Should you floss before or after brushing?

Quick answer

A 2018 crossover trial in the Journal of Periodontology found that flossing before brushing removed more interdental plaque than brushing first, and left more fluoride in the plaque between teeth. Twenty-five dental students took part. They had stopped all oral hygiene for 48 hours before each test.

That fluoride result used a fluoride toothpaste. It does not measure hydroxyapatite. Doing both still matters more than the order. Klyyr One+ does not change the sequence. If you pick an order, floss first is the better-supported one for plaque.

01
Floss first won on plaque
In the floss-then-brush phase, interdental plaque and whole-mouth plaque dropped more than in the brush-then-floss phase. Marginal plaque did not differ.
02
The fluoride finding is fluoride
Interdental plaque held more fluoride when flossing came first. The paste in the study was a fluoride toothpaste. One+ has 0 ppm fluoride.
03
Twenty-five people, one weekend of plaque
They were dental students who had not cleaned their teeth for 48 hours. Useful, and narrow. It is not a two-year cavity trial.

Floss-then-brush versus brush-then-floss in the 2018 trial
What they measured	Floss, then brush Mazhari 2018	Klyyr One+ What it does not prove
Interdental plaque	Lower when floss came first	A mechanical result, before any paste claim
Whole-mouth plaque	Lower when floss came first	Same trial
Marginal plaque	No significant difference	Order is not everything
Fluoride between teeth	Higher when floss came first	Fluoride paste. Not One+
Hydroxyapatite	Not measured	Do not copy the fluoride sentence onto One+
Official required order	No single rule from the profession	Both, done, beats a perfect sequence you skip
One+	Brush with it after the floss	The paste does not floss for you

Mazhari and colleagues, Journal of Periodontology, 2018. Randomized crossover, 25 dental students, Rustogi Modified Navy Plaque Index, fluoride measured in interdental plaque. The fluoride arm used fluoride toothpaste. It was not a hydroxyapatite study and it did not test One+.

Sources behind this answer

The trial is small and short. It is still the study people are quoting when they say floss first.

Journal of Periodontology · 2018
Toothbrushing and flossing sequence
Mazhari and colleagues ran a randomized crossover trial in 25 dental students. Flossing before brushing reduced interdental and whole plaque more, and increased fluoride in interdental plaque. Marginal plaque did not differ.
Read the trial
American Dental Association
Floss and brush
The ADA's toothpaste and home-care guidance still comes down to removing plaque every day: brush, and clean between teeth. Sequence is a refinement. Skipping floss is not.
Read the ADA toothpaste overview
Current Klyyr label
One+ is fluoride-free
One+ lists 0 ppm fluoride and 10% hydroxyapatite. The 2018 fluoride-retention result used a fluoride toothpaste, so it is the wrong citation for a hydroxyapatite benefit.
Read the One+ product page

How to choose

If you already floss and brush

Put the floss first. The trial's plaque result is the reason. Then brush. Spit.

If you only have time for one

Brush. Then add floss as soon as you can. An ideal order you do not do loses to a shorter routine you finish.

If you use One+

The sequence is still floss, then brush. Do not expect the study's fluoride leftover to appear in a 0 ppm paste.

The Klyyr One+ formula

One+ is fluoride-free toothpaste with a clearly disclosed 10% nano + micro hydroxyapatite blend, 16 listed ingredients, peppermint + spearmint, no SLS, and no artificial dyes.

01
10% hydroxyapatite
Combined nano + micro hydroxyapatite, disclosed on the label. Ten percent is not a universal efficacy threshold.
02
16 listed ingredients
Water, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Hydroxyapatite (nano & micro), Xylitol, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Citrate, Aloe Vera, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Menthol, Sodium Benzoate, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract.
03
What is not in it
0 ppm fluoride. No SLS. No artificial dyes. Sodium cocoyl glutamate is the surfactant.
04
120 g aluminum tube
4.23 oz, approximately 90 brushings. Aluminum tube, HDPE cap. Recycle where accepted locally.

In short

Floss, then brush, if you want the order with evidence behind the plaque result. The fluoride bonus in that study does not belong to a fluoride-free paste.

01 Should you floss before or after brushing?

Before, if you are choosing. The 2018 trial found more interdental plaque removal when flossing came first. Brushing still has to happen.

02 Does that study apply to hydroxyapatite toothpaste?

The plaque result is about floss and a brush, so the mechanics carry over. The fluoride-retention result does not. One+ contains no fluoride.

03 Is the order more important than flossing at all?

No. Cleaning between teeth matters more than which step you do first. The trial assumed people did both.

04 How many people were in the study?

Twenty-five dental students, in a crossover, after 48 hours without oral hygiene. It is a real trial with a narrow setting.

Read the full FAQ →

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Floss, then brush.

Sources behind this answer

Toothbrushing and flossing sequence

Floss and brush

One+ is fluoride-free