Maxima Maduka, Chief Dental Therapist, Garki Hospital, Abuja, during an interview on Friday, urged people to inculcate the practice of using dental floss to remove food particles between the teeth instead of using tooth picks.
Dental floss is a cord of thin filaments used to remove food particles and dental plague between the teeth in areas a toothbrush is unable to reach.
Maduka, said dental floss, specially made to clean between the teeth, was safer and healthier than tooth pick.
“Dental floss is safer and healthier, it does not damage teeth and the gum; flossing once a day can remove harmful particle hiding on the sides of the teeth,” she said.
She added that there were health implications in using tooth pick to clean between the teeth as it damaged gum, created unnatural space, injured enamel and eventual loss of teeth.
“It is not healthy to use tooth pick to remove food particle between the teeth because it can damage gum tissue and injure enamel.
“Tooth pick can break and get stuck in the gum tissue, once gum tissue is pierced, bacteria can enter and cause infection.
“When using a toothpick, you are constantly grinding away at the enamel, which can make the teeth susceptible to a lot of damage and other oral health issues. Patients could lose their teeth as a result of tooth picking,’’ she added.
