A prophy angle is provided that includes a first drive mechanism positioned within a housing for delivering mechanical energy to a rotatable head assembly at the distal end of the housing. A chamber is enclosed within the housing for storing prophy paste. A paste-dispensing assembly that includes an actuator at the proximal end of the housing, a push rod linked to the actuator and supporting a plunger on the push rod is provided, where the push rod is supported by the housing in a biased manner to permit longitudinal movement within the housing in a reciprocating manner as actuated by the actuator, to dispense a controlled quantity of paste out of the prophy angle.