4 Reasons Tooth Picking is Bad for Your Dental Health Rifkin Raanan Beverly Hills Cosmetic Dentistry

Many people used to pick their teeth just to clear the food stuck in them, especially after eating. Some people have even seen it as a habit they have to do after every meal. Meanwhile, most of them are oblivious of the danger involved in this act. Here are 4 reasons why tooth picking is bad for your oral health.

1. It can cause oral infections: Reasons why many people acquire more severe oral discomforts such as mouth cancer cannot be far fetched from tooth picking. Bear it in mind that toothpicks are never sterile as they are only stored on tables and closets and kept inside their boxes or cases. It would never be ideal putting such thing in your mouth for health reasons.
2. Constant tooth picking can break the enamel of your teeth: The enamel which is a hard yet thin layer covering the crown of a tooth is a vital tissue, as it serves as the main protection or coat of the tooth. Due to its thinness, this tissue can easily break, given that toothpicks are made up of hard substances like plastic and wood. Once the user applies pressure on the tooth, the enamel will easily break off of it. Just imagine all of the damage your tooth enamel has taken so far if you are using it three times a day.
3. It can cause damage to the gums: Whenever a person uses a toothpick, it is inevitable for such person to sometimes hit his gums with it. Worse is when he applies too much pressure and it could accidentally cause injuries to his gums. If you have wounded or damaged gums, the chances of being able to acquire diseases would be higher most especially, if the gums become infected. This is why most dentists advise their patients and clients to use dental flossers instead as they are proven to be more safe.
4. It was introduced by cavemen: Back then, cavemen didn’t have resources to take care of their dental care needs. All they can afford was to have a twig or a small branch of a plant to use as their means to clean their teeth. However, in this day and age it is surprising that a lot of people are still into tooth picking given that it is already proven to be hazardous to one’s oral health. This reason may not be related to oral health, but it is an action that is just not good to look at. Perhaps if you lived back in the time of cavemen, then such action would be justifiable, but it’s 2014 and we already have dental flossers.

People often overlook the health hazards that it can probably give them. There are no implemented rules that prevent people from using toothpicks. All we have are constant reminders from dentists, health care facilities and concerned citizens such as myself in order to inform everyone out there that tooth picking is bad for oral health.