Question about Sonocare Electric Toothbrush

[ejchase]

Hi All,

This is kind of an odd question, but I figured you folks would be a good group to ask ...

I recently got a Sonocare electric toothbrush. The brush came with a little plastic cover. Do those of you who have electric toothbrushes keep the little plastic cover on it between brushings? Mine gets dirty and I find I have to soak it in boiling water pretty frequently to keep it clean. It seems to me that just letting the brush air dry without a cover is probably more sanitary.

My gums have gotten swollen recently, which I guess is a sign of gingivitis, despite the fact I've been brushing and flossing pretty diligently. I'm wondering if the cover on the toothbrush is collecting bacteria.

Opinions?

[Miss Cellane]

I have a Sonicare toothbrush with the little plastic cap. I use the cap when I'm traveling, but that's about it. I don't think the brush dries out enough between uses if you use the cap all the time.

[herisf]

I too have a Sonicare but I never use the cap. When I travel I use a standard toothbrush, otherwise it just sits in the stand. I was never actually sure what the little cap was for! I would just toss the cap and let your toothbrush dry out.

[Tenngal]

same here, I don;t use the cap, I want the brush to dry between use.

[ejchase]

Thanks, all of you. That was my instinct too - I just didn't really know why they included the cap.

[janharker]

I think the cap might have been the manufacturers idea to keep the bristles from getting bent in the initial packaging.

[pony mom]

Sonicare toothbrushes seem to have a problem with leaks--toothpaste and water seem to work their way into the base of the unit. If you remove the brush head, you may find a gunky buildup in the top of the handle and in the mechanical part inside the brush head. You can pop off the cylinder shaped part of the brush head and rinse both parts; the handle I usually use a soapy Q-tip to clean it.

I thought I was the only one with this problem until I found this: http://thesonicseal.com/ The photos are about halfway down the page. Yuck!!!