Having food stuck between your teeth is a common experience for almost everyone. While most cases can be easily cleared with fingers, tongue, or dental floss, many people tend to overlook it.
However, what you may not know is that frequent food impaction could be a warning sign from your teeth. Pay attention!
Why Does Food Get Stuck?
There are tiny gaps between healthy teeth, although these gaps are often "hidden" – teeth are closely positioned, making the spaces between them perceptible but not easily visible to the naked eye. Therefore, even though dental floss can freely pass through these gaps, under normal circumstances, food should not get stuck there.
If you find yourself experiencing frequent food impaction, the most common reason is... the gaps between your teeth have widened.
There are three main causes of "gaps between teeth":
Tooth damage: Cavities, fractures, or wear and tear can disrupt the tight alignment between teeth, allowing food to get stuck in the damaged areas (such as cavities) and making it difficult to clean out.
Gum recession: Gum recession can have various causes, with periodontitis being the most common. It's important not to underestimate the seriousness of periodontitis! When oral hygiene around the teeth deteriorates, plaque builds up between the teeth and gums, continuously irritating the gums and causing them to become red and swollen. In severe cases of periodontitis, the supporting bone around the teeth may also be absorbed, leading to gum recession along with bone loss, forming what is known as a "black triangle."
Gum recession process demonstration. Image source: Huaxi Doctor
Furthermore, continuous mechanical trauma can also lead to gum recession. For example, using a hard bamboo toothpick to remove food stuck between teeth after flossing, or brushing forcefully with a toothbrush with hard bristles, can potentially damage the gums and cause gum recession.
Lastly, as one ages, gum recession may naturally occur, albeit at a very slow pace compared to the previous two causes. However, when the gums eventually recede to a certain extent, "black triangles" may appear between the teeth.
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When periodontitis progresses to a certain extent, not only will gum recession occur, but it can also cause teeth to become loose, eventually leading to tooth movement, which can further widen the gaps between teeth.
Is there a way to save teeth with frequent food impaction?
If noticeable gaps between teeth have already formed, making them disappear is a very challenging task. To treat food impaction, it is essential to first understand the underlying causes.
When there is a defect in the hard tissues of the teeth leading to gaps, it can be concealed through methods like dental fillings, inlays, or dental crowns. Small defects can be directly filled with resin, while larger ones may require inlays, dental crowns, and other restorative treatments.
If gum recession is caused by periodontitis, trauma, or other factors, it can be partially restored through periodontal basic treatment and periodontal surgery. However, in cases where irreversible periodontitis affects all teeth and large gaps have formed between most teeth, it becomes challenging to restore the original tight alignment.
Therefore, preventing food impaction and the emergence of large gaps between teeth is far more important and simpler than treating them.
Firstly, regular dental check-ups are crucial. If cavities or hard tissue defects in teeth, especially those occurring between adjacent teeth, are found, prompt treatment is necessary. Neglecting small cavities can lead to larger ones, increasing the difficulty of treatment and the likelihood of irreversible gaps.
Secondly, regular professional teeth cleaning is essential. Getting a dental cleaning once a year can effectively remove tartar buildup. For severe cases of periodontitis, the cleaning frequency may need to be adjusted, and deep periodontal scaling may be required based on the individual situation.
It is important to correct a common misconception here—
Many people believe that "cleaning teeth will enlarge the gaps between teeth and cause gum recession..." In reality, the opposite is true. Gum recession is not caused by dental cleaning but rather by the lack of it or delayed cleaning.
The essence of dental cleaning is to remove tartar from between the teeth. The misconception arises because after tartar removal, the gaps between teeth that were previously covered by tartar become visible. Additionally, as the gum inflammation gradually subsides due to the removal of irritants, the gums recede further, leading to larger gaps between teeth.
Therefore, post-cleaning gums are healthier. The progression of gum recession is actually halted after tartar removal. Without cleaning, tartar continues to compress the gums, causing them to recede further and faster.
Moreover, after tartar removal, it is easier to clean between teeth, and the formation of new tartar is significantly reduced.
Illustration of Teeth Cleaning. Image Source: People's Daily
Tips for Preventing Tooth Clogging
It is important to pay attention to the correct way of brushing your teeth daily, and to use dental floss, interdental brushes, or water flossers at least once a day to clean the gaps between teeth or potential tooth clogs - the adjacent surfaces of teeth.
Finally, if certain areas are prone to tooth clogging, never use bamboo toothpicks, as they can easily damage the local gums, leading to greater traumatic gum recession. Instead, use dental floss or other finer cleaning tools for proper cleaning.
Remember, only when teeth and gums are sufficiently hygienic and healthy, gums will not continue to recede, teeth will be firm, and tooth clogs will be a thing of the past!
Planning and Production
Author: He Jianliang, Attending Physician, Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine
Review: Tang Qin, Researcher, Director of Science Popularization Department, Chinese Medical Association
Planning: Yang Yaping
Editor: Yang Yaping
Proofreading: Xu Lai, Lin Lin
