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After a delicious meal, you might be tempted to reach for a toothpick. After all, you may have bits of food debris lodged between your teeth, and a toothpick could seem like a convenient way to freshen up. But are toothpicks bad for your oral health?

No doubt keeping your teeth clean of food debris is important for better oral health, but some people feel incomplete if they do not end a meal without using a toothpick.

The Risks of Using  Toothpicks

Sadly, the frequent use of toothpicks could cause some serious harm to your teeth and gums.

If a toothpick is frequently inserted into the same place, it may put enough pressure on your teeth to shift them, creating extra space that should not be there.

Many toothpick users tend to chew on them. This can cause premature wear and tear on the tooth enamel. Toothpicks can damage the gums, causing them to recede and expose the fragile tooth roots underneath. You might accidentally puncture your gums with a toothpick’s sharp ends.

Toothpicks may cause damage to existing dental restorations and prosthetics, such as veneers, crowns, and fillings.

What Should You Use Instead of Toothpicks?

The best way to clean between your teeth is to use dental floss. As long as it is used correctly, it is unlikely to harm your oral tissues.

Think twice the next time you are tempted to reach for toothpick.

The choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”

It is a major distressing phenomena to most of us as it has functional and aesthetic concerns. It happens due to multiple factors among the young and old. An ugly back gap between your teeth when you smile, or not being able to eat your favourite crunchies is not a pleasant scenario.

Here are some of the problems that missing teeth can cause:

Bite alignment :

Teeth wear/jaw stress. Jaw bone loss (up to a 25% reduction in the first year) Aged appearance and diminished chewing ability. This gives rise to digestive issues especially to the elderly.

Misalignment of Other Teeth :

Your teeth constantly exert pressure on the teeth on either side of them. In this way, all of the teeth in your mouth depend on support from the adjacent teeth to remain in place in the soft gum tissue. When one or more teeth are missing, it can cause the teeth on either side of the gap to drift inward where the missing tooth used to be.

Waiting too long to replace a missing tooth can eventually cause adjacent teeth to drift enough that problems such as crowding occur.

If you are searching for tooth replacement options, visit Bansal’s Dental Care Centre so we can find the best solution for you.