Toothpicks: Why They Might Be Bad for Your Dental Health (2024)

“I wonder if it's okay to use a toothpick to get rid of food between my teeth after eating.

Are toothpicks bad for your teeth?

See Also

How to floss: Technique, Advantages, Disadvantages and more

I always floss after meals and brush my teeth twice a day. My roommate keeps saying toothpicks aren't safe, but he's not a dentist!”

– Questions from Thea of Mt Gravatt, Brisbane

Dental Hygienist, Carlene Franklin replies:

The chance of causing significant damage to your teeth from using a toothpick - is quite low. It is, however, still a possibility. The main concern/risk is the toothpick causing irritation to your gums around the tooth.

There might be an alternative to using a toothpick

Instead of using a toothpick, you could use an “interdental brush", also known as Piksters. Piksters are ultra-slender interdental brushes. They have tiny cylindrical bristles, to clean spaces between teeth with great ease and efficiency. Interdental brushes and floss do a better and safer job at removing food between your teeth.

While toothpicks work fine if used carefully, there are superior options - like above. Of course, the more you use a toothpick, the more likely you are to hurt your gums.

Do you get food trapped between your teeth?

If you find food stuck in your teeth often, it's a good idea to talk to us, to figure out why it is happening. Having food stuck in your teeth frequently can lead to further problems - such as tooth decay.

Food might get stuck between your teeth because of different reasons. It can range from the size and spacing of your teeth - to a filling that is causing food to get trapped next to the tooth. If you are finding your flossing after every meal, come in to see us. We can help investigate further and see what is going on.

Flossing technique

This is a perfect time to review the recommended technique for flossing your teeth.

1. Cut yourself a 30cm (roughly) piece of dental floss.
2. Gently wrap it around your index fingers, ensuring you have a good grip on it.
3. Glide the dental floss between each of your teeth spaces, hugging the floss around every side of every tooth.
4. Wrap the floss around the front of the tooth and move it up and down three to four times. (Instead of just straight up and down). Carefully go as far under the gum line as you can without hurting yourself.
5. Keep your gums healthy with this technique, repeating every night!

I recommend flossing at least once a day, but if you can do it twice, even better! We can show you how to use interdental brushes and figure out which size works best for your mouth, as an extra measure to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

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