AIBU to brush my teeth in the car park?

[TheMagnificentEthel]

I drive about one hour to work every day. I have breakfast in my car. Our car park is basically a field.

AIBU to brush my teeth in the car park?
The toilets at work are grim.

I sit and brush in my car then rinse my mouth with a bottle of water, open the door and spit on the grass.

AIBU?

@Looneytune253 why would eating in the car be less healthy than eating anywhere else? Do the nutrients in the food change depending on where you eat it?

I assume the OP was eating after she parked up and not when driving so don't understand the safety issue.

Meh. Lots of people do this when camping. I don’t see the problem OP.

Eating in the car - how is it dirty? Surely it’s the same as eating in a campervan/caravan/at your desk/on the sofa? I’m sure you’re not eating your toast off the dashboard are you?!

YABU as you shouldn’t brush your teeth for 30 minutes after eating.

Dogs are not going to be harmed by the minuscule amounts of xylitol found clinging to grass stems in a field, even if for some bizarre reason they did choose to lick it.

MrsJoker is right about not rinsing with water. Dental advice nowadays is too spit but not rinse, then the fluoride in the toothpaste stays in your mouth doing its work.

wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. But if you’re brushing your teeth that often then you’re at risk for surface cavities.

Why not have breakfast at home before you leave? Or am I missing something?

Why on earth don't you brush at home!?

even if for some bizarre reason they did choose to lick it

My dogs eat grass quite often, as do most dogs.

YANBU I brush my teeth before dentist appointments in a layby. I'd much rather do it there than a public loo. Some spat out out toothpaste and water is nothing, imagine how many men urinate all over the place outside and we don't really notice that do we.

You shouldn't be rinsing after anyway so problem solved! Use less paste and don't add water before or after brushing.

oh come off it everyone! animals wee / poo in the grass, insects etc etc, things decompose. Spit on the grass all you like as long as you don't do it walking down the street!

How revolting.

I also don’t really get why the toilets in your work are worse than outside unless you’re planning to put your toothbrush anywhere other than in your mouth.

Why don't you take a tub or something to spit in. You can wash it out at home. Problem solved.

It seems more revolting to me to spit into a tub/bottle and carry that around in my car all day.
What’s that? Oh just my spit jar...

I can’t help rinsing. I’m from the olden days when we were taught to rinse. Doing differently (not swilling out my mouth) feels like I haven’t finished.

The toilets smell of wee. I spend the minimum possible time in there. I’m not brushing in there.

I’m a slow eater. I would have to factor in an extra half hour as I would catch traffic if I left later. At the moment I have a leisurely half hour which is also a buffer in case of traffic.

I might eat a banana when I’m driving. I have oats in a thermos which I eat when parked.

I’m just going to carry on.

So why ask then

It sounds like you were looking for validation of your grim behaviour and you didn't find it here. Spitting in public is disgusting. Seeing other people spitting legitimately makes me gag and seeing spit on the ground makes me feel sick. Why can't you just brush your teeth before you leave the house? I usually brush my teeth first thing in the morning to get rid of morning breath.

You are making your work environment more disgusting for the people around you and that's not fair.

My dentist Aunt told me to brush my teeth before breakfast (can't recall her reasoning)

Spitting being disgusting dates from around 1900 ago when there were public campaigns against spitting because the phlegm was considered a cause of the transmission of TB. In the 1700s and 1800s spittoons were commonly available in inns and pubs as well as private homes - in other words, spitting in public was seen as perfectly acceptable. Disgusting spitting tends to be hawking up phlegm and leaving gobbets of it on the pavement. Quite a different thing from saliva and toothpaste on to the grass, where it will immediately sink in and disappear.

Don’t you think your work colleagues might find this a bit grim and unprofessional if they see you doing this?

Seems odd to brush first thing then brush again after breakfast, even if breakfast is eaten in the car.

Eating bananas while driving sounds tricky.

You shouldn’t brush after eating it will damage your teeth. Brush at home and the whole problem is solved!

This is almost a year old...how did you even find it to reanimate it?!

Oh yes, I missed that. Weird thread to revive. Maybe OP has given up on the grim habit by now.