Stuffing teeth is an experience that almost everyone has experienced, however, most of them can be easily cleaned out with fingers, tongue or dental floss, so many people don't take it seriously, but, what you may not know is that if you often plug your teeth, it is likely that the teeth are alerting us, so be careful!
Why are there "plugged teeth"?
There are gaps between healthy teeth and teeth, but this gap is "hidden" – one tooth is next to the other, and the gap between the teeth can be felt, but it is difficult to see directly with the eyes. Therefore, although we can floss freely between our teeth, under normal circumstances, food will not be stuffed between our teeth.
If you start having frequent tooth plugs, the most common reason is...... The gap between the teeth has become larger.
There are three main types of cases that cause "enlargement of the gap between the teeth":
01 Tooth loss
When the tooth is decayed, broken, worn out, etc., it is easy to destroy the original tight state between the tooth and the tooth, and the food is easy to become embedded in the tooth loss (such as the cavity of the tooth decay), and it is difficult to clean out.
02 Gum recession
There are many causes of gum recession, the most common being periodontitis. Periodontitis is not to be taken lightly!
When the hygiene around the teeth deteriorates, calculus accumulates between the teeth and gums, which can continue to irritate the gums, causing the gums to become red and swollen. When periodontitis progresses to a more severe stage, the alveolar bone that originally firmly supports the tooth may also be resorbed, and eventually the gums will atrophy along with the alveolar bone, forming a "black triangle".
▲ Gum recession process display. Image source: Dr. Hua Xi
In addition, the constant trauma of mechanical force can also cause the gums to recede. For example, using a hard bamboo toothpick to pick the impacted food after plugging the teeth, and brushing the teeth vigorously with a toothbrush with too hard bristles may cause damage to the gums and cause the gums to recede.
Finally, as we age, gum recession also occurs, but this physiological deterioration progresses very slowly and is negligible compared to the previous two. However, when the gums eventually recede to a certain extent, there will still be a "black triangle" between the teeth.
03 Teeth move
When periodontitis progresses to a certain level, not only will the gums recede, but also the teeth will loosen, and eventually the position of the teeth will shift, which will also make the original gap between the teeth larger and larger.
What should I do if my teeth are stuffed frequently?
If a significant gap between the teeth has formed, it is very difficult to make it disappear. To treat a stuffed tooth, you first need to understand what causes the plugged teeth.
When there is a defect in the hard tissue of the tooth, the resulting gap between the teeth can be covered by fillings, inlays, and crown restorations. If the defect is small, it can be filled directly with resin, and if the defect is large, it can also be restored and treated with inlays, crown restorations, etc.
If the gum recession is caused by periodontitis, trauma, etc., it can be repaired by basic periodontal treatment and periodontal surgery to a certain extent. However, when irreversible periodontitis has occurred in the whole mouth, and most of the teeth have large gaps between them, it will be difficult to restore the original tight alignment in practice.
Therefore, it is much more important and simple to prevent tooth plugging and the appearance of large gaps than to treat it.
First of all, do regular dental check-ups, and fill teeth in time if you find tooth decay and tooth hard tissue defects, especially those that occur on the adjacent surface of the teeth. If a small hole is not filled, it will eventually become a large hole, which will increase in difficulty and make it easier to appear between the teeth that cannot be saved.
Secondly, you should clean your teeth regularly, find a doctor to clean your teeth every year or so, and clean up the calculus, you can achieve good results. For periodontitis is more severe, the cleaning cycle can be appropriately shortened, and deep periodontal scaling may be performed according to the actual situation.
There is a misunderstanding that needs to be corrected here in particular -
It is often said that "you can't clean your teeth, and after cleaning, the gap between your teeth will become larger, and your gums will recede...... but in fact, the reason for gum recession is not "cleaning your teeth", but "not cleaning your teeth" or "washing late".
The essence of scaling is to remove the calculus in the middle of the teeth, just to remove the calculus. The reason why there is a misunderstanding is that after the calculus is removed, on the one hand, the gap between the teeth that was originally covered by calculus is revealed; On the other hand, the original redness and swelling of the gums gradually fade due to the removal of irritation, the gums further recede, and the gap between the teeth becomes larger.
So, your gums will be healthier after scaling. When calculus is removed, the progress of gum recession is actually contained. If you don't clean your teeth, the calculus will continue to weigh on your gums, which will only cause your gums to recede lower and faster.
In addition, when calculus is removed, it is easier to clean between the teeth and new calculus will form much slower.
Tips to prevent stuffed teeth
Proper brushing should be done on a daily basis, and at least once a day use interdental brushes, dental flossers, oral irrigators, and other interdental cleaning tools to clean between teeth or potential between teeth – adjacent to teeth.
Finally, if there are some areas that are always plugged, do not use bamboo toothpicks, which can easily damage the local gums and cause greater traumatic gum recession, but should use finer cleaning tools such as dental floss.
Remember, only if your teeth and gums are hygienic and healthy enough that your gums won't continue to recede, your teeth will be strong, and you can say goodbye to your stuffed teeth!
This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account of "Xinhuanet", source: Popular Science China