Which is better, flossing or mouthwash? Or is a combination best?

More is better. (except TOO much flossing can actually cause your gums to recede. Once a day is enough.)

@Judi, do you mean that adding mouthwash is better?

Wasn’t there just some sort of propaganda that mouth wash is very bad for you? I heard it but wasn’t interested so it went in one ear and out the other, but I know it was not a good report.

I floss in the morning and use one of those things that looks like a tiny little bottle washer after I eat and before bed. They work great and I always have one in my backpack.

Try dipping your floss into a mouthwash that contains an enamel strengthener. Best of both worlds. Hey, how come you don’t mention brushing your tongue? As a medical health care worker, I want to run away and scream when some people open their mouths. Thick and coated…..breeds bacteria and smell. Gaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggg!

If you’re going to do one or the other, definitely flossing. I’ve never used mouthwash, & never asked my dentist about it either… I still have my wisdom teeth, without really having quite enough room for them, so I have to use a little kids’ toothbrush to clean them. (Right now I have a Crayola one! lol)

Mouthwash is wholly factitious, invented by advertising people for the purpose of creating a new faux “need”. Flossing, however, is an important prophylactic against gingivitis.

Flossing is very important. And OF COURSE adding mouthwash is better. My dentist told me he can tell right off those who don’t floss.

Flossing is really quite necessary, and yet few people floss regularly. Studies have shown that people who floss regularly don’t get sick as often, because inflamed gums are a great place for viruses/bacteria to enter the body. But as @Judi said, too much flossing could damage your gums, so once a day is usually fine. I use this great floss called FlossRX that is coated with fluoride, so it is extra helpful for keeping your mouth healthy. It’s a bit on the pricey side, though, but I don’t know how it would compare to buying floss plus mouthwash.

Mouthwash is helpful, yes, but not as important as flossing.

Edit: here’s the website for FlossRX if you’re interested.

Do both but don’t overdo either. :)

@evegrimm ; Yes

Flossing. Mouthwash may kills a few bacteria but flossing removes food and residue that can harden into plaque and cause pain under the gumline in addition to cavaties and gum disease. Floss and brush.

Flossing is more important than mouthwash. Many mouthwashes do not even kill bacteria. Even those that do are not guaranteed to get in between the gums and teeth. It just doesn’t substitute.

Now back in high school we did a science experiment to see which mouthwashes actually worked. Only two were shown to kill bacteria. One was Listerine and the other was one received from the dentist. Scope and other brands are more for freshening the breath.

My dentist recommends brushing at least three times a day, flossing at least once a day, and using mouthwash daily. He features a specific line of dental products in his office.

Combination. Plain and simple.

gargling with Listerine does help kill the bacteria in the back of the throat and helps prevent viruses that cause flu and colds. Very warm salt water will do the same. They are recommending this to us as front line workers in the hospital.

Here’s what my dental hygienist said to me: mouthwash first to get rid of the surface germs, rather than spread them around, then good brushing for three solid (set timer) minutes, followed by flossing, then mouthwash, and repeat as necessary.

@YARNLADY I don’t know about three minutes. Seems to me that could damage your gums, cause receding…

@Val123 Three minutes is the brushing part, by the time you carefully brush each tooth, it usually takes that long to do it correctly. I go slow, so it actually takes me more like five minutes, because I have to rest every few seconds.

Mouthwash is nothing but alcohol with a color and flavor. The alcohol burns the tissues of your mouth amd you have been marketed into believing that the burn means clean. Save your money. Brush and floss.

@josie Not necessarily so, per this well annotated wikipedia article

@YARNLADY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cancer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1187493/As-research-shows-mouthwash-contains-TWICE-alcohol-wine-gargling-way-cancer.html
And many otheres. Mouthwash is a consumer product, not a theraputic formulation. I don’t care personally if people use it, but they are wasting their money and putting themselves at risk to pathology related to chemical cauterization of the squamous epithelium of the the mouth, throat and esophagus. Like a said, it’s their business.