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Toothpicks can be pretty handy when it comes to holding your sandwich together, but they’re not the best tools for picking lettuce and tomato out of your teeth. What many people see as a convenient floss alternative, a dentist sees as a potential dental emergency in the making! Keep reading, and you’ll understand why your Chicago dentist isn’t the biggest fan of these deli-shop staples.
Toothpicks Can Damage Your Gums
If your grip slips while using a toothpick to dislodge food debris, you could accidentally stab your gums. Besides causing discomfort, the cut is an open wound, and one that you can’t stick a Band-Aid on very easily. It’s more vulnerable to infection, which isn’t something you want to worry about ever, much less after enjoying a fantastic meal!
They Often Make the Problem Worse
Think about it this way: while holding a toothpick, you typically make a pushing motion to try to get the food out from between your pearly whites. Sometimes, this works just fine. Other times, you could actually end up pushing the food debris further into your gums, where it can cause more damage and irritation. Now that’s just counterproductive!
They Put Your Enamel Under Pressure
Sure, one scrape of a toothpick won’t break your teeth. But over time, repeated scratching will wear away at your dental enamel. Enamel is the outermost layer of your tooth’s structure and is responsible for shielding your smile from cavities and bacteria. As it becomes thinner and thinner, the tooth becomes more and more vulnerable to these conditions.
Toothpicks Can Splinter
Yes, in a way, a toothpick is simply a carefully sculpted splinter. But it can also leave wood shards behind in your gums if it breaks. Toothpicks, like splinters, aren’t difficult to snap in half, so it doesn’t take much force to put your gums in danger. An attempt to clean your smile could very well result in an emergency dentist plucking a thin wood fragment from your oral tissue.
The risks far outweigh the benefits when it comes to using toothpicks as floss. Instead of relying on these pokey thorns, stick to traditional floss or a water flosser. If you know you’re going to be out and about, why not keep a floss pick in your purse or pocket? The handle makes them easy to maneuver between your teeth, and the low-profile makes them extremely travel-friendly. The farther away you keep pointy objects away from your smile, the less likely you’ll be to need your emergency dentist in Chicago!
About the Author
Dr. Noah Rosen is a dedicated and skilled dentist who genuinely enjoys helping his patients take care of their oral health. As a life-long learner, Dr. Rosen is actively involved with Spear Education’s study group, and has completed their three-day intensive workshop. Basically, he’s well-qualified to provide same-day and after-hours emergency dental care for patients who need it! To contact Dr. Rosen about a toothpick-related dental disaster, call his office directly at 773-248-6140.