On 2009-04-02, jmcquown > wrote:

> For once, you're right. Well, maybe more than once. Flat ones are
> better because they can get farther between the teeth - more like
> floss. And it's not always convenient to floss. Plus, I'd rather see
> someone with a toothpick in their mouth than actively flossing.


I'm a confirmed toothpick junkie. Though I am seldom seen in public with
one in my mouth (crass), I'm seldom without one at home. Stuff between my
teeth drives me crazy and I hate floss. I DO keep some on hand for those
REALLY desperate situations.

After preferring flat toothpicks for the last 30 yrs, I've recently
defaulted to round, due mainly to my rural location and the fact flat
toothpicks are as rare as Champagne in Dogpatch. Guess what!? Round t/p's
work jes fine. It's all in the trim!

The real trick to any toothpick is gumming it long enough to soften it up so
one can "split" the tip. IOW, a good toothpick is made with the grain
running lengthwise. You get it soft and split it jes like splitting
rails/logs/etc. Get it soft, grab tip between teeth and find grain of wood.
Pull softly till tip splits away from main pick. If the toothpick is a
"good 'un", a thin split tip smaller than the original tip will result.
Round one's do this just as well as a flat, although a good flat can be
split so fine you're in floss territory. But, too fine and it has the same
rigidity as floss and is therefore useless as a toothpick.

Another great variation is bamboo toothpicks, commonly found in Thai
restaurants and easily identified by the double lathe cut indentations near
the flat top end. These aren't as good for picking teeth as US wood, but
they are strong as Hell and make good drift pins for reassembling your old
WWII Nambu momento pistol.

nb