I always brush my teeth beforehand, but I know that there are always people who will behave differently.
Dental assistant once thanked me profusely for brushing my teeth before the appointment. I always do, but that cemented my resolve to continue doing it indefinitely.
I’d be too embarrassed to go to the dentist with dirty teeth. Definitely brush before.
Last time I was at the dentist I watched a guy drink a Sprite and smoke a cigarette just before going in.
Im surprised a smoking person goes to the dentist. Most smokers I know have black teeth
I’ve never seen someone with black teeth.
Always brush and floss before. No need to clutter up the workspace.
I brush my teeth like normal usually unless I eat something like ribs, then I might brush/floss right beforehand. I’m in the habit of brushing twice a day and flossing regularly already though, so my teeth are usually relatively clean anyways.
I try to cram 6 whole months worth of dental hygiene into the hours before my appointment.
Dentist can’t make my gums bleed if they’re already bleeding.
taps temple
I really like my dentist and everyone on her team, so I will always brush before an appointment. Feels rude not too.
I eat a package of Oreos beforehand to help out, that way the hygienist has a clear marker of if they’ve cleaned somewhere or not. Cleaning clean teeth would be like painting a grass green. Did I get that spot? But painting it purple, you know where you’ve been.
That’s a great Stephen Wright joke:
My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she has to cancel the rest of the afternoon’s appointments.
Seems like something a fabricator would do.
Taps temple.
I see it no different than being showered before a massage. Its just rude otherwise.
This. Dentist wants to see your teeth, not smell them.
You shower before getting massaged? What’s next? Using toilet paper before a prostate exam?
The dentist doesn’t want to play peek-a-boo with your last meal.
Obviously floss and brush beforehand.
It’s like washing your car before going to the car wash
It’s not at all like that. Your dentist isn’t merely brushing your teeth, so the analogy doesn’t work at all.
Brush/floss before. They are cleaning off the stuff that a normal brush can’t handle that built up, not doing the daily maintenance. Also, they are right in your face and likely don’t want to smell someone’s lunchtime tuna fish sandwich.
I’d be mortified not to. It would be like going to get a haircut without showering that day.
Do you wash your hair before getting a haircut? Out of respect for the professional, always clean yourself before they have to get up close and personal.
My guy says that color sets better on dirty hair.
That’s true, but we always prefer clean hair otherwise ;)
Yes, then they wash it again.
Because we want it wet. Spraying with water usually isn’t enough. Besides, most folks enjoy the scalp massage.
Oh I’m not complaining by any means.
I thought you probably weren’t! :D
I would never brush or floss before, unless I had just eaten something awful within the last hour or so. I think it is best to stick with your normal routine. You give the hygienist a better look at how good or bad your cleaning is. They can easily tell what is recent and what has stuck to the teeth and requires scaling. Furthermore, you aren’t saving them any stink. The stuff that you need their help to clean out smells about 50 times worse than the things you just ate (just smell your floss compared to your breath after any meal). A quick rinse with water will get the worst out of their way, and even if you’re a sloppy eater the rest will take maybe 5 minutes at worst to remove.
I brush my teeth beforehand. There were a couple of times when I didn’t, which led to the dental hygienist picking at my teeth and gums a lot more than when I did brush. I’d rather brush and get rid of as much crud from my teeth that way as opposed to having spend more time and pain at the dentist.
