Toothpicks???

DH has toothpicks here in the house, so I know he bought them somewhere here in the UK.  I thought it was a simple matter of going to the store and buying some.  The lady at Sainsburys thought otherwise.  She showed me dental picks at first, located with floss and toothpaste.  I said I wanted wooden toothpicks, so she said I wanted caocktail sticks.  Now, they are pretty close to a real toothpick but longer.  Maybe even thicker.  Not quite what I want.  I thought it was odd that Sainsburys didn't sell such a common object.  Then I did a search and I am beginning to think that it is not such a common object at all!  Toothpicks??  Unavailable?? 

They're called cocktail sticks.

The toothpicks that he already has is in a toothpick dispenser and they are 16 mm shorter than the cocktail sticks.  The cocktail sticks that I bought will not fit the dispenser.  I know he got the toothpicks from here somewhere, but I sure don't know where. 

The toothpicks that he already has is in a toothpick dispenser and they are 16 cm shorter than the cocktail sticks.  The cocktail sticks that I bought will not fit the dispenser.  I know he got the toothpicks from here somewhere, but I sure don't know where. 

Look around other shops.  Or ask him where he bought them.  But you need to ask for cocktail sticks when you go to the shop.  That's what they're called here.

................they are 16 cm shorter than the cocktail sticks................

That would actually be a REALLY big toothpick.

That would actually be a REALLY big toothpick.

I was smiling at the image of this toothpick that is more than 16 cm long

16 cm? Is that a toothpick in your pocket?

I get mine from Boots. Boots Essential Dental Sticks 125 sticks for £1.79. Made from Nordic pine. Or you can get Oral-B Dental Wood Sticks from most pharmacies including Boots I think.

Look around other shops.  Or ask him where he bought them.  But you need to ask for cocktail sticks when you go to the shop.  That's what they're called here.

Cocktail sticks are thicker and only the tapered end will go in between my teeth. Toothpicks are thinner.

Cocktail sticks are thicker and only the tapered end will go in between my teeth. Toothpicks are thinner.

OK.  I guess I bow to your greater knowledge.  I've personally never taken the time to either measure them or examine them in any detail or do any comparative studies or in fact think about them for longer than a nano second.  All I know is that cocktail sticks look like toothpicks and perform the same duties as toothpick.

Can you poke someone in the eye with either of them? 

OK.  I guess I bow to your greater knowledge.  I've personally never taken the time to either measure them or examine them in any detail or do any comparative studies or in fact think about them for longer than a nano second.  All I know is that cocktail sticks look like toothpicks and perform the same duties as toothpick.

Well, I thought so too, but my DGF's niece is a dental hygienist and she says that cocktail sticks can damage your teeth. Proper toothpicks are flat, like the ones Forster make in the US.

Westons sell packs of 650 online for 89 pence.

http://www.westons.com/acatalog/Online-Catalogue-BRA-622.html

But like I say, Boots have a range plus Oral-B.

Well, I thought so too, but my DGF's niece is a dental hygienist and she says that cocktail sticks can damage your teeth.

But they both hold olives in a martini, right? I don't understand the reference to damaging your teeth, as I can't conceive of any other possible duty for a toothpick/cocktail stick. 

But they both hold olives in a martini, right? I don't understand the reference to damaging your teeth, as I can't conceive of any other possible duty for a toothpick/cocktail stick. 

I know.  I was thinking that they both hold cheese cubes and tiny sausages. 

But they both hold olives in a martini, right? I don't understand the reference to damaging your teeth, as I can't conceive of any other possible duty for a toothpick/cocktail stick. 

Could chip the enamel I suppose,

I daresay this is pandering to transAtlantic stereotypes, but...

"Brits have a screw loose when it comes to flossing"... (refers to the habit some people have of using screwdrivers to pick food from between teeth)...

"The best thing to dislodge food from between the teeth with is interdental wood sticks, as these are shaped specifically for this purpose. However, cocktail sticks are not and should really be avoided."

Like I said, flat not round.

Full text here

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/pressreleases/releasedetail.php?id=287&offset=0&limit=10&type=&keyword=

A story by a guy who used a cocktail stick provided as a "toothpick" on a Indian domestic airline flight and dislodged a cap...

a paper-wrapped object that arrived on the lunch tray and was presumably a "toothpick." It wasn’t. It was a cocktail stick. I had come across this substitution before in Indian hotels and restaurants, the distinction being that cocktail sticks, the sort that pierce olives in your drink, are cylindrical and toothpicks are flat.

had it not been for the cylindrical shape of the cocktail stick, had I had a real flat toothpick, I would not have suffered the said damage. It was getting a round peg into the eye of a needle that did it.

His blog:

http://www.geoexpat.com/forum/thread26923.html

Could chip the enamel I suppose,

it was a joke