{"id":186,"date":"2023-03-03T23:34:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T23:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/?p=186"},"modified":"2025-03-19T17:38:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T17:38:05","slug":"what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Harm Can a Toothpick Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of someone holding a toothpick and covering their mouth\" class=\"wp-image-187\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As any dentist will tell you, breaking up the plaque deposits between your teeth is vitally important to your overall oral health. That being the case, you may think that carrying around a toothpick is a good way to keep your teeth and gums in good condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the fact is that toothpicks are unfortunately more likely to do harm than good. If you want to know why that is, here\u2019s how a toothpick could potentially cause a dental emergency, and what you can use instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Harm Can a Toothpick Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Toothpicks may seem like a convenient way to keep your teeth clean, but the fact is that they do a lot of damage if you aren\u2019t careful. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Breaking<\/strong>: Most toothpicks are pretty cheaply made, meaning that they can potentially break and get stuck in your gums. This could even be bad enough to send you to the dentist\u2019s office.<\/li><li><strong>Laceration<\/strong>: If you slip while using a toothpick, you could cut or stab yourself. The damage can range from mild to severe but isn\u2019t much fun in either case.<\/li><li><strong>Infections<\/strong>: Most people don\u2019t sterilize their toothpicks before they use them, which means that bacteria can pass from the toothpick to your gums. If you do wind up accidentally cutting yourself, this can make the problem even worse.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Should I Use Instead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While a toothpick isn\u2019t the best idea, wanting to clean your teeth after a meal is a good instinct; you just have to do it in the right way. The best thing to do, as you might guess, is dental floss. It\u2019s convenient enough to carry with you and can be used easily on the go. Though, it\u2019s fair to say that you\u2019ll get more looks whipping out dental floss than you will with a toothpick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, you might prefer to use an interdental brush. These are small cleaners that are designed to slot between your teeth, almost like a toothpick. However, these tend to be made of a much more durable material than toothpicks are, and can give you a much deeper clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep this in mind, and you can avoid a trip to the emergency dentist. And when you do see them for a regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">checkup<\/a>, you can still impress them with how clean your teeth are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Our Practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At Queen Creek Complete Dental, we have everything you need to keep your family smiling. We have an experienced dental team capable of offering you comprehensive dental care, including everything from checkups to state-of-the-art dental implants. We\u2019re happy to welcome patients of all ages, and with all kinds of oral health problems, and give them the care they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any questions about how to take care of your teeth safely &amp; effectively, we can be reached at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or by phone at (480) 722-1200.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As any dentist will tell you, breaking up the plaque deposits between your teeth is vitally important to your overall oral health. That being the case, you may think that carrying around a toothpick is a good way to keep your teeth and gums in good condition. However, the fact is that toothpicks are unfortunately [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Queen Creek Complete Dental | Queen Creek Dentist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-03T23:34:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-19T17:38:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"queencreek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"queencreek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/\",\"name\":\"What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-03T23:34:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-19T17:38:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/407f47ea639826c32242e848a24e186e\"},\"description\":\"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":532},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Harm Can a Toothpick Do?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Queen Creek Complete Dental | Queen Creek Dentist\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/407f47ea639826c32242e848a24e186e\",\"name\":\"queencreek\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f267aee044a0394e6d98ded0888093?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f267aee044a0394e6d98ded0888093?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"queencreek\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/author\/queencreek\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental","description":"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental","og_description":"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/","og_site_name":"Queen Creek Complete Dental | Queen Creek Dentist","article_published_time":"2023-03-03T23:34:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-19T17:38:05+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg"}],"author":"queencreek","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"queencreek","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/","url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/","name":"What Harm Can A Toothpick Do? | Queen Creek Complete Dental","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg","datePublished":"2023-03-03T23:34:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-19T17:38:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/407f47ea639826c32242e848a24e186e"},"description":"Toothpicks are a popular way to clean between teeth, though they may do more harm than good. Here\u2019s why that is the case.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/AdobeStock_119450619__1___1680823809_45681.jpg","width":800,"height":532},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/03\/what-harm-can-a-toothpick-do\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Harm Can a Toothpick Do?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/","name":"Queen Creek Complete Dental | Queen Creek Dentist","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/407f47ea639826c32242e848a24e186e","name":"queencreek","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f267aee044a0394e6d98ded0888093?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f267aee044a0394e6d98ded0888093?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"queencreek"},"url":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/author\/queencreek\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.queencreekcompletedental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}