Sonicare Vibrates Toothpaste Right Off of It ...

May 7, 2008 7:32 PM

I recently bought a Sonicare. I like how it makes my teeth feel cleaner than they had been, and anecdotal evidence from others suggests it's going to help my gums. But I really can't figure out how the toothpaste works with this thing.

I put it on the toothbrush, position it at the gumline, and turn it on. The entire glob of the toothpaste seems to immediately come off and position itself on my gumline.

I can go ahead and kind of "dip" into it to try to spread it around, but I usually end up doing one of the "quadrants" of my mouth nearly toothpasteless.

So I imagine seasoned Sonicare users have figured out the best way to get around this little weirdity, and can perhaps make a suggestion ...

posted by WCityMike to health (10 comments total)

I use one of these. You're missing a step.

"I put it on the toothbrush, position it at the gumline..." mash the toothpaste and brush around a little to get it squished into the bristles, "... and turn it on."
posted by majick at 7:37 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]

I used to just position the toothpaste nozzle so that it was really close, and went into the spaces between the bristles. But yeah, you just have to dip and spread, I think.
posted by cashman at 7:37 PM on May 7

What I do is: Put a tiny amount(you don't need much, the Sonicare does the cleaning, the toothpaste just tastes good) of toothpaste on the bristles, quickly do a scrub of my teeth with the brush off, so the paste gets distributed evenly around. Then turn on the brush and start going by quadrant. Remember you don't have to use scrubbing motions, but it is helpful to gently massage in little circles until you feel the bristles nestling into the gumline.

You don't have to be psycho like me, but I run my Sonicare at least three cycles so I can go slowly and thoroughly. You bought the newest model with the three settings? When you get used to the tickle, try the massage setting. It feels so freaking good! And that squeaky clean feeling afterwards is great.
posted by Jazz Hands at 7:50 PM on May 7

What type of paste do you use? I switched to the liquid gel type, applying it directly into / between the bristles.
posted by Upal at 7:57 PM on May 7

I use majick's method, although I only use a very, very small quantity of toothpaste, relative to what I used to use with a manual brush. You don't need a lot; it's really just there as a breath freshener and possibly for whitening if you use that kind of paste. The Sonicare's bristles do most of the actual abrasive cleaning. (Be sure to rinse thoroughly, both the brush and your mouth.)

If you're used to really "coating" your whole mouth with toothpaste, I'd give it up. The Sonicare just doesn't work that way.

Oh, and I always put a little toothpaste on the brush, then wet the brush under the tap very briefly. I've found the extra water helps keep the paste from globbing up in one spot.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:58 PM on May 7

yeah, you're probably using way too much, remember that the pictures on the toothpaste box depict how much product the toothpaste company wishes you would use . . .
posted by tachikaze at 8:13 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]

My procedure FWIW: fill dixie cup with water, put Sonicare head under water, turn on for 5 seconds, turn off, take out and put *GEL* toothpaste on (not too much)...my Sonicare has the 30 second stutter so I do each quadrant, being careful to let the brush do the work..I turn off the brush...I then rinse and spit...turn the water on hot...put a little more toothpaste on and do a little more time but less than 2 minutes (it seems to me that this second run helps, but I could be wrong)...I turn off the toothbrush, rinse and spit...then run the toothbrush under the (by now) hot water, turn off, dry with a kleenex and then put the cover back on...I then swish with a cap full of Listerine Orange for a full slow count of 30 and spit. I do everything else in my dental life wrong...I don't floss, only brush once a day, but my dentist admits this fanatical process in the AM may have kept me out of trouble so far...YMMV
posted by forthright at 8:50 PM on May 7

Wow, don't y'all take your oral hygiene seriously! I am humbled. I just mash a tiny bit of toothpaste into the brush (any more than that, and yeah, the glob just flies off elsewhere in my mouth), run it briefly under water, the brush for as long as my patience holds out, which is usually significantly less than a full cycle. Then I floss. I'm going to have to step it up though, I see.
posted by HotToddy at 9:06 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]

obligatory mention here that using any toothpaste at all probably isn't necessary for healthy teeth and gums. if i really feel the need to be minty, i use toothpaste on a big old fashioned manual toothbrush, afterward.
posted by phoeniciansailor at 9:10 PM on May 7

Also obligatory mention to not use baking soda toothpaste with the Sonicare since it causes the plastic to crack.
posted by bink at 9:42 PM on May 7