# Dear Guy Who Brushes His Teeth in the Office Restroom, **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209 "2012-05-07T19:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/41 "2012-05-08T23:20:38Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > I got no problem with brushing your teeth in the sink at the office. However, I draw the line at washing your feet. Yuck. > > Mind you I had to admire his flexibility. He had one foot flat on the floor and one in the sink, which he was happily scrubbing with a paper towel. That’s kind of epic. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/42 "2012-05-08T23:25:18Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I do not do this myself, but some people have serious dental issues where keeping their teeth clean is a must. If the bathroom is the only place with a sink I’m not going to be mortified by their doing this. This. We had a guy, retired now, who had serious gum disease and had to brush 3 times a day; since he worked without taking an official lunch, where else? Pretty much makes sense to me. FTR it didn’t weird me out. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/43 "2012-05-08T23:42:41Z")
> [@Imago](#): > > That’s kind of epic. I dunno. Even I could pull that off, and I’m not particularly flexible. ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/44 "2012-05-09T01:18:05Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I dunno. Even I could pull that off, and I’m not particularly flexible. True. Still… Dude was washing his feet in the sink! At work! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/45 "2012-05-09T05:00:57Z")
In Japan, people regularly not only brush their teeth at work, they also gargle…loudly. Oh, and did I mention that the sink for this purpose is in the teachers’ room? My outside face is like ヽ（´ー｀）┌ but my inside face is {{|└(\>o\< )┘|}} ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/46 "2012-05-09T14:52:04Z")
I’m in the, “Eww, that’s kinda gross.” camp But also in the, “This is completely appropriate.” camp I don’t like it and think it’s also kinda weird, but, really, there’s no good reason to oppose it. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/47 "2012-05-09T15:32:03Z")
I, too, brush my teeth at work, but in the restroom, not in the lounge. I work a 12 (sometimes 14) hour day and can’t tolerate having fuzzy teeth for that length of time. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/48 "2012-05-09T15:33:37Z")
Ok, can the “ew, gross” people explain what, exactly, is gross about it? You spit in the sink, but others are also washing fecal matter down the sink, and the toothbrush never touches the sink, so no germ transfer there. You’re in a room with people who are peeing and pooping, but there’s nothing magically magnetic about a toothbrush that germs would be attracted to it - you inhale those same germs with each breath. Phrased another way: what’s gross about washing your teeth and tongue that’s not gross about washing your hands? ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/49 "2012-05-09T16:14:30Z")
There’s a lot of spitting going on There’s strange noises It’s pretty… intimate. I mean, you’re looking into somebody’s mouth. Except for handwashing, which is standard and accepted, the rest of our bathroom activities are done in private. Brushing your teeth crosses the line of ‘accepted, public activity in the restroom’ It’s not commonly done and therefore sticks out as odd. Add in the weird noises and vocal spitting and it’s just a bit weird. Not egregious, but weird. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/50 "2012-05-09T16:23:30Z")
Since I am a four to five times a day brusher, I am fortunate enough to have never worked in a place with anything but single restrooms available. However, I would certainly brush there rather than not brush after eating lunch. To me, that is the ewwwww. (No matter what the ADA says about two times a day) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/51 "2012-05-09T16:51:57Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > There’s a lot of spitting going on > There’s strange noises > It’s pretty… intimate. I mean, you’re looking into somebody’s mouth. > Except for handwashing, which is standard and accepted, the rest of our bathroom activities are done in private. Brushing your teeth crosses the line of ‘accepted, public activity in the restroom’ > It’s not commonly done and therefore sticks out as odd. Add in the weird noises and vocal spitting and it’s just a bit weird. Not egregious, but weird. Jesus wept, this is not a normal reaction, surely? Perhaps the person who is innocently brushing their teeth is wondering “Why the fuck is this weirdo looking into my mouth?”. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/52 "2012-05-09T17:47:17Z")
I brush my teeth about 6 times a day, because it really bothers me if I don’t. So I brush them at work if I’m in the office, and am not above brushing them in a restaurant bathroom or the bathroom in the 7-11. Anywhere with a sink is good by me. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/53 "2012-05-09T19:23:55Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I am similarly weirded out by this, OP. There’re a couple regular after-lunch brushers in my office, and I find it bizarre that they can’t just wait until they get home. It’s not like it’s overtly offensive, but it makes me feel as uncomfortable to see this as seeing someone pick their nose in public… or filing their nails at their desk… or clipping their toenails/picking their feet… or putting on makeup… or digging for earwax with a paper clip. > > I’m just as weirded out by after-lunch work-brushers as I would be by someone who insists on taking a shower at work because they \*absolutely have \*to get in their 2 showers a day and can’t wait to get home before doing it. There’s a time and a place for personal care and hygiene, and it ain’t during work hours in the public bathroom! Exceptions for power outages or temporary homelessness are ok, but that’s it. > > The ADA recommends brushing 2 times a day, and that’s good enough for me–personally, I aim for after breakfast and before bed. I am not sure the results of those guidelines to you personally but I have taught both of my children to brush as often as I do (four or five times per day and YES, they did so at school as well). My son is 23 and my daughter is 13 and neither has every had a cavity. If two days a day is good, four is twice as good. I honestly have never thought of comparing an office shower to the brushing of teeth. I would consider it more comparable to washing ones face which I also don’t find odd at the work place. Many of my employees keep toothbrushes and floss in the rest room cabinets. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/54 "2012-05-09T19:25:29Z")
> [@papergirl](#): > > I brush my teeth about 6 times a day, because it really bothers me if I don’t. So I brush them at work if I’m in the office, and am not above brushing them in a restaurant bathroom or the bathroom in the 7-11. Anywhere with a sink is good by me. I am with you. As a matter of fact, when I smoked, I brushed after every cigarette because I hated the way my mouth tasted. I smoked for 20 years and there wasn’t any evidence of staining on my teeth. Although my lungs are a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/55 "2012-05-09T19:30:37Z")
As far as the ew factor goes, well, yeah, people cleaning their teeth might be squicky, but then so are the noises and odors emitted while pissing and shitting and farting and what not. Yes, “ew”, but that room is where you go to do those things that are otherwise objectionable to do in public. That’s what the room is _for_. So I do my best to ignore any squicky/embarrassing stuff others are doing because, really, where else would be appropriate to do these things when one can’t simply dash home in an instant? ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/56 "2012-05-09T19:36:30Z")
> [@simple\_homer](#): > > Dear Guy Who Eats Everything and Should Brush His Teeth in the Middle of the Day in the Office’s Bathroom > > You Have the Bad Breath, Please Go in the Office Bathroom and Brush Your Teeth… > > Eww. > > I can’t really explain why, just… eww. > > Hugs and kisses, > > Me. Maybe not so much the kisses… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/57 "2012-05-09T19:38:02Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > because, really, where else would be appropriate to do these things when one can’t simply dash home in an instant? During your annual review. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/58 "2012-05-09T21:46:38Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Brushing your teeth crosses the line of ‘accepted, public activity in the restroom’ > It’s not commonly done and therefore sticks out as odd. Add in the weird noises and vocal spitting and it’s just a bit weird. Not egregious, but weird. I disagree. When I go to the urologist or gynecologist, the doctor shuts the door. When I go to the dentist, he does not. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/59 "2012-05-09T23:11:00Z")
I’m kind of wondering, who spends all this time in the bathroom, looking in someones mouth. Where else are you looking. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209/60 "2012-05-10T01:56:26Z")
Shitting is probably the grossest, most private non-sexual thing a person does on a regular basis. This means if you are hanging out in a room made for shitting, basically anything goes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-guy-who-brushes-his-teeth-in-the-office-restroom/621209.md?page=4)