Aibu to share a toothbrush?

[Tuthbrush]

Now before you sling me in the stocks and throw fruit at me.

I don’t mean the bit that goes in your mouth.

DH and I share the handle of an oral B IO10. He has his separate heads and I have mine, stored separately and the handle is cleaned after each use. No tooth paste slime anywhere. My sister has been over tonight and when she came out of the loo asked why there was one toothbrush so I explained and she said we were mingers.

are we manky??
no I’m not a troll I’m mortally embarrassed that I might be the grossest person known to grace mankind

Yabu to share get your own base each
YANBU to share the base only of an electric toothbrush

Yes to your travel question - we take manual toothbrushes

Yeah I thought most couple did that. That's why they have little symbols on the brush heads. Which are shite and too small and the coloured bands were much better.

Went halves on an electric toothbrush with my DH. I’m really bad with sharing toothbrushes and the like and I gip whenever someone spits into the sink. It didn’t work out. Couldn’t get past the thought of old toothpaste gunk being spotted on the handle when I came to use it and gipped at the thought of washing it off. Toothbrushes are personal items in my house and I kept mine away from
everyone else’s. Funny how I can deal with sickness, diarrhoea and dog poo!

It’s fine but I’d prefer my own unless I was skint.
I couldn’t trust mine not to be lazy and use my head. 🤮

Technically I know it's fine but at the same time, it's not something I'd choose. We all have out own toothbrushes in my house.

I find it grim. Even if it’s rinsed a wet handle puts me off. I guess it’s normal for some

Each to their own but we much prefer to have one each.

DH and I shared a handle briefly, till I realised he couldn't remember which colour was his! 😡

We now have separate handles and no mix ups now. I'd never share again.

DH and I use the same manual toothbrush a lot of the time. It’s cleaned after each use so no food or anything left in it. I really don’t understand the issue. We snog so what’s the difference?!

🤮 that's just wrong.

Loads of people say it but nobody can say why, except something to do with bacteria but you get the same bacteria whilst kissing.

The ultrasonic tips are but the handle isn’t hence the comparison stands

The romance of sharing a handset (individual heads, of course) was swiftly kicked into touch. Slimy, grey, manky charger/handset combo deemed perfectly acceptable by DH.
Took the opportunity to buy the bestest upgrade and now swan about with superior gadget in a never-to-share-again manner.

I thought for a second you meant the bristles, but you mean the battery, don't you?

I mean it’s fine from a hygiene perspective but sounds like a lot of hassle. I thought the coloured rings were to differentiate if you both had the same coloured handle.

Honestly OP think about how many hours of your life you’re spending switching toothbrush heads… just treat yourself to your own.

No, I mean the whole thing.

I know logically it’s fine and people do it but personally the thought of it is 🤢

1. The Reprocessing Cycle (Reusable Instruments)

• Transportation: Used instruments are moved from the treatment room to a decontamination area in sealed "dirty" boxes to prevent contamination.
• Cleaning: Instruments are first scrubbed to remove debris (blood, tissue, materials). This is done using an automated washer-disinfector (preferred) or ultrasonic cleaner, which uses sound waves to clean, or manual washing with a long-handled brush.
• Disinfection: Washer-disinfectors use heat and detergents to remove bacteria and viruses, a step often called thermal disinfection.
• Inspection: Staff check instruments under a magnification lamp to ensure they are completely clean and free of rust or debris.
• Packaging: Cleaned instruments are placed in sterilization pouches with chemical indicators to show they have been properly processed.
• Sterilization (Autoclave): Instruments are sterilized in an autoclave, which is an industrial pressure cooker that uses steam at 134°C–137°C to kill all micro-organisms, including viruses and spores.
• Storage: Sterilized packages are stored in a designated dry, clean area until needed.

1. Surface Disinfection (Surgery/Dental Unit)

• After Every Patient: Staff clean and disinfect all frequently touched areas using disinfectant wipes or sprays. This includes the dental chair, light handles, control panels, tray, and suction tubes.
• Barrier Protection: Many practices use disposable plastic barriers on equipment (e.g., handles, X-ray heads) that are replaced between patients.
• Suction Systems: Special cleaning agents are flushed through suction lines to remove biofilm and debris.

1. Safety and Maintenance Protocols

• Single-Use Items: Instruments that cannot be effectively cleaned—such as needles, saliva ejectors, and anesthetic cartridges—are used once and disposed of in clinical waste containers.
• PPE: Staff wear personal protective equipment (gloves, masks, eye protection, aprons) throughout the decontamination process.
• Validation: Autoclaves are tested regularly (weekly or daily) to ensure they are reaching the required temperatures for sterilization.
• One-Way System: Decontamination rooms are organized in a "dirty-to-clean" flow to prevent re-contamination of cleaned instruments.

I thought this was normal practice? I've certainly done this before.

Oh god, toothpaste gunk! It is truly disgusting! That’s why we have a toothbrush each (and because I wanted a pink one!) but I still have to clean DH’s toothbrush because the sight of it in the cupboard with gunk on the handle makes me wretch 😬

Surely those who say it’s too much hard work to change the handle are the manky ones, as it presumably means they’re not taking the head off their own toothbrush to clean it every time, and it is therefore full of manky toothpaste gunk?

As others have said, the whole point of these toothbrushes is single body and different heads denoted by e.g. coloured rings.

Isnt that how they sell them

Tbh I cant bring myself to share but thats my personal issue

Sorry, you said when it's "flat" - you mean a flat battery, not flat bristles, I think?

I always wondered what the different coloured rings were for .....wow learn something new every day x

Totally fine to me. My daughter and husband had 1 handle each but hers broke and now she shares her dads
I recently accidentally threw my razor handle away as well and so I share my daughters handle and just swap the blades each time (I would happily just use her blade tbh but she goes mad)