Wet, then add paste, or powder. Powder wouldn't work on dry, lol.

LOL..ok, I'll change. LOL

A corollary topic of equally weighty importance:

Do you floss before you brush (so that the scum dislodged is brushed away) or after?

Answer from the dentist in my family (I asked several years ago):

So long as you floss daily and brush your teeth several times a day for several minutes each time, use a soft bristle brush and be sure to brush up and down at the gum line of each tooth, what order you do it in, what toothpaste you use (assuming it has fluoride), and what other steps are included in the routine don't matter at all.

I don't use water on my brush or on the paste!

No water until you rinse.

Both. And floss after.

Wet the brush, then paste.

Had to think about it...paste first, then water. Brush, then floss. However, I can see the logic for reversing the order.

I never use water when brushing, except to rinse.

I'm peculiar about flossing....I like to have a little bit of toothpaste on my teeth before flossing, as I imagine it helps the floss do a more thorough job. Then, I'll get in there and floss, then rinse, then brush thoroughly. I floss at night before bed.

Twice a day for the brushing is sufficient, though three times won't cause damage. I've been advised to brush morning and night, but to rinse after meals.

Bobbi, I haven't seen tooth powder for years. Is that what you use? Does anyone else use a powder; if so, why?

I put Toothpaste on my brush, then quickly pass it under running water to get it damp, then brush. Flossing has no particular order.

Both. Wet the brush, apply the toothpaste, wet it again in warm water, then brush gums and teeth. Rinse brush in very hot water, then rinse mouth in medium warm water. I can't stand anything cold.

I usually put it on when rinsing. I remember powder about 70 some years ago.

Sue

I floss often, or as needed, and then before bed.

Water, paste, brush, rinse, store

My daughter just got powder last week (ordered from Amazon). It had good reviews for sensitive teeth. So far she likes it. Says it makes her teeth feel really clean.

After.

Tooth paste first, then add water. My grandparents used tooth powder. Had to wet the brush first, or all the powder would fall off.

I floss first.

No water, just paste.

On the electric tooth brush, no water at all. With a manual tooth brush, water first then the paste.

I would like a link to the tooth paste powder for sensitive teeth.

Floss and rinse first. Then rinse the toothbrush before adding the toothpaste.

I remember tooth powder. My sister used to skip brushing her teeth and Mom smelled the palm of her left hand to see if it smelled like mint.

Water on neither, until I rinse. And I don't leave the water running while I'm brushing.

I give by brush a very thorough washing before adding paste and then again after I am done brushing. then when I go to brush again. wash, add-past, brush, wash, put away

I floss first, then toothpaste on a dry brush whether its manual or my electric. Then rinse - my brush, my mouth, the sink.

I haven't seen powdered toothpaste for years, but then I haven't looked either.

powdered tooth paste = baking soda

Both

both

Few here have listed an important part: Rinsing after you have brushed or 'picked' or flossed. *Active* rinsing, forcing the water through your teeth. It's amazing what that brings out.

Water, rinse, then paste.

I have a spray bottle with diluted bleach I always used on my toothbrush, before and after. A habit i picked up when living in Jamaica back in the late 70's.

Water first on the brush and then paste.

Actually I recently read, and then asked my dentist to confirm, that you should rinse your mouth first, not after you brush, to remove any loose food particles in your mouth. The residual toothpaste can remain in your mouth as there is some benefit to it. Makes sense to me.

Warm water then toothpaste and hot water rinse after brushing.

Floss, rinse and spit, water on toothpaste, use electric brush on both teeth and tongue followed by several rinses.

Floss before brushing. Use water before and after toothpaste.

For a split second a thought sprtphntc7a answered "broth".

I put water on first, but I don't think there is a reason to put it on at all. It must be some habit from childhood, perhaps taught to me by a parent who did learn to brush with a powder for which water was actually needed so the powder would stick to the brush. So I'm brushing my teeth like that because of someone else's practices 100 years ago?!

I rinse, wet brush add paste, brush, small rinse, floss and finish brushing. I hate flossing but I do it. Ok once in awhile if I'm really tired I don't floss but that's maybe once a month.

I definitely rinse, I don't like Toothpaste left in my mouth. I have a spray bottle of alcohol, after using the toothbrush and rinsing it well I spray it with the alcohol and allow it to dry. It helps it air dry faster.

I use a water pick first then dry brush with toothpaste on my electric toothbrush, then wash the toothbrush off. I then floss and rinse well. I don't do it but read years ago that a dry toothbrush with no water or toothpaste on it gets more gunk off your teeth. Then you floss and brush with toothpaste. I have never found any corroborating evidence though.

Dry brush until rinse. I rinse my brush well in hot water after I use it.

I had to think about this, and it sounds weird, but dry for my electric toothbrush and wet for the regular one that I use for travel. Hey, don't ask me why, I do not know!

"spray it with the alcohol and allow it to dry. It helps it air dry faster"

Spraying something wet with water with rubbing alcohol will produce a very diluted water/alcohol mix. I can't imagine this does much to speed drying but I haven't tried it myself. Most of the water in a just-used toothbrush is held between the bristles anyway so that anything short of dunking it in alcohol wouldn't reach most of the moisture.

I wet the brush first, add toothpaste, then run some water over the toothpaste, then brush.

I put it on dry. Rinse it well after. I'm mad that I once again got gel by mistake. I like clean white toothpaste, Colgate, and there are a gazillion kinds to pick. I hate when the gel gets on the handle of the brush and in the sink.

Colgate website recommends powder for some people.

Many powders,including Colgate, are available from Amazon.

Re: title topic, I wet the brush in my mouth with a preliminary once around and then, sometimes, add a bit of toothpaste but usually use a powder.

I know it wasn't the best-cleaning paste, but I miss the Mentadent brand that came in a freestanding container. You'd hold your toothbrush under the 'spout' and press down on the top to dispense the paste. Tubes are clumsy, requiring two hands to uncap and recap.

I floss first then put the tooth paste on the brush & then put water on it. My husband on the other hand flosses first, puts water on his brush then squirts the toothpaste in mouth. Yes, he is a little odd. :)

Did you know that the tooth brush was invented in Alabama? If it was invented any where else it would have been called a teeth brush. Stupid joke but I could not resist.

Floss first, then wet the brush, put toothpaste on then wet the toothpaste. I use a Sonicare brush and hold the brush at the gum line on each tooth for a few seconds, no scrubbing. Then I go back and brush the tops and insides of my teeth, rinse and spit. Then I rinse the brush and stand it back up on the counter! My Ex was a dentist and I got to be very careful about tooth care. I also use the GUM picks between my teeth to massage my gums.

That's funny, janey. I get it - brush the tooth on top in the morning, then brush the tooth on the bottom in the evening.

I put the paste on my teeth first then brush while holding my teeth under running water. I have had a full set of dentures since I was 17.

Hahaha - the winning post!

A reminder of the old childhood joke - "My grandmother's teeth are like stars, they come out at night".

No paste or powder - ever. Just water on a soft brush, floss, swish with peroxide. Dentist flabbergasted I haven't had a cavity in 40 years. Less plaque than most too. Gums are great. (If I use paste, I get sensitivity.)