What could you possibly need a toothpick for?

I use it as a toothpick, albeit infrequently. If a little bacteria colony on a plastic toothpick makes me sick, then there's something terribly wrong with my immune system.
 
I had a SAK for a bit, but I replaced the toothpick with a lock pick :D A small piece of spring steel can come in handy
 
I use mine as a toothpick, but I have an old one which I use for putting a drop of miltec on my axis folders - just right for getting a tiny amount of lube in the right place....and getting the old gunk out.
 
I use it as a tooth pick with no problems whatsoever.
However my dentist said that plastic toothpicks might irritate the gum.
 
I cut mine and inlayed a pin by melting the plastic a bit, this proved much more useful for me and still fit nicely and securely in the toothpick sheath. I have also just drilled an additional hole for a pin to fit and never had any problems with it (with the exception of saltwater seeping in and rusting the pin). I would post pictures but I have since lost one of the knives and given away the other.
 
I use the toothpick for diverse tasks where crud removal is required .

Chris
 
BITEME said:
I've been using mine to clean my teeth for +20 yrs. no problems,just wash the damn thing when you get home.
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I use mine as a toothpick as well. No problems here. Yea - might not be the most sanitary under all conditions.

What would a medical professional or hygienist have to say about the health-related aspects of camping?

Some things are just not worth worrying about in my opinion.

best regards -

mqqn
 
Seriously,germs?I use mine as a toothpick several times a day.When I'm done I just wipe it off on my T shirt
 
My approach exactly. The toothpick is the *primary* reason I carry a SAK, and I, too, wipe it off on my shirt after use.

Seriously, what kind of bacteria are going to live on there when it's not in use? What would they eat? Wouldn't the toothpick become smelly or discolored if there were a bacteria problem?

Even if true to some extent, it would still beat leaving the food particles in there! After all, where does the bacteria come from if not from what the toothpick is removing?

And here is my own proof: I use the SAK toothpick several times daily. I have gum problems. Through daily flossing, using a Sonicare electric toothbrush, and 3x/year periodontal cleanings, I have had almost no further gum recession in 10 years. Despite the toothpick.

Wood or disposable toothpicks do not compare. The small Victorinox SAK toothpick is by far the best I've ever used. :D
 
I'm sure at some point the logic for the toothpick was based on need. Sometimes you just have to remove somthing from your teeth right then and there. If there is no other material to make one, then you can use what you got.
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The logic of having a tooth pick that is always with you is fantastic as in a SAK edc. Same applies to the tweezers. I want a twissors and tooth pick in my SAK. Use it for when ever you need something small to poke something. Unhealthy? Probably, but if the tooth pick appears clean, I can't imagine that it contains any bacteria that are not already present inside your mouth. However, you do not share toothpicks. They are single user items.
 
TKM said:
I actually used to use it to clean my teeth until my dentist told me how unhealthy it was to keep a reusable toothpick.
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Not as unhealthy as a piece of food stuck in your teeth for the duration of a week-long backpack trip.
 
I carry floss instead. I don't want to stick the same implement in my mouth that I use for setting dipswitches or cleaning gunk from hard-to-reach crevices of whatever I might be occupied with at the moment. Besides, floss works 100x better since you can really get deep into the pockets of your gums where the food becomes entrenched.
 
TKM said:
Thanks for your answers guys.

So not really a lot of uses, right? I use mine to clean some hard-to-get spots in my knives.

Does anyone happen to know why Victorinox decided to put it in there? I can think of a lot of stuff just as cheap and a lot more useful that could fit in the same place.
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One more proprietary gizmo to replace when you lose it.
 
Alright, so if there is truly a problem with bacteria, why not make a replacement toothpick made of silver, or copper, as those metals have bacteria killing/reducing/avoiding properties of some sort for the Mysophobiacs among us. That may be the best solution, if any.
 
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