A dental expert tells why you’d never want to use a toothpick to clean your teeth and the dangers of it.
The leading-edge research firm that focused on the digital transformation, while toothpicks are handy, they may not be the most logical and safest choice. Here are the health risks associated with using toothpicks, as well as other ways of removing food from your teeth.
The dental risks associated with using toothpicks
Using toothpicks isn’t without risks. The stick can break, introduce germs into your gums, and damage the dental work. Here is why toothpicks cannot be the finest for the oral health:
A toothpick might break if it is being used improperly or if it is being used too harshly. Broken or wedged toothpicks can lead to inflammation of the soft tissue if you don’t remove them as soon as they are discovered.
“The best way to deal with a broken or fractured tooth is to allow the tooth to heal naturally,” she says. “If we have a broken tooth, which is a common thing, the next step is putting some bandage on it.”
If you have broken pieces that are particularly difficult to remove from your teeth, you may need to visit your dentist or hygienist if you want to properly and safely extract them.
Toothpicks do not only hurt the person using them. The pointy end makes them easy to poke into the gums or other parts of the mouth. This can allow bacteria, which cause infection to enter the mouth.
Bacteria can come from anywhere, even from a toothpick. They also added that this bacteria can be stored safely in a germ-free environment.
Toothpicks may cause damage to dental work such as fillings and veneers. People should only use toothpicks to get to the tooth as they can cause damage.
The problem that can occur is that if the gap in the restoration is not big enough, the toothpick can fit in. If that happens, the toothpick can widen the gap or cause the restoration material to fall out.
It is important: Chewing toothpicks can also wear down your teeth and this can be worse than if you grind your teeth.
Great alternative for toothpick
There are a few ways to get food out of your teeth that are more effective and safer than using a toothpick.
Toothpicks are not the best way to clean between your teeth. The best alternative for toothpicks is flossing because it is much softer, can be used between teeth, and is more effective to use. Flossing also has the added benefit of helping to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
You should be prepared with a few things if you go out to eat, so you don’t need to look for your toothpicks.
When it comes to using toothpicks the risks exceed the benefits, therefore, it’s best to be safe and follow dentist advice. Other than that, it’s better to brush your teeth using dentist-approved methods. Flossing is a more effective and safe way than using a toothpick.
