Apart from it just being gross, this is the scary reason why you should NEVER use your partner’s toothbrush
Sharing a scrubber leaves people susceptible to all sorts of oral and general health problems
WE'VE probably all done it - whether it's because your electric one is charging in your bedroom, you picked up the wrong one by mistake or you just couldn't be bothered to retrieve it from the other bathroom.
In fact, according to a study by the , almost one in ten people admitted to sharing a toothbrush, and even more said they would consider doing it if they needed to.
But it turns out there's a pretty serious reason why you should NEVER share your partner's scrubber.
Apart from it generally being a bit gross, using another person's toothbrush can have a detrimental effect on your health.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, pointed out that just because you kiss a partner or occasionally share a fork or spoon during mealtimes, this doesn't justify using their toothbrush too.
He explained: “Sharing a toothbrush leaves people susceptible to all sorts of oral and general health problems.
“This is because brushing sometimes causes the , which exposes everyone you share your toothbrush with to bloodstream diseases.
"Therefore, by sharing a toothbrush, the couples are actually sharing blood, which is a lot more risky than just sharing saliva.
“Also there are many hundreds of different bacteria and viruses in our mouths and people sharing a toothbrush could be passing these on to others.
"While this might be something relatively harmless, such as a common cold or cold sore, if the person you are sharing with is infected with hepatitis B or HIV, these could also be passed on via the toothbrush, with life-threatening consequences.”
Instead of sharing a toothbrush, Dr Carter offered some advice on how to maintain your toothbrush to get the very best out of it.
He said: "People need to take good care of their toothbrush, changing it once every three months.
"They may seem like a rather insignificant tool but they form a crucial part of our daily routine, and although most toothbrushes are used twice a day for months on end, they are rarely cleaned thoroughly and are often kept in warm, moist conditions, ideal for bacterial growth."
He advises buying a new toothbrush every three months and re-using the old one for household chores.
Dr Carter added: “Perhaps it is considered an unnecessary expense, but changing your toothbrush, or the head of an electric toothbrush, is actually very cheap.
"To spend £8 a year on four toothbrushes is nothing compared to losing a day off work and spending large amounts of money on preventable dental work, unnecessary prescriptions or over the counter medicines due to poor oral health."