Should you floss before or after you brush your teeth?

My wife and I debated that topic this morning. I was at the bathroom sink and moments before flossing a thought crept in, “Wait - should I floss before or after I brush my teeth?”

My wife is hell bent on flossing after she brushes her teeth. The analogy she used was, “Brushing your teeth first is like vacuuming the floor before mopping, all the debris gets sucked up so you have a quick and easy mopping experience.” I guess that’s a good point. Get your mouth as clean as possible for less of a flossing mess.

I like to floss before I brush my teeth. I like seeing the chunks of food removed first and then having a brief moment of minty freshness between my teeth. This also makes the brushing part a bit faster, because every second counts when the mornings are jammed packed.

So who was right? Doesn’t matter. Because I never got around to flossing my teeth. I spent my time debating the matter rather than flossing. I did a quick brushing and then rushed off to feed the dogs before work.

We waste enormous amounts of time and energy trying to figure things out. We go back and forth with should I do this? or should I do that? when deciding what to do. All that time and energy with indecision could have been invested in doing the damn thing, discovering what happens, and creating new memories and results.

My indecision about flossing is a simple example to make this point. I know my flossing debate is inconsequential, because I can floss tomorrow, but when life presents you with a life changing decision or opportunity, are you going to step into the unknown and discover what happens? Or, are you going to wallow with indecision and miss the opportunity?

Many times, the thought of fear itself is greater than what it is we fear.

Idowu Koyenikan, as seen on Goodreads

So much love and happiness is lost to the fear of the unknown. You will never be able to figure out your life. The pieces of life come together as you journey step by step into the unknown.

And don’t worry - I promise to floss tomorrow. I’ve already decided to floss before I brush my teeth. :)