What To Do When You Have Something Stuck In Your Tooth

What to Do When You Have Something Stuck in Your Tooth

Having a piece of food or other debris caught in your teeth can cause mild to severe discomfort. And try as you may, sometimes you just can't dislodge whatever is stuck in there.

While the best solution is seeing a dentist for proper removal and cleaning, that's not always immediately possible if it happens at an inconvenient time. So what can you do for relief when something gets lodged in your tooth?

Signs of Debris Stuck in Your Teeth

Common symptoms that indicate a foreign object has become impacted include:

• Localized tooth pain when chewing or biting down
• Pain that comes and goes depending on pressure placed on the affected tooth
• Inflamed, irritated gums surrounding tooth
• Bad taste coming from the impacted area
• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Visible debris noticeable when inspecting your mouth

Risks of Leaving Debris Stuck in Your Teeth

While mild irritation usually occurs when you have a small particle jammed tightly between teeth or irritating your gums, severe problems can develop if proper removal methods are not employed in a timely manner including:

• Tooth decay - food debris impacting a tooth for too long provides extra nutrition for increasing harmful oral bacteria that produces tooth-eroding acids
• Infection - lodged foreign matter facilitates swelling in surrounding gum tissues opening a pathway for bacteria to enter and infect the tooth's inner pulp
• Damage to dental work - continued particle rubbing places stress on tooth sealants, caps, crowns or implanted posts loosening or cracking them
• Painful abscess - infections left neglected abscess at the tooth's root requiring antibiotics or extraction treatment

Home Remedies for Temporarily Treating Debris Stuck in Teeth

1. Dental Floss

If visible, wedging regular floss carefully under and around the obstruction can help dislodge and pull it out if positioned on the tooth's exterior above the gumline. But don't forceful jerk or snap the floss up or you risk cutting your gums.

2. Irrigating with Salt Water

Swishing and working warm salt water around the affected area gently massages away some debris while reducing inflammation and bacteria simultaneously. It also helps draw out any pus from a gum infection associated with the debris.

Stir and dissolve a teaspoon of table salt or sea salt as hot as tolerable into an 8 ounce glass, then irrigate directly focusing liquid over the annoyance for a minute or two before spitting. Powdered turmeric also boosts antimicrobial effects.

3. Oil Pulling

Swishing oils like coconut, sunflower or sesame around the mouth for 10-20 minutes helps loosen particles through gentle suction forces while also destroying harmful oral bacteria and reducing swelling and pain.

Lean your head side to side to better work liquids around annoyance before expelling. Just don't swallow the oil which contains drawn out toxins!

4. Specialized Water Jets

The pressurized burst from a Waterpik type oral irrigator may provide enough pinpointed force to dislodge a stubborn offender. Take care adjusting pressure intensity to avoid painfully cutting gums.

Also consider adding antiseptic mouthwash instead of plain water to gain extra antibacterial benefits. Position tip carefully and blast area from multiple directions for best removal capability.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Teeth

1. Brush and Floss Consistently

Prevent future build up and increase your odds of successfully dislodging anything stuck by routinely brushing gently twice a day and cleaning deeply between teeth once a day.

This removes bacterial biofilm and tiny food particles potentially hiding tightly between teeth before leading to more issues.

2. Rinse With an Antiseptic Mouthwash

Washing away hidden oral germs with a quality antimicrobial mouthwash provides further defense against collections of sticky plaque contributing to getting objects stuck between teeth.

Choose products shown in lab testing to actively destroy microbes for the most thorough cleansing effects after brushing.

3. Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Only professional cleaning fully removes all built up calculus or tartar along gumlines that also traps food and debris against tooth surfaces. Get teeth scaled as often as your dentist recommends.

Annual exams also catch potential tooth decay and vulnerable areas prone to wedging food early for quicker repair before discomfort escalates.

4. Replace Worn Toothbrush Heads

Old worn bristles no longer effectively clean away clinging particles, keeping spaces between teeth and gums actively clear. Swap manual brush heads every 3 months and electric heads every 1-2 months.

5. Limit Sticky, Hard Foods

Consuming fewer gummy candies, chewing gum, nuts, seeds, popcorn kernels or hard chunky items minimizes what could potentially wedge tightly and irritate teeth and gums.

Seeking Professional Help for Your Stuck Debris

If at home remedies provide no relief after a couple days or you experience severe throbbing pain, spreading redness suggesting infection, or difficulty eating/drinking, seek dentist assistance immediately for safe removal.

Depending on location they may numb the area before using precision tools to detach and extract the bothersome substance from your tooth's surface or from underneath your gumline.

Preventing Further Impaction Issues

After clearing an obstruction, dentists analyze what allowed it to get tightly stuck in the first place. This step is crucial for preventing repeated future issues.

If a jagged tooth edge or open filling catches debris, they'll smooth surfaces. For extra space between teeth trapping particles they may recommend orthodontic adjustments or inserts.

Extracting overly compromised teeth or crowning ones needing reinforcement also provides lasting solutions against annoyances impacting and causing decay.

Seeing a Dentist Urgently for Pain Relief

Extreme sensitivity to hot or cold signaling pulp inflammation/infection requires quick attention for treating the nerve and any underlying decay or gum disease allowing bacteria exposure in the first place.

Dentists drill into affected teeth for root canals draining infection, filling the inside pulp chamber and crown protecting against further damage.

When to Visit an Emergency Dentist Immediately

Seek emergency dental help without delay when:

• Swelling inside or around the mouth causes difficulty breathing or swallowing
• Bleeding from the mouth won't stop after 25 minutes of pressure
• Pain medication offers no relief from sudden, severe mouth pain
• A bump, lesion or oral ulcer persists longer than 2 weeks
• A tooth is knocked out - best chances for reimplant occur when handled quickly!

Leaving acute oral conditions risks complications endangering health. Missing work or school is preferable over delaying urgent care.

Outlook for Relief from Objects Lodged in Teeth

With prompt professional treatment, chances excel for cleanly removing wedged items from teeth and rectifying any tooth flaws contributing to repeated impaction.

Committing to better oral hygiene and regular dental visits further ensures you'll encounter less foreign debris working into vulnerable areas going forward.

Don't ignore persistent discomfort - mild tooth and gum irritation often hides developing problems leading to serious infection if not addressed in a timely manner.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.