimate Guide to Brushing and Flossing: Techniques, Tips, and Common Mistakes

If you’re ready to learn more about brushing and flossing your teeth the correct way, read on. We’ll be sharing some of our top tips for improving your brushing and flossing technique, and we’ll be sharing the most common mistakes that you need to avoid.

If you’re not sure if you’re brushing correctly, the best thing you can do is book a visit to our dental hygiene team. They can assess the health of your teeth and gums and offer you recommendations for how to improve your brushing and flossing technique.

Should I floss before or after brushing my teeth?

First things first, should you brush first and then floss, or does flossing go before brushing? The most important thing is that you are doing both, and it doesn’t really matter which order you do this in.

You should be brushing your teeth twice a day and then flossing at least once a day with the correct tools for your teeth. Flossing is essential as it helps to reach areas that brushing cannot reach. If you only brush, you could be missing up to 40% of the tooth surface.

Some people like to floss before the brush as this will brush away any debris that they dislodge. Others like to floss after they brush, as this can be easier on the gums. It really doesn’t matter which order you do this in, as long as you make sure you do both.

How to brush your teeth

Brushing your teeth seems simple enough, but there are some common mistakes that lots of people make. From brushing too hard to choosing the wrong tools for the job, it’s important to pay close attention to your oral health to make sure you’re doing this right.

If you have any doubts about your brushing technique, the easiest way to fix this is to switch to an electric toothbrush with a timer. Provided you move the toothbrush over all areas of your teeth for the full two minutes, you stand a good chance of achieving good coverage.

Remember you need to brush the front, top and back of each tooth surface. It’s also helping to brush against the gum line at a 45 degree angle. When we are younger, we are often taught to focus on the top of the teeth, or the chewing part. As we get older and the gums start to recede, it’s vital to make sure you are brushing along the gum line.

You should also make sure you are brushing for 2 minutes and using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride.

How to floss your teeth

Either before or after you brush your teeth, you should also floss your teeth. You only need to floss once a day, and it usually makes sense to do this in the evening.

Start by choosing the right tools. There are lots of different dental floss options available.

• For close together teeth, choose a standard dental floss. If you haven’t flossed very often in the past, dental floss tape might be more comfortable for you.

• If you struggle to hold the floss, you might benefit from floss harps. These hold a short piece of dental floss in a plastic holder.

• For larger gaps between your teeth, you should consider using interdental brushes. These will help to remove large food particles from between your teeth.

• If you struggle with all types of floss, you might benefit from a water flosser. This uses a high pressure jet of water to massage the gums and remove food debris from between your teeth.

You might notice your gums bleed the first few times that you floss your teeth. This is a sign that you really need to be doing it more often, not a sign that you should stop. As your teeth and gums get used to the dental floss, you should notice that your gums don’t bleed anymore. If they continue to bleed, this could be a sign that you need a professional teeth cleaning as you have active gum disease.

Once you have finished flossing, you can then rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash. If you are treating gum disease, consider a specialist mouthwash such as Corsodyl.

How to check if your methods are effective

There are a few ways to check if you are brushing effectively. The first is to arrange a visit to your dentist and ask for some tips. If you’re brushing well, the evidence will be plain to see. If you are missing spots, this will also be obvious.

Another method is to use a plaque revealing mouthwash. This will turn the plaque on your teeth pink, so you can spot any areas where you aren’t brushing well enough. This can be highly effective for improving your brushing technique.

Top tips for better brushing and flossing

Ready to improve your brushing and flossing? Try these top tips from our dentists:

• Set a timer to make sure you are brushing for the full two minutes. If you’re using an electric toothbrush, this might be an automatic brushing programme.

• Experiment with different flossing tools to find one that works for you. Floss harps are popular because they make it easy to grip the floss and reach the back teeth. If you don’t like the disposable nature of these, you can find reusable floss harps.

• Split your mouth into quadrants so you don’t miss any part of it. Brush the top left for 30 seconds, then the top right for 30 seconds and so on. Start in a different corner of your mouth every time so you don’t brush one section more than another.

• Book a dental hygienist cleaning once every 6 months to enjoy a fresh start and a completely clean mouth. This will make your brushing and flossing efforts far more effective.

Common mistakes with brushing and flossing

There are some all too common mistakes that individuals make with their brushing and flossing routine, including:

• Don’t forget to change your toothbrush every 3-4 months. If you really like your toothbrush style, buy 4 at a time so you know you have enough for the year. This can help you to avoid keeping the same brush for too long just because you forget to buy a new one.

• Don’t stop brushing just because your gums bleed. This is a sign that you really need to keep going.

• Don’t brush your teeth immediately after eating or drinking. If you brush your teeth right after drinking an acidic food, for example, the enamel will be softer and you run the risk of brushing it away.

• If you want really fresh breath, don’t forget to clean your tongue. You can buy a tongue scraper which will remove bacteria and food from your mouth and leave you feeling fresh.

• After using mouthwash, don’t rinse with water. The mouthwash needs to stay on your teeth to do its best work. If your mouthwash stings and you feel like you need to wash it away, try switching to an alcohol-free alternative.

• Don’t get caught up in the natural hype. Your toothpaste needs to contain fluoride for it to be effective. Fluoride is safe to use as you only use it in small amounts.