Hold the toothpick near its center
Moisten the pointed end in your mouth
Insert the toothpick into your tooth space, with the blunt end next to your gum
Use a gentle in-out motion
“It seemed to me, said Wonko the Sane, that any civilization that so far lost its head as to need to include a detailed set of instructions for use in a package of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane.” Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
You know, I never actually got taught how to use toothpicks, and I don't have spaces between my teeth that would fit a tooth pick like you're describing, so TIL. It's definitely not as intuitive as "burn" though.
I've never really suffered from the lack of this particular knowledge, I usually just floss to get stuff out of my teeth. But I do appreciate it, and I'll probably end up using it at some point now that I know, so thanks 😊
I'm not sure, maybe you've never eaten food before. But the toothpick is to attempt to clear out all the weird little bits that get stuck. It's wasteful when they wrap them in plastic for sure, but it's for the tiny scraps of cabbage and stringy human carcass that are annoying until you get to your toothbrush