Prior to COVID-19, a meal out with friends was a delight. Chatting for hours while you each enjoy tasty food of your choice made for good memories and good times. It always gets a little awkward near the end of such an event. Your plates are empty, but you don't want to leave, and the dreaded bill is waiting to be addressed. Still, something even more despicable comes with that folded, leather pocketbook: a couple of two-inch, pointed pieces of wood wrapped in plastic.
I'm Saving That For Later
The toothpick is the most deceptive of oral tools. Its primary suggested use is for the extraction of left-over food particles that trap themselves between your teeth as you eat. While a good theory in concept, the application of use can have terrible results. Poking and prodding at your gums is a good way to irritate them to inflammation and squeezing that hardened bit of tree into your teeth may not prove effective at all. Removing anything from your teeth should be done gently to avoid any unnecessary injury. If it really bothers you to feel those tiny strawberry seeds, stringy mango flesh, and squished up miscellaneous then bring floss with you. Floss is designed to hug your tooth and slip easily into your gums!
Leave It To Beaver
A second, less known, use is to curb unwanted habits by putting half of this little stick in your mouth and chomping down on it. This tactic is proposed to cigarette users for satisfying their oral fixation in the hopes that this will help kick their smoking habits. This could be true or not, but one thing we know for certain – wood is not consumable by humans. Our teeth are not designed to chew on things that we can't eat. A rodent's teeth are! Rats, gerbils, and all their cousins have teeth that never stop growing, so to file them down they must chew on wood. They chew on wood to make their teeth shorter. When you chew on wood, you are making your teeth shorter! Unfortunately, ours don't grow back.
Schedule an Appointment
If you have any concerns about the damage your teeth may have endured from the use of toothpicks, please give us a call at (541) 779-4517 and we'll help keep you smiling! We are always here to help.
Testimonials | Dentist Medford, OR | Rogue Valley Dental Center At Rogue Valley Dental Center, we know our patients want to make sure they are in good hands, which is why you should check out these first-hand testimonials! Rogue Valley Dental Center, 1150 Crater Lake Ave, Suite E, Medford, OR 97504-6213; (541) 779-4517; medforddentalcenter.com; 6/7/2023; Key Phrases: dentist Medford OR;
Rogue Valley Dental Center 
Prior to COVID-19, a meal out with friends was a delight. Chatting for hours while you each enjoy tasty food of your choice made for good memories and good times. It always gets a little awkward near the end of such an event. Your plates are empty, but you don't want to leave, and the dreaded bill is waiting to be addressed. Still, something even more despicable comes with that folded, leather pocketbook: a couple of two-inch, pointed pieces of wood wrapped in plastic. 