DESPITE several warnings to stop cleaning her ears with a toothpick, Mary ignored her parents’ advice. One fateful day, she was be hospitalised, following an incident in which she accidentally pricked her eardrum with a toothpick.
Like Mary, many people use toothpicks for various things including removing food particles from between the teeth and eating fruits.
Used properly, a toothpick can be a great tool to remove food from between your teeth, but if used aggressively, it can injure your gum or break off between the teeth.
So before you think of feasting on a sumptuous meal, you may need to invest in dental floss because toothpicks have been proven dangerous. In addition to pricking your gum, a toothpick leaves some food stuck between their molars.
Dr. Robert Kironde, a dental expert with Dino Dental, Kampala, says tooth decay and damaged teeth are on the rise as a result of regular use and misuse of toothpicks. Many people reach out for toothpicks after a meal instead of brushing or flossing.
“Despite costing less than dental floss, toothpicks strip the gum and push more food between the teeth,” Kironde says. The decayed food results in cavities, also exposing one to gum diseases.
According to Kironde, about 50% of the Ugandan population has dental problems including caries (tooth decay), bad breath (halitosis) and gum inflammation (pulpitis).
Kironde advises that one invests in dental floss to help remove plaque and decayed food that tends to stick between the teeth. Food decay and plaque also causes irritation to the gums, allowing the gum tissue to bleed more easily.
It is, therefore, important to use toothpicks gently and chew on them, (if you must toothpicks), or use the more rounded ones as they are less likely to damage the gum.
No comments:
Post a Comment