Does Food Get Stuck Between Your Teeth When You Eat?

Posted on Posted in Advice

Trapped food can become a problem. We explain how to minimise it and how to remove any food that remains.

We all eat food and when we do, the vast majority of it is removed from the oral cavity as we swallow. Small remnants then remain and much of this is flushed away by the saliva that we produce and also the liquids that we drink. Even with this though, it is almost certain that some stubborn pieces of food will remain.

This is not good news, especially as the majority of us probably only brush our teeth as part of our daily oral care regime. Brushing is good, but it probably won’t remove all of the food debris that gets trapped between the teeth. If these small food particles remain, it will start to break down and produce acids that attack the tooth enamel. This is one of the reasons why so many cases of tooth decay start in these areas. In addition to this, bacteria will collect and you are likely to find that gum disease will also soon follow.

Preventing trapped food

So how can you prevent food becoming trapped in your teeth? One thing that will make this less of a problem is if your teeth are straight and even. Some food will still become trapped but should be more easily removed with proper care, which we will come to shortly. Many people have teeth that are crooked and perhaps press against each other or overlap. If even tiny pieces of food get trapped in these areas, they may not be removed, even with quality cleaning.  Although the majority of patients of our Burton dental clinic that have orthodontic treatment do so for cosmetic purposes, this is another benefit which shouldn’t be underestimated.

The other thing that you can do is to be careful about what you eat. Avoiding sticky foods such as barbeque sauces and dried fruit will be a help as these can be quite persistent and difficult to remove. Eating crunchy vegetables like raw carrots and celery will also help to remove some food debris.

Finally, make sure to drink plenty of water. Not only will this, in itself, help to flush some food away but will also help you to produce a good quantity of saliva.

Removing trapped food

A good diet and straight and even teeth will help to reduce the amount of food that gets trapped, but some will almost certainly still persist. Most of us will brush our teeth, but even here, we can improve our brushing by making sure that the bristles are still healthy and also pointing them to the gums so that tiny particles and bacteria can be removed from beneath the gum line more easily.

One of the most important things that you can do though is to add flossing between your teeth to your daily oral care routine. With only around one in five of us using dental floss, it isn’t hard to see why a large number of people might be affected in this way.

If you have never used dental floss, it really isn’t as tricky to use as you might think. There are plenty of videos that you can watch, and our hygienist at SG Dental and Implant Centre will be happy to show you how to use it correctly. Whichever method of learning you use, the important thing is to stick to it. You will soon find that you are doing it as easily as you brush your teeth, and will have healthier teeth to show for it.

A word about orthodontics

We mentioned earlier that straight and even teeth are less likely to suffer from trapped food and that this can be achieved by using orthodontics. It is worth mentioning here that traditional dental braces can bring their own problems for the duration of the treatment, with food sometimes becoming trapped in the wires and brackets. This, and the more aesthetic appeal, is one of the important benefits of modern orthodontic systems which use removable trays instead of the older approach of using wires and brackets. Their removal when eating and for cleaning the teeth ensures that the risk of trapped food is greatly minimised. If you are considering having your teeth straightened, our Burton dental team will be happy to discuss these with you.

Whatever type of food we eat, there may still be problems caused by trapped food that build up over time. This is one of the reasons that we recommend that our patients see both a dentist and a hygienist every six months in order to keep on top of issues such as  these. If you would like to make an appointment with us, please call SG Dental and Implant Centre in Burton today on 01283 845345.