Top Tips For Eco Friendly Dental Care

Going green isn’t restricted to reusable shopping bags, electric cars and organic foods. The dental hygiene habits you adopt may also be negatively impacting the environment.

Here are some top tips to make your dental care more low impact and eco-friendly.

1. Sustainable toothbrushes

Traditionally, the majority of toothbrushes have been made of plastic and cannot be recycled. With plastic taking hundreds of years to break down, every toothbrush ever made is still on this earth. Though we can’t change the past, we can improve our habits going forward.

Changing your toothbrush every three to four months can lead to a lot of plastic waste throughout your lifetime. Consider toothbrushes with bamboo handles instead which are completely biodegradable. You can get them in different colours, with options for varied bristle stiffness.

 2. Toothpaste and floss

Toothpaste can be full of chemicals that are harmful to the environment and yourself. Choosing a natural option means not washing those chemicals down the drain every time your brush. Many eco-friendly brands offer fully recyclable packaging, including aluminium options. If you want to go for a mainstream brand, look into the Colgate Terracycle program, which will recycles all packaging.

Floss is a single-use product that is often coated in plastic and comes in plastic packaging. Luckily, many companies are now offering biodegradable and compostable alternatives. You can even get biodegradable flossing picks.

3. Go eco-friendly yourself

Dentists can also encourage their patients to adopt eco friendly dental practices. Earth friendly suppliers like kentexpress.co.uk, can help reduce the negative impact on the environment on a larger scale. As individuals, it’s up to you as a patient to choose dentists that practice eco-dentistry. Things that are offered by holistic dentists include non-mercury fillings, using non-toxic cleaning and dental products, and operating in an eco-friendly office space.

You should also consult with your dentist on how to naturally take care of your teeth. This can prevent harmful chemicals from washing down the drain or into your body.

4. Reduce water usage

Did your mother ever tell you not to leave the water running while you brush your teeth? It may seem obvious, but you can dramatically reduce water wastage by remembering this tip. It is suggested that 1 in 3 people will leave the tap running while they are brushing their teeth. A running tap wastes six litres of water per minute. With the scarcity of clean drinking water on our planet, we need every drop that we can get.

Instead of just running the tap and drinking from it with their hands or mouth, use a cup. Using a cup prevents any water from washing down the drain.

Implementing these simple but impactful tips will allow you to reduce your negative impact on the environment.