What’s long, slender, hard, sharp, indigestible and potentially hazardous? That common and seemingly harmless sliver of wood called a toothpick. Reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association point to toothpicks as causing thousands of injuries a year, mostly to young children. Youngsters aged five to 14 were most likely to be injured by toothpicks, and children under the age of five were 20 times more likely to seriously injure their eyes or ears.
Adults should also treat the toothpick with a little respect. Three deaths have been attributed to toothpicks after the people either swallowed or inhaled them by accident.
Toothpicks may be small, but their potential dangers are definite points to ponder. If you have a troublesome piece of food stuck between your teeth, a much safer option to consider is to simply grab your toothbrush!
About Yuri Kaneda, DDS
Dr. Yuri Kaneda was born in Japan and immigrated to the US when she was 4 years old with her family. She lived in Ohio, Nebraska, and Illinois before finally settling in the San Diego area. A graduate of Bonita Vista High School, she went on to the University of California Berkeley where she obtained her Bachelors in Microbiology and Immunology. After working for 2 years in growth plate research at University of California San Diego, she went to the University of California San Francisco Dental School for her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Upon graduation, she returned to San Diego where she worked as an associate in the practice of Drs. Morimoto and Yaryan, her childhood dentist. She then started her own practice in 1995 and has been at her present location since 1999 which happens to be across the street from her high school!
