I always brush my teeth beforehand, but I know that there are always people who will behave differently.

  • derf82@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I try to cram 6 whole months worth of dental hygiene into the hours before my appointment.

  • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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.

  • zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev
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    1 year ago

    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.

    • jago@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      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.

  • redchlorophyll@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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.

  • son_named_bort@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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.

  • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Do you want to be done with the picking and scraping as easily and quickly as possible? Brush first. Not excessively, just as you normally would at night. If you’re flossing, do it a couple hours early so any swelling can subside before they measure your gums.

    Otherwise it’s like trying to mop an unswept floor.

  • SharkEatingBreakfast@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    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.

  • Jordan117@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’d be mortified not to. It would be like going to get a haircut without showering that day.

  • Vlyn@lemmy.zip
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    1 year ago

    The dentist doesn’t want to play peek-a-boo with your last meal.

    Obviously floss and brush beforehand.

  • FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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.