It’s not at all unexpected to eat a meal or snack and get something temporarily stuck between your teeth. Then, there are other times when a tough piece of food, like a popcorn hull, fruit peel or seed, can get uncomfortably lodged between two teeth. This can sometimes cause pressure, discomfort and even pain.

In a case like this, Dr. Lin Wong offers these simple tips to help you safely remove that object stuck between your teeth.

You should never try to use toothpicks or sharp, pointed tools to remove it. This could injure your gums or even chip one of your teeth.

Waxed dental floss is the first thing you should reach for to remove something from between your teeth. Its waxy coating allows the strand to slide easier between the teeth to work around the foreign object. You should never force the floss into place as it could seriously injure your gums.

A floss threader with wax-coated floss can also be handy for working at the object from a different position. Sometimes a dental water fountain or oral water jet can loosen debris.

If you still cannot remove the piece of food from between your teeth, you can always call Wong Dental at 626-709-3332 to seek professional advice from your dentist in Covina, California.