Should You Brush Your Teeth Before a Dentist Appointment?

Yes, you should brush before your dental appointment. Give yourself about 30 to 60 minutes, brush and floss the way you normally would, and go gently. That is really the whole answer, and if that is all you came for, you are set.

If you want to know why, and what your dentist is actually looking at while you are in the chair, read on.

Where the question usually comes from

A patient came in a while back and told us what his co-workers had said when he mentioned he was going to brush and floss before his visit. Their reasons:

• The hygienist will do a better job anyway.
• You are paying them to clean it, so let them clean it.
• You are only brushing because you do not want to be judged.

He could tell something was off about it, but he wanted a real answer. Here it is.

Brushing first means your exam starts on your teeth, not your lunch

Loose food and fresh plaque sit on top of everything your dentist needs to look at. Clear that away and the exam starts on the teeth and gums themselves.

It also gets you out of the chair sooner. Nobody enjoys having their gums tugged at to free a piece of food, and you will not enjoy it either.

No, brushing does not hide problems from your dentist

Five minutes with a toothbrush does not undo months of habits. Tartar, decay and gum disease all stay exactly where they are, and your dentist can read them. Brushing before a visit is courtesy, not cover.

No, it is not rude to show up without brushing

Nobody in the office will embarrass you for it, and you should never let that keep you from coming in. It does cost you something, though. If your hygienist has to start with the basics of how to brush, that is time not spent on the advice that would have actually helped your mouth.

There is one more knock-on effect people do not expect. If you need a filling, your dentist picks the material partly on how likely you are to get another cavity. A mouth that looks neglected at the exam reads as higher risk, and the safer material may not be the one you would have chosen.

If you forgot to brush, just tell us when you arrive

Maybe you ate on the way and had no chance to go home. Tell the front desk. We are happy to work around it, and honestly, we appreciate that you thought about it at all.

Yes, you should floss too, and floss before you brush

Flossing lifts the plaque out from between the teeth, where a brush cannot reach and where gum disease usually starts. If your gums bleed the first few times, that is your gums telling you they are out of practice. It settles within a week or two of flossing every day.

What not to do before your appointment

• Do not scrub hard. Gentle and thorough beats fast and rough.
• Do not brush in the parking lot. Give yourself half an hour.
• Do not skip the visit because you are embarrassed about your teeth. That is the one that actually costs you.

When brushing is not the problem

Brushing well before a visit helps the exam. It does not fix a tooth that is already cracked, decayed or gone. If that is where you are, the visit itself is the fix, and the options are set out on the general dentistry, dental crown and tooth extraction pages. Where a tooth is already missing, dental implants replace the root before they replace the tooth.

Dr. Moradian sees patients across Tampa Bay. Bring what is bothering you and any imaging you already have, and you will leave with a plan you understand.

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