We have discussed oral hygiene before, but this is a pretty specific question.

What is the order of care that you apply to your mouth when cleaning it?

For me, I do the following:

1. Rinse my mouth with Plax for about 30 seconds
2. Brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush for about 2 minutes (it has a timer on it)
3. Floss
4. Clear out bonded retainers with a pick
5. Scrape my tongue
6. Rinse my mouth with Listerine for about 30 seconds

It takes me about 4 minutes in total to run through this ritual.

While I am sure that Plax comes first and Listerine comes last, my wife and I have conflicting views about if flossing or brushing should be done first.

Thoughts?

joshwoodzy wrote:

Pandajuice wrote: Wow, you guys are kind of weird. Do all of you really use listerine on a daily basis? And GP, I really think using 2 different mouthwashes plus a tongue scraper, is a little bit bizarre. I'm not afraid to admit I only brush once a day before bed (though obviously I'll brush in the morning too if I'm going to work or something) and brushing for about 2-3 minutes is all I do, and I've never had a cavity or any problem with my teeth. My secret is I brush every inch of my teeth over and over again, including behind them which is an area most people neglect I think. How is someone taking extra precautions so their teeth don't look like Keith Richards bizarre? Now, if he took way more than 4 minutes to do so, say 8-10 minutes, then we would have to have a dental intervention for Mr. Fontaine.

I completely recognize that my routine is in fact a routine. I have OCD and once something enters into the routine, it is very hard for me to remove it. In fact, I have to honestly believe that there is a positive or negative consequence to alter the routine. If I am unsure, I continue.


For me, I believe that Plax helps soften or release the plaque around the bottom of my teeth. I use it because I tend to have a large amount of plaque build up and prior to use my dentist visits would often times consist of a longer amount of time where they chip away with the scraper to clean it all up.

I choose to use Listerine because I find that it reduces the tendency for me to get canker soars, which I am prone to. It also makes my breath less offensive and soothes my mouth after flossing.

As for the brushing... that is just a normal part of oral hygiene.

I didn't always floss, but my wife and I made a deal. She would go to the dentist that I chose instead of her old one if I started to floss. It turns out that I like flossing now, so I double won. As for why I want her to go to a different dentist... her old one sucked and the one I go to is a personal family friend. As it turns out, my wife needed a root canal and a crown. Because she went to my friend he cut our bill down by over $750 (post insurance).

I started to scrape my tongue because it improved my breath. It takes 3 seconds, so why not. I could go without doing this since I don't believe it helps me directly, but I think it is a nice thing to do for my wife.