Use of a hard plastic floss pick tip (the toothpick) to scrape vertically along their gumline?

[judithd]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has used a hard plastic floss pick tip (the toothpick) to scrape vertically along their gumline? I developed this habit but I have stopped it, because i thought it could be bad for my gums. I scraped along the outside and inside of my mouth (palatal side) I was wondering if I was the only one doing this, because i couldn't find any information about this. Let me know if this is more common done I was worried that my gums looked receeded because of this. I posted a picture here. The dentist said it doesn't look receeded, but a hygienist said otherwise previously. Then the dentist said it wasn't receeded, but I have been worried since a while. My gums are a bit assymetrical on this side than on the other upperside of my mouth (palatal side) . Or is this normal?

 

[Dr M]

The gums don't look receded on the photo provided, although the picture is not that clear.
I would just recommend being careful with the plastic toothpick. Although designed in such a way, that it does not damage the gum or the bone surrounding the teeth, excessive pressure can still cause some damage.