Just wet the brush first, then add the toothpaste.
this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
204 points (95.9% liked)
me_irl
8176 readers
1168 users here now
All posts need to have the same title: me_irl it is allowed to use an emoji instead of the underscore _
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Just add the toothpaste, wet the brush, add more toothpaste, do a backflip, peel the toothbrush off the wall, wet the brush and then add the toothpaste simple as
Instructions unclear, got my dick stuck in the exhaust fan in my bathroom's ceiling.
Wet the brush, add toothpaste, rotate toothbrush so paste is on side, put only bottom of bristles in water stream, brush.
why wet it again after its already wet tho?
PSA: that's way too much toothpaste
I don't think too much toothpaste will hurt you or anything, but you could get away with 1/2 to 1/3 of what's pictured and it will clean exactly the same. Big Toothpaste wants you to use a lot to boost sales, but you only need a pea-sized dollop.
It will save you money, provided you're not dumping it all in the sink like OP the clumsy fool (Love ya OP, we've all been there)
I also found out I was taught to brush my teeth incorrectly.
Apparently you are supposed to use mouthwash, then floss, then brush, then let the toothpaste sit on your teeth for ten minutes instead of rinsing immediately.
Funny, I had heard floss then mouthwash because the flossing opens up more space for the mouthwash to get into.
But I think the chief thing dentists recommend is toothpaste last and not to rinse.
Either way, if you're doing all three then you're ahead of 90% of tooth owners
i heard mouthwash wasn’t even good for your teeth, you floss, swish and then brush.
My hygienist is very against mouthwash because it kills the good germs. But yeah I also just learned that you floss first when I was always taught to floss last. Doesn't make sense to go last I should've figured that one out.
load more comments
(2 replies)
then let the toothpaste sit on your teeth for ten minutes instead of rinsing immediately.
So is that also after I throw up from the toothpaste on my teeth? When do I rinse my mouth after barfing?
load more comments
(3 replies)
If you're a psychopath. Who doesn't rinse?
Turns out the stuff like cavity protection and everything needs to sit there on your teeth for a bit to actually work
They've steadily been making the hole bigger too.
There's a story I've heard about that which drives me nuts. It might be apocryphal, but it does sound believable.
When I was pursuing a degree in IT, I had to take a Business 101 class for reasons I never quite understood. The instructor launches into this story about a guy who goes to a big toothpaste company - Crest or Colgate probably, but the who of it doesn't really matter.
This guy comes in with a pitch, he says that he's got an idea that's guaranteed to increase their revenue by 25% but he won't share it with them unless he's given an arbitrarily large sum of money. It must have been convincing because they agree to hear him out.
So they pay him out and he tells them the idea: make the nozzle on the toothpaste 25% larger.
My instructor asked what lesson we learned from the story. "You can make a bundle by helping corporations cheat their consumers," was not marked as correct, but I maintain that's the chief lesson.
I don't see what other lesson the instructor was trying to teach. Maybe "Get a guarantee you'll get paid before you help corporations cheat their customers"? The engineer who invented SMS learned that the hard way.
I'm not sure if it's Mandela effect or what, but I could swear it literally used to be written on the tube to use "a pea sized amount"
What were you expecting. Why else would you do that.
Seriously. Just squirt the toothpaste directly into your mouth like an adult.
Like a Neanderthal? Just apply a small dollop to each tooth.
That would take too long. Just make a toothpaste sandwich, that way I can eat and clean my teeth at the same time
The Forbidden Go-gurt!
Some people, including me, have been conditioned to wet the toothbrush and -paste. I don't know why. I know it's not necessary (anymore?), I still do it, automatically. I think it comes from shampoo and soap needing water to foam.
What stops you from wetting the toothbrush BEFORE applying toothpaste?
Automatic behaviour taught in early childhood that I cannot get rid of, not least since there's zero harm in it (apart from very rarely what OP is depicting).
Edit: so I just learnt that there actually is a certain level of harm in it because water somewhat dilutes the toothpaste. This might be enough to make me change my behaviour.
Or using the water in your mouth? I don't wet my toothbrush pre-brush and my teeth come out fine.
They are not supposed to.
"The water in your mouth"
Fucking what? You mean saliva? Which is very much not just water.
I didn't say it was.
You do both, one to rinse the toothbrush, then add paste, then wet it a bit so the paste nestles into the brush. No idea why its just what I was taught as a kid, but dont really do the second part anymore for the same reason that it falls off sometimes then I have to get toilet paper to clean the paste off the sink
I do it because it changes the texture of the toothpaste ever so slightly, making it more smooth and pleasant
I was taught the same.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Skill issue
Don't lay the toothpaste on top, and don't use so much. They do it that way in the commercials because it looks better for the camera, and they want you to use more so you buy more.
Squeeze the toothpaste into the bristles, and use half that amount.
But, yeah, wet the toothbrush first, regardless.
Use your tongue to smash it into the bristles first.
It is best to not wet the brush at all. Tastes bad but is better for the teeth
Why not dip the toothbrush in the cup of water you'll use to rinse your mouth with? Unless you rinse directly from the tap by sticking your face under the faucet or something.
This is actually another action that isn’t advised. Most toothpastes work (in terms of protecting your enamel) by causing a reaction between certain compounds with calcium and magnesium in them, and your saliva, to deposit them onto the enamel on your teeth, remineralising them. Rinsing your mouth with water after you’ve brushed your teeth dilutes the useful compounds in your mouth and the anti microbial agents, making it much less effective at protecting your tooth/gum health. You can just spit out the excess from brushing and go about your day.
load more comments
(4 replies)
You have a bathroom cup? Why not just use your hand to scoop up some water after washing your toothbrush
load more comments
(1 replies)
That's scoopable
I don't use water at all. Never saw the appeal of wetting
Do y'all ain't got saliva? Why u need to wet ur brush?
Heavy handed life is hard.
Every damn time!
Skill issue
view more: next ›