Picking your teeth with your fingers is better than picking your teeth with a toothpick.

Rebuttals:C1 - You wish to argue that your hands may be harmful to your health especially if they are put in your mouth in order to pick your teeth, however it is common knowledge that there is some kind of germ (bacteria, virus, parasite) on everything. Every surface, every item has germs on them so I don't think a toothpick would be any more sanitary than your finger, in fact it may be even dirtier considering that you should be washing your hands after you use the bathroom as well as before you eat. You eat on average three meals a day: three hand washings. You use the bathroom on average six times a day: six hand washings. [1]Therefore the average person should wash their hands nine times a day if they practice sanitary hand washing habits making their hands much cleaner than a run of the mill toothpick. C2 - You have laid out two scenarios in which you attempt to make your point. The disease point I have already countered above. As for manners I think it is safe to say that if you are eating with your boss you will refrain from picking your teeth at all since picking anything on your body is seen in poor taste in the company of a superior. And if you must pick your teeth there is nothing stopping you from excusing yourself to go to the bathroom and pick with your readily handy fingers. C3 - While toothpicks are more effective than fingers at picking teeth (it is what they were designed to do after all) there are a few problems with toothpick use which I will go into greater detail below but in contending your third claim I must say that while they are better at maneuvering into a tight spot your finger is much more familiar and will probably be more effective at getting into a spot way in the back of your mouth. Your finger will be much easier to use when struggling with that pesky popcorn kernel than an obtrusive wooden stick. Points:P1 - Ease of Access This point is simple, you will always have your fingers with you while you may not always have access to a toothpick. Some restaurants give out toothpicks but nowadays many do not. If you are not in possession of a toothpick you cannot pick your teeth however you will never have that problem while using your fingers since they are attached to you. P2 - Toothpicks are DangerousSplinters, sharp edges, accidental ingestion are just a few dangers that come with using a toothpick. A toothpick can get stuck in your teeth and break leaving it jagged and ready to cut you or an unsuspecting bystander. You can get a splinter from handling a toothpick since they are made of wood. Is a splinter really worth that piece of meat in your teeth? And the most dangerous of all is accidental ingestion which can lead to serious medical issues in the intestines. [2] Toothpicks are so dangerous in fact that some restaurants have refused to give them out [3] making ease of access to toothpicks even more difficult to come by. They are dangerous and the dangers do not outweigh the results of using such a devise. P3 - CostSince some places are no longer offering free toothpicks at the counter if you want to pick your teeth without using your fingers you're going to have to buy some which means a trip to the store and a purchase. With your fingers you don't need to buy anything you just reach up and pick. With toothpicks there is a cost of time, gas, energy, money and leisure when you get in your car and drive to the store to buy some. This is an unneccissary cost by all accounts and should be avoided by using your fingers. The case rests. [1] . http://www.skeptive.com...[2] . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...[3]http://www.dailymail.co.uk...