Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Toothbrush and bleeding gum - HIV

Hi all,

Want to ask I am HIV +...
Really worried I usually use my toothbrush and brush my teeth and it bleed a lot everytime..
My sister and I have the exact same tooth brush and mistook the toothbrush and brush her teeth (she also bleed her gum) in about 5-10 minutes after me brushing my teeth.
How is the risk?
Since I got really worried that I will infect all my family member this way
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Maybe as my additional info since i have to know the details about the virus on my body.. how long does thi virus stay active outside the body? Since everybody write not long, is there any exact estimation like 1 minutes, 5 minutes, or so?
Thabks
Helpful - 0
4 Comments
Blood outside of the body is no longer infectious.  Never.  No one gets infected with HIV from encountering blood that has been outside of the body.

Does your sister have HIV?
Me who got the HIV amd I worried sick that I will transmitted to her and any other  family member through toothbrush, razor, etc.
Please discuss your concerns with the doctor who is treating you for HIV.  You CANNOT transmit HIV to anyone else unless you have unprotected sex with them, or share intravenous needles with them.
And see your dentist as well -- either you're brushing too hard or you have some gum problems that need attention.  Constant bleeding when brushing isn't an HIV problem, but it is a teeth problem.
Avatar universal
Thanks for the response..
So there is no risk even the 2 of us have bleeding gum and there is a delay just couple of minutes?..
And this happening quite often
Please kindly answer. Thanks a lot
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Your situation involves personal contact with an object in air  (toothbrush which is not a risk for hiv.) No worries, because you can't get hiv from personal contact except unprotected penetrating vaginal or anal, neither of which you did and you didn't share hollow needles to inject with which is the only other way to acquire hiv. Analysis of large numbers of infected people over the 40 years of hiv history has proven that people don't get hiv in the way you are worried is a risk.
HIV is a fragile virus in air or saliva and is effectively instantly dead in either air or saliva so the worst that could happen is dead virus rubbed you, and obviously anything which is dead cannot live again so you are good. Blood and cuts would not be relevant in your situation since the hiv has become effectively dead, so you don't have to worry about them to be sure that you are safe.
If hiv was as infectious as you are worrying about, we (and that includes all children) would all have it by now, just from touching infected people and their belongings etc.  
20821760 tn?1523370304
Sharing toothbrush is not a risk unlike sharing an injection needle.
Theres no risk for the event you mentioned above.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thanks for the response..
So there is no risk even the 2 of us have bleeding gum and there is a delay just couple of minutes?..
And this happening quite often
Please kindly answer. Thanks a lot
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community

Top HIV Answerers
366749 tn?1544695265
Karachi, Pakistan
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.