It’s a fact of life that food gets stuck between our teeth. It happens to everyone. Have you ever noticed that it seems to happen at the worst times, though? Almost everyone has experienced that moment of panic when it feels like something is stuck right between the two front teeth during a business dinner, a date, or in another situation where the potential for embarrassment is high. According to the old cliché, the item that gets caught between the teeth is spinach, but in reality it can be just about anything.
What do you do when it happens to you? Everyone has a different way of dealing with this situation. Let’s take a look at a few options.
Dental floss
This is a popular option, especially if it happens when you’re home. There are a few important factors to keep in mind. Take enough dental floss so you can wrap it around your finger a few times; this will help you maintain a good grip on it. Place it gently between your teeth. Be careful that you are not rough because you may damage your gums or otherwise injure your mouth. Move the floss up and down and side to side with gentle motions to dislodge whatever is stuck between your teeth. Remember: flossing is not just to remove food items stuck between your teeth. It’s also an essential part of your daily oral care routine. If you don’t floss daily, you will not truly be maintaining your oral health.
Portable floss
Many people don’t carry dental floss with them wherever they go. Today, there are small dental picks that have a small section of floss on them. They are an excellent alternative to traditional dental floss, and they can fit into a purse or even a desk drawer at work for situations away from home. Just as with traditional dental floss, be careful to ease the floss between your teeth so you don’t damage your gums. Just like dental floss, they are designed for a single use.
Gum
If you don’t have any type of floss with you, sugarless gum may come in handy. It can dislodge the item that is stuck. As an added bonus, it will also help remove debris from your teeth; this is a good stopgap measure to keep them cleaner until you can brush again.
When it happens to someone else?
The topic of food stuck between the teeth raises another touchy subject: what to do when a friend or companion has this problem. Although it can be very awkward to make the other person aware of it, you’d want that courtesy if the roles were reversed.
So, what to do? Tact and sensitivity are important; you want to tell the person it’s there without making him or her feel embarrassed. You might say it directly: “Sue, you have something here,” and point to your teeth discreetly. Sometimes, no words are necessary; if there are others within earshot, you could catch his or her eye and gesture to your own teeth. That generally gets the message across in a way that minimizes embarrassment.
Remember: it happens to everyone. If it happens to you, don’t be embarrassed. If it happens to your friend or companion, let the person know. If you are concerned or have questions, please contact us.