Our Tried-and-True Guide to Keeping Your Smile Spotless

When I go on a first date, I make it clear right away: If I’ve got salad in my teeth or chocolate cake on my face, I expect to be told. There’s no quicker way to my heart than honesty—and keeping me from walking around like a walking food display.

“Dude, if I get home and find a little greenery sticking out of my teeth, you’ll get a spanking.” (And before you get any ideas, get your mind out of the gutter!)

Now, Mary Lynn and I never leave home without a compact mirror and a trusty flosser. A quick peek at the table is perfectly fine—just don’t make a production out of it. But, if you find a rogue piece of spinach sullying your beautiful smile, please excuse yourself to the restroom before performing any extraction. Nobody wants to witness a personal dental moment over dinner! Picking your teeth, like picking your nose, is best done in private.

Let’s not forget the movie theater, where popcorn for dinner is a favorite pastime. Those little kernels have a way of lodging themselves in your teeth like they’re setting up a homestead. But don’t pull out your mirror in the dark and start fishing around. No one can see anything in there, including you. Wait until the movie’s over, then take a quick glance or head straight to the restroom if you know your mouth has more corn in it than a midwestern field.

Since you’d want your best bud to tell you if you have something in your teeth or on your face, be sure to do the same for them. For one thing, that broccoli on their front tooth is turning your stomach. More importantly, you don’t want to be the friend who lets them go back to work with an entire salad bar on their face.