An alternative to a dental pick?

Would a sewing needle cut it? I haven't tried, but they tend to be quite rigid if you get a large one.

Jewler's screwdriver. They come in several sizes. None too big, some too small.

Go to a hardware store and they make heavy duty pick tools for mechanics and such. I use the Craftsman brand pick set, they are about 6" long and have clear plastic handles. The whole set was like $10 at Sears Hardware and has 4 different style picks with handles on them similar to a screwdriver grip. One of the picks in particular has almost like a double bend to it, it is nearly perfect for a 1st gen iPhone disassembly, no bent aluminum housings or broken fastening tabs anymore!!

This type professional pick is WAY better than dental picks because they always seemed have to much flex in them to actually pry off a stubborn 2G back housing.

Half a pair of medical tweezers.

I recently had this same problem. I took a straightened paperclip and bent the end 90 degrees (with pliers) so that it looked like an "L" with a tiny "foot" - about 5mm or 0.2 inch. I left most of the other end of the paperclip coiled up as it was a good "handle".

This was an excellent tool for taking the cover off my iPhone. You can poke it into the tiny square hole on each side of the cover and twist so the foot turns outwards and the cover just releases. It released almost too easily!

I have a selection of a tool called an awl if you happen to have one of those. They are very rigid and have a pointed end, so might help.

Depending on the difficulty of what you need to pry (and the material you're prying) I've used a few things.

First off, for a good dental pick set, you can use the Craftsman one mentioned above, since they're a decent brand and I'm assuming they'd have a lifetime warranty. If not, I know you can go to Lowes and get a Cobalt 4-piece set for $6, including a normal hook shape, a right angle hook, etc. Link to item: http://www.lowes.com/pd_239658-930-32462...

Another really useful thing I use and lasts quite long, is guitar picks. Currently I just use the freebie medium thickness ones from Sam Ash, but for something more of a point instead of a curved point, I bought a pack of Tortex Sharps, the green color ones. Those can help more since the point can assist with the insertion where you're going to pry. Plastic picks are the way to go in certain cases like opening up laptop LCD trims, etc, since they run the smallest amount of risk of breaking the plastic latches, and will not scratch up metal trim of let's say a 1st gen iphone (of course you may need a thinner pick than the green ones, those are medium.

Bottom line, if using guitar picks, I'd rather them be damaged themselves than scratch and carve metal that you would end up needing to file down and then it looks worse. I use both these options depending on what needs to be opened.

Good luck with your search.

I used an ice pick. Worked fine.