Best ways to clean food traps in teeth
Taxonomy of Food Traps
- Spaces between teeth
- Large or small cavities,
- Chips, cracks,
- Broken fillings,
- Naturally occurring grooves on the occlusal (chewing) surfaces of molars
- Gum pockets
- Braces
- Removable dentures
How to tell if you have a food trap
You are probably aware of the most problematic food traps in your own mouth. Those spots where a fragment of carrot, a wad of chewed bread or a strand of celery often seems to get stuck. It nags at your attention after a meal, a tiny speck of leftovers that feels much bigger than it really is. You worry it with your tongue or poke at it with your fingernail but that’s not usually enough to get rid of that persistent feeling of something’s not quite right. Even if you get the most uncomfortable chunk of food out of the trap, an imperceptible residue can remain as an endless buffet for bacteria.
You may be better off getting a dental restoration to fill in the food trap, especially if there is active decay. Depending on the nature of the food trap, holistic healing strategies may help to resolve it eventually.
However, if you can’t (or won’t) close the food trap immediately, you can mitigate its risks by keeping your mouth spotlessly clean at all times. The best way to discourage the unhelpful bacteria staking out your food traps is to analyze those problem areas in your mouth, figure out the best way to keep each different kind of food trap clear and then get in the habit of deploying the most effective cleaning methods after every time you eat.
Best ways to clean food traps
Water flosser (oral irrigator) – best all round tool for all kinds of food traps, especially deep cavities and braces. Just don’t angle it straight into a gum pocket. When you are eating away from home, consider getting an inexpensive manual irrigator that is small enough to carry around for a discreet squirt in the bathroom after eating.
Intraoral brush (Pixter) – good for cleaning food traps in gaps, cavities or chips between teeth. They come in a range of sizes, so use the right size brush for each food trap and wash between uses.
Floss – convenient for removing food from between teeth with tight contacts. Avoid plastic- coated floss (Oral B and the like) as these can embed microplastics in your gums, make sure you your flossing technique is safe and avoid using floss picks.
Oil pulling – can be effective especially if you have food trapped in a lot of parts of your mouth. Avoid oil pulling if you have amalgam or new fillings.
Dodgy approaches to food traps
Toothpicks are not ideal because they can pack food deeper into a food trap. If you must use a toothpick, be very gentle and avoid poking your gums. Always use a fresh clean tip and toothpicks after one use.
Fingers and finger nails shouldn’t be used because they can spread germs, break up the food fragments or pack them in deeper.
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