Dentist reveals common mistake people make everyday when brushing our teeth

A dentist has revealed that most people are making a very common mistake while brushing their teeth - and chances are, you could be among them.

Brushing your teeth is something most of us learned as soon as we first started growing teeth, and probably isn't something you give much thought to day to day.

Good oral hygiene is pretty important, from maintaining a sparkling healthy smile, to preventing decay and disease, which can affect more than just the mouth.

Most people know they need to brush twice a day for at least two minutes, and floss between their teeth - but it turns out you could be doing this fundamental task pretty wrong.

Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, aka @drshaadimanouchehri on TikTok - revealed that there are some pretty important rules about the order in which you should complete your mouthcare routine.

She explained: "Everyone always argues about which goes first. I'm a dentist and I'm going to tell you exactly which order to use your products in your oral hygiene routine."

While many people use mouthwash as the last step in their routine, immediately after brushing, Dr Shaadi says that's actually the "one time you shouldn't use it".

She revealed that it should be used before brushing or at another time altogether - and dental floss should also be used before brushing rather than after.

The dentist explained: "This is to get all the gunk and debris out so that when you brush your teeth you can concentrate on cleaning the leftover bits of debris and bacteria that's on your teeth."

And as for brushing, if you're rinsing your mouth out afterward, that's a no-no too.

She explained: "Brush for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste, don't rinse out, leave the fluoride on the teeth to be able to protect them and make them physically stronger."

Flouride - a naturally occurring mineral which strengthens tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay by promoting remineralization and reduces the destructive effects of acid on tooth enamel - is added to most toothpastes to prevent teeth from decaying.

While you're not meant to rinse the toothpaste from your mouth, dentists recommend spitting it out rather than swallowing it.

People flooded the comments, writing: "Funny how we never learned about this in kindergarten. They only told us toothbrush and toothpaste. Never heard of anyone flossing before moving to the UK."

Others added: "Wait? I’m suppose to tongue scrape, floss then brush??? I’ve been doing it backwards," and: "So you floss first ? I normally brush my teeth first lol."

Another commented: "spit don't rinse? until when.. what happen if we rinse?", while someone else added: "Dont rinse??? I’ll stress for a whole day."

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