The Dark Side of Toothpicks

Having something in your teeth is uncomfortable and embarrassing. Whether at homes or out in a restaurant you feel the need to pick your teeth, and this is where toothpicks come in handy. However, before thinking of toothpicks as heaven sent, read on about the revelations of a recent study on toothpicks. A study showed that every year more people die from toothpicks than lightening, and this mostly happens when one ingests the toothpick. A toothpick is wood and cannot be digested. Once swallowed it causes sepsis in the blood and bacteria from the wood easily find their way into the users’ bodies. Toothpicks are dangerous whether they are swallowed or not, used carefully or not; they damage the gum tissue and make it prone to infection. The lack of disinfection, poor storage of toothpicks can cause diseases since a wide range of bacteria and viruses crawl from toothpicks into the human body, Among the many deaths caused by these small deadly spears, is the death of a great writer Sherwood Anderson who was at a cocktail party eating hors d’ourves, some small frankfurters with a toothpick in it, and during this course he not only swallow the small hot dog but the toothpick as well, he died five days later. If left within the reach of children the effects can be equally fatal, that is why in some countries like South Korea and Japan have banned the use of wooden toothpicks. If meat or other stuff is stuck between your teeth, the best tool to employ is floss. Use dental floss to remove the stubborn bits of food from your teeth. Sometimes swishing your mouth vigorously with water will remove stuck food. Toothpicks shouldn’t be used as a method of teeth cleaning, they should never be considered a substitute for brushing teeth. martin.bishop18@yahoo.com