Flossing with toothpaste, could that be helpful?

If you still disregard flossing on a regular basis, you are in for a world of trouble.

Flossing is so important that it could be the only thing that keeps diseases such as gum disease and even decay at bay.

Brushing alone is certainly not enough to clean away all the food remnants. Leaving debris and plaque trapped between the teeth that the toothbrush cannot reach. Only correct flossing techniques are sure to reach these places.

Therefore pretty reasonable question arises “Flossing with toothpaste, could that really help?”

Let us help you answer that.

The truth about toothpaste

First things first, you should know that toothpaste isn’t necessarily compulsory to use as apart of your oral hygiene regimen. That actually may shock you.

This is because most of the commercial toothpastes on the market don’t even have an active ingredient. All they do is give you a nice fresh feeling, a good taste inside your mouth and nice breath for a while.

However some contain active ingredients that are capable of distinct actions, examples being:

If your current toothpaste is lacking, we recommend finding one that has one of the above mentioned active ingredients in it.

Flossing with toothpaste, do or don’t?

Adding anything with an active ingredient to your brushing and flossing regimen is certainly helpful. Whether it is a mouthwash, a toothpaste, even salt water can be of particular benefit.

When you use string floss with a toothpaste with an active ingredient, you are forcing this active ingredient into the areas between the teeth. Which do not get such ingredients through brushing alone. Therefore you are reaching areas of the teeth that couldn’t previously benefit from these ingredients without flossing.

But come to think about it, how exactly are you going to do that? How will you be able to add the paste to a small piece of string, that seems impossible, doesn’t it?

Well there is a simple solution for that .. use the paste that is left over after you finish brushing, so instead of wrapping up and rinsing your mouth after brushing, use the string with the foaming remains of the toothpaste before washing
up.

So should I brush or floss first?

When you floss, you stir up the remains and debris that are stuck between the teeth. These find their way to the surface of the teeth and gums and would be swept away when you brush. So a long story short, floss first then brush for maximum efficiency.

This may seem as counter-intuitive to our main topic that is flossing with toothpaste. First we said that the only way to get toothpaste to mix with the floss is using the remnants of the toothpaste from the brushing. Or in other words, brushing first.

Then we said it is advisable for maximum efficiency to floss first and brush after.

Brushing and flossing is recommended

To be honest, there is no strict guideline on the matter. Dental professionals would advise to brush twice daily and floss 2 to 3 times a week. But no one explored the inter-relationship between the two acts. So no one could say which comes first is better.

So why don’t we take advantage of the 2 scenarios. What if we tell you that there is a solution to this “chicken or egg came first” dilemma?

Water flossers is the answer

Water flossers in theory could solve this predicament and is one of the best ways to floss effectively.

We established that flossing first is correct for maximum cleaning efficiency as the debris between the teeth are cleaned more thoroughly this way. But we also said that adding a Fluoridated toothpaste (or any other toothpaste with an active ingredient) to the act of flossing is beneficial.

Water flossers can do both. You could start your oral hygiene regimen with using the water flosser and add a fluoridated mouthwash or any other product with a specific active ingredient to it.

Benefits of using a water flosser

Not only that, but consider what water flossers can do. These amazing devices have stepped up oral care to a whole new level. They improved the efficiency of flossing by more than 50% and decreased the rates of gum disease and gum bleeding significantly.

They also facilitated the act of flossing when you have braces or heavy restorations as crowns and bridges on your teeth. Which otherwise was a complete nightmare to try and clean.

Add to that the fact that they are extremely easy to use and can be used by anyone. Even children, the elderly and people with manual dexterity issues (such as those suffering from Parkinson’s) find water flosser easy to use.

Down sides of water flossers

However, we know that they are not for everyone. Water flossers are not cheap and takes a whole lot of space in your bathroom. Frankly some people are more than satisfied with string floss or other means of flossing and have been using them for years with maximum efficiency.

So in these cases, it is okay to use just string floss even if you can’t add toothpaste to the mix. Its benefit will not be minimized because as we mentioned before, it’s all about how you brush and floss rather than what you brush and floss with.

Flossing with toothpaste is beneficial

So when it comes to exploring the benefits of flossing with toothpaste, you can say it is quite beneficial for your teeth. But your time is better spent exploring the best ways of flossing and brushing, not worrying how to help them with additives.