We have been celebrating Earth Day each April since 1970! It’s recognized as a day to bring awareness to our planet, address environmental concerns and protect our precious resources. At Gillespie Dental Associates, we feel it’s important for everyone to do their share – big or small. We decided to dedicate our next several posts to sustainable, eco-friendly topics. In this post we will introduce some green dental products that you can seek out and use at home to do your part.
This is a great starting point for your search into eco-friendly dental products. Keep in mind recommendations from your hygienist and dentist as you seek out products that make a difference to customize your choice to fit in with your goals and lifestyle!
Sustainable Toothbrushes
Toothbrushes create a ton of unnecessary waste. Although toothbrushes are recyclable, about 1 million end up in landfills in the US each year! They may be small, but THIS ADDS UP FAST! There are plenty of eco-friendly options available on the market, with bamboo being the most prevalent. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource and is naturally biodegradable, creating far less of an environmental impact. There are even toothbrushes available made from recycled ocean plastics. Talk about a win- win! Check out Preserve’s line of sustainable toothbrushes here.
Dental Floss
Traditional dental floss is non-recyclable, not bio-degradable and some may contain toxic chemicals, but rest assured, there are plenty of earth-friendly options available. These environmentally- safe options are derived from plants such as corn and bamboo. Silky coatings on traditional floss are replaced with beeswax, vegetable wax or candelilla wax making them both safe and sustainable. There are even vegan options available. Check out a compiled list of floss options here.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste recycling can get muddy and be a little confusing. Many tubes are made of mixed materials rendering them not recyclable. However, there are tubes that can be recycled. Read the labels carefully and cross reference them with your local recycling regulations. Colgate recently launched a recyclable tube with “Recycle Me” packaging to not only alert consumers but also to make it visibly apparent to recycling sorting facilities. With over 400 million tubes of toothpaste being disposed of in the US alone each year; this is huge! By 2025, major toothpaste brands have collectively committed to utilizing recyclable packaging.
As Earth Day approaches, it’s a good time for all of us to evaluate what we can do better to help preserve our planet for future generations. Together, these small steps can make a huge impact.