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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

What To Do About A Stuck Strand Of Dental Floss

by Eric Bailey

Dental floss is an important oral health tool used to remove food particles and other debris from the gaps between your teeth. While the importance of flossing has been downgraded slightly in the past few years, it is still essential when you know you have popcorn kernels or other irritants stuck around your gum line. Yet it's also possible for floss to shred or tear while you're using it and become lodged on a tooth or between two teeth. Get rid of the strand without damaging your teeth with these four tips.

Get a Higher Grade of Floss

Unless the floss is stuck around a tooth protrusion or a piece of hardware like a crown or retainer, you can most likely get it out yourself. You will need to buy the thickest, strongest, and widest floss you can find and comfortably use it to remove the wedged material. Floss ribbon is the best choice because it is wide and gentle, but even just a thick brand name floss will work.

Try a Floss Threader

Check the dental aisle of your local drug store or ask your dentist for a tool known as a floss threader. This is a thin loop of plastic wire that is pointed like a needle at one end. You thread a strand of strong floss through the loop, then insert the flexible and blunt needle between your teeth. Try to thread the floss under the stuck strand and gently work it upwards and back and forth. This should pull loose any floss that isn't wrapped up in a protrusion or dental work.

Knot a Piece

If you can't find a floss threader tool but still have a high-quality floss on hand, try putting a knot or two in a strand of floss. Repeat the same process as above by bringing the knotted area under the floss and lifting upward. Adding the knots creates slightly more pressure between the teeth to help wedge them apart and let the strand free without any discomfort or damage to your teeth.

See the Dentist

When you suspect the dental floss is caught on the tooth itself, a filling, or a crown, you should see a dentist rather than trying to remove it yourself. Yanking too hard on the material could damage your teeth permanently and cause a lot of pain if you loosen a filling or crown. The dentist can also smooth the sharp edge or corner that caught the floss in the first place to prevent the problem from happening again. Hop over to this website to learn more. 

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