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Sometimes an excessive amount of toothpaste flows out of the tube. Instead of wasting, is it possible to put the extra toothpaste back without any inconvenience?

The existing methods like

  • cutting the tube from bottom and resealing or
  • using another tube like tool to push back the paste

seem overkill to do before brushing (esp. in the morning) and it's practical to just waste the toothpaste.

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  • 1
    This seems to be a interesting issue, could you add what you tried so users can better generate a more correct response? :)
    – Pobrecita
    Dec 25, 2014 at 18:26
  • Why does it need to go back into the tube? Can't you just keep it in a saucer until the next time you brush your teeth?
    – Dawood ibn Kareem
    Dec 29, 2014 at 23:12

3 Answers 3

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12

A very good method is to use a syringe that doesn't have a needle like the one below.

enter image description here

Image from VampireVape

You can suck up the extra toothpaste in the syringe or you can scoop it in after taking off the top. You may have to wet the toothpaste so it is softer and easier to bend (try not to get any water in the syringe as that will contaminate the rest of the toothpaste). Then just press down and get the toothpaste go back into the tube.

To clean the syringe just fill it with water and leave it overnight (or throughout the day; 3 or 4 hours should be good).

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    This seems like a good idea, but I am interested in how it would work since toothpaste is kind of viscous. Also, is this a viable method due to syringes not being in every-bodies house and how would you clean such a item after use?
    – Pobrecita
    Dec 25, 2014 at 18:36
  • @iliveunderawesomerock Edited some stuff in.
    – michaelpri
    Dec 25, 2014 at 18:47
  • Awesome edit! However, this answer still seems a little confusing where you say "You may have to water down the toothpaste a bit.", doesn't that add to the risk of contamination? If you edited it just a bit more, I think that it would be even more quality.
    – Pobrecita
    Dec 25, 2014 at 18:51
  • This is relatively inefficient for small amounts of escaped toothpaste as is usually the case
    – Zach Saucier
    Dec 26, 2014 at 2:23
  • This is an excellent answer!
    – L.B.
    Jan 13, 2015 at 22:36
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What I do is really simple:

  1. Squeeze the toothpaste until all air is out (you know it when toothpaste starts coming out).

  2. Keep holding the tube in that position.

  3. Place the toothpaste on the top.

  4. Release the pressure in it.

If your toothpaste tube is a little used and you squeeze it out (i.e. this state), you might need to press on the sides to open up more space for the toothpaste to come in.

Notice that this method works for other products other than toothpaste which come in plastic tubes.

Due to their fragility and flexibility, aluminum tubes might not work with this method.

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  • Note that this works in very small increments - around a cap size. Don't try it with more or it will be messy!
    – Zach Saucier
    Dec 26, 2014 at 2:14
  • @ZachSaucier I'm crazy to the point of having tried this, but I'm not crazy enough to try with a soup spoon full of it!
    – Ismael Miguel
    Dec 26, 2014 at 2:22
  • Please do not comment on other answers within your answer like that. Instead please comment on their answer itself
    – Zach Saucier
    Dec 26, 2014 at 2:53
  • @ZachSaucier That was a bit too overzealous but the edit looks good. I have accepted it. And thanks for fixing the answer, I really wasn't finding the correct word.
    – Ismael Miguel
    Dec 26, 2014 at 2:59
3

You could put your extra toothpaste in a ziplock bag. Then when you're finished with the regular tube cut a small hole in the corner of the ziplock bag with the extra toothpaste and squeeze out the toothpaste like that. You can also add a tip like people do for frosting a cake. Check out the images attached:

Ziplock bag Ziplock bag with tip

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  • 1
    Best answer Jimmy. But unfortunately, not an accepted answer.
    – Gurpreet
    May 30, 2015 at 10:22
  • 1
    Yeah. I feel like most people will have a plastic bag in their house but how many people have a syringe?
    – jimmyplaysdrums
    May 30, 2015 at 18:55

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