Same here, brushed mine in the work restroom after every single lunch break, and wondered why none of the other 900 people I worked with cared about dental hygiene. I resented suffering co-workers’ recycled Fazoli’s/Olive Garden/Domino’s garlic and coffee breath daily.
And this statement strikes me as odd, or maybe sad
So you let the behavior of strangers dictate your own behavior? So long as you are not encroaching on the rights and needs of others, do as you please. C’mon, johnspartan, time to color outside the lines a little.Nothing weird about basic hygiene, and kudos to GWBHTOR for taking care of his health and respecting his coworkers by freshening his breath.
My only concern is the hogging of a sink for a long time. However we have 3 sinks in our bathroom, and better that than hogging the single sink in the kitchen. If they don’t mind poop specks on the toothbrush, fine with me.
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.
You must never eat anything with garlic or onions for lunch, then. Trust me, when I brush my teeth in the office, it’s for everyone’s good - mine, co-workers’, clients…
But then in my office, the women’s restroom has a door betwen the room where the toilets are and the room where the sinks are, so there’s a certain amount of separation.
Well, they make minty, yummy, sugarless gum with beneficial xylitol that seems to work fine for me mid-day. Onion, garlic, whatever. If a coworker has onion breath, a mint or gum takes care of it. (and I do tell someone if they have post-lunch breath if it’s obvious it’s from food. Chronic halitosis kind of stuff I try to hold my breath and ignore it, usually)
I have one co-worker who carries a toothbrush everywhere and will walk around with it in the employee-only areas, using it with aplomb. People give her shit about it, but she doesn’t care.
This is definitely the issue of those squicked out by midday tooth-brushers, not an issue of the tooth-brushers. If this is what weirds someone out, I suggest you retire to a hygienic bubble in the confines of your own home, and hope that George Costanza never comes to visit.
I thought this was me for a minute there, but I’m off the hook! I only do this at the *start *of the day (after breakfast in the office) so I’m good, right?
Right?
***Detritus ***? What … comes … off … her … dentures … that … can … clog … a … sink ?
The ADA recommendation is for the general public. I know at least one person who has very specific dental issues that require him to brush his teeth immediately after every meal.
And about the shower: Some people bike to work. On a hot day you wouldn’t want to sit next to them if they didn’t take a shower.
Dentists in Spain recommend to brush after every meal, in hopes that people will do it once a day. Many workplace bathrooms have a small cabinet intended to keep sanitary supplies, including toothbrushes and toothpaste. The tooth-cleaning stuff is kept by each owner in a bag, being completely personal.
Well, I’m not that guy because I’m a gal, not a guy, but yes, I also brush my teeth mid-day at work. I do this, because when I don’t I get to experience things like bleeding gums and dental pain. So yeah, weird, but also responsible in regards to my health. Sorry if it squicks anyone out, but look at the bright side - it’s proof I have good personal hygiene, right?
I can deal with the teeth brushers much more easily than the mystery people who floss in front of the bathroom mirror every day. Ask me how I know.
I have a co-worker who has soup every day for lunch. Afterwards, she’d go to the restroom, fill the pyrex bowl up with water, then put it on the counter in front of the mirror, where she’d leave it for several hours, waiting for the water to loosen up the food sticking to the sides, so that she could more easily clean it. I have to say, walking in to see that bowl sitting there, with floaties in it, was very unappetizing.
Just last week, someone tossed the bowl in the trash, and the cleaning lady took it away before she could retrieve it. Owner complained loudly about having her bowl “stolen,” but since then she’s been cleaning the bowl immediately after eating and taking it back to her desk. Thank you!
As for showering, I assume that there is a working shower in the restroom…? If that’s the case, then shower away! But, please, change in privacy. Last thing I want is to get a beaver shot of my co-worker right before I brush my teeth.
I was sure the complaint was going to be flying mirror specks, or globs of toothpaste left in the sink. Or maybe the guy squeezes the tube in the middle. Gah!
No really, what…?
My own work bathroom is pretty private. I have almost all of the same things stored in there that I have at home. I often brush, and rinse twice in one work day. I even occasionally floss there, but I always wipe down the mirror afterwards.
