Community Magazine January 2014

DR. JACQUES DOUECK F ood gets stuck in your teeth for one of three reasons. First, spaces may have developed in the area between the roots of your teeth due to gum recession. Second, implants with spaces at the gum line may be trapping food. This is often due to the size difference between implants and the natural roots. Since teeth are naturally wider than implants – it is not unusual to have spaces between implants and natural teeth. In some cases the dentist can compensate for this by overbuilding the implant crown. That needs to be evaluated in each case by the dentist. Be sure to have your dentist determine if this is a problem that can be corrected. Unfortunately, in some cases there is not much you can do about these problems. It’s annoying, and you simply need to keep a supply of SoftPicks ™ or dental floss handy whenever you eat. The third reason that food lodges between teeth is more damaging. It is not uncommon for the back molars to drift apart, creating an opening or inadequate contact between the teeth. When this happens, it is not simply an annoyance, but also a prime cause of decay between the teeth which can lead to breakdown of the gum and bone in that area. Even if you think you have cleaned out all of the food, some particles invariably remain which feed the bacteria that cause gum disease and bad breath. If you treat these open contacts early, you will avoid extensive and expensive damage. Often, the solution is to change a filling and recreate a tight, healthy contact between the molars. The upper molars are the most likely to drift backwards due to the pressure of clenching and grinding your teeth while sleeping or even during the day. In fact, even after we recreate a tight contact, clenching and grinding your teeth can cause the space to reopen again after just a few weeks. Although this is frustrating for you and the dentist, it is important to go back and correct the problem. So, if there is a place in your mouth that requires constant flossing or digging out trapped foods, remember that open spaces in the back molars can cause more damage than you can imagine. A small filling now may help you avoid root canals, crowns, or even the loss of teeth due to gum disease.We know that you don’t like to complain – but food impactions caused by drifting molars need to be corrected. It is easy to ignore the food impaction and learn to floss or toothpick the area after every meal, but that is inconvenient and not always possible, and also leads to big problems that can be easily avoided. So, instead of using your molars to store some of your lunch for later, get those spaces closed and save yourself unnecessary expense and inconvenience. If you get meat, oranges or other foods stuck between your teeth, you are not alone. Many patients complain that some of their food gets stuck between their teeth while they are eating, and they then need to use floss or toothpicks for relief. This can be embarrassing at a party, when you smile and your friend lets you know that you have a sesame seed between your front teeth. Getting Food Stuck Between your Teeth? 90 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE