Dentists have been pestering me to buy a Sonicare for ages. This miraculous, aggravating device is the original electric toothbrush and still the best. And the most expensive! There are cheaper brushes which spin or vibrate, but neither of these actions is as useful to your dental health as the ultrasonic cleansing action of the Sonicare.
But why does it have to be such an awful experience? WHY.
I had tried a boyfriend's Sonicare once many years ago, and swore never again. The pamphlet that came with my new Sonicare describes the sensation as "tingling" or "tickling" or "vibration," none of which even comes close to the real experience for the uninitiated.
If you have never used a Sonicare before, be prepared to have it ring your head like a bell. It can also be terrible on teeth unaccustomed to the sensation. My front teeth in particular felt like they were getting hit with a jolt of electricity every time the Sonicare touched them. The same went for one particular quadrant of gumline (inside front). Every time I approached that area with the Sonicare, it made me want to sneeze.
I bought the model which features a ramp-up period. It starts gentle, and works up from there. I was prepared to be able to handle the earliest, gentlest stages. I was wrong. Not gentle! Not a "mild tickling sensation"! More like having your teeth cleaned by a mouthful of angry, minty bees.
Which brings me to my next point: toothpaste. You don't want to use very much, and you want to mush it well into the bristles. Otherwise as soon as you turn on the Sonicare, a giant glob of toothpaste falls off the brush onto your tongue. Gag!
You actually don't need toothpaste at all with the Sonicare. In fact it can get quite foamy in there. But I still like a bit of mintiness, so I dab on just the tiniest bit before I begin brushing my teeth.
The most important thing about getting used to using a Sonicare is to go easy on yourself. Don't push yourself too hard. Your teeth will gradually get acclimated to the bizarre sensation if you just do a little bit more each time. Once you finish the two-minute electric session, you can use the Sonicare to brush your teeth like a regular toothbrush, in order to clean the parts you couldn't quite bring yourself to get while the toothbrush was on.
And once you are finally able to use it on all of your teeth without discomfort, you will be amazed that you ever did without it!