What does this mean?
Two neighbouring teeth meet at a narrow point. That contact keeps food from being forced between them while chewing. When it breaks down, food packs into the same spot at every meal and, because the area cannot be cleaned, both decay and gum inflammation become more likely.
Contacts do not break down by themselves. The usual causes are decay starting between the teeth, a filling with a poor marginal fit, a fractured edge, and gum recession leaving a triangular gap.
The source of the trapping is almost always between those two teeth; finding it takes an X-ray and an examination.
Likely causes
What helps at home?
- Clean the trapping spot after every meal with floss or an interdental brush
- Use an interdental brush rather than a toothpick; a toothpick pushes the gum away
- Do not postpone new trapping; a broken contact does not repair itself
- Bleeding or swelling of the gum at the trapping spot
- Sensitivity or pain starting in that area
- The trapping becoming easier over time
- An odour coming from the area
Frequently asked questions
- Will flossing solve it?
- Cleaning limits the damage but does not remove the cause. If the contact is broken it has to be rebuilt with a restoration.
- Why does it always trap in the same place?
- Because the problem is the contact at that point. Random trapping in different places relates more to gum recession.
This content is for general information and does not replace an in-person examination. Symptoms overlap between conditions, and a diagnosis can only be made clinically.