Some dentists recommend using toothpicks (the anatomical triangular ones), rather than using dental floss. There are several reasons for this. Many dentists feel that people are too lazy to use floss on a regular basis, and that toothpicks are a reasonable substitute. Some patients have larger spaces between their teeth, making them more suitable for using toothpicks. In such cases, a toothpick might provide better results than dental floss.

The advantage of using non-scented toothpicks, particularly plastic ones, is that, similar to floss, you can smell the toothpick between each passage and get a very good idea of the places that are causing the odor. These are the places you want to clean most carefully. Knowing that a certain location between the teeth has a worse smell can help focus the hygiene efforts at that location.

One disadvantage of the toothpicks is that they cannot clean behind the last teeth in each row, whereas floss can. Since usually the smell gets worse as you progress from the front teeth working back, a lot of smelly bacteria can be hiding behind the last teeth, particularly if the end tooth in the row is a wisdom tooth. In some cases bad breath originates from those poorly cleaned areas, and proper hygiene can definitely help.

The newer interproximal brushes that have come on the market are even better than toothpicks. Toothpick can change the shape of the gums over time. Further, the interproximal brushes can be dipped in toothpaste or mouthwash for that added antibacterial and abrasive action.