Eco-Friendly Dental Routines: Sustainable Choices for a Greener Smile

There are lots of ways you can reduce your impact for a greener smile. And you don’t have to sacrifice good oral care to achieve this. Follow these simple swaps if you want to reduce your impact and produce less waste.

Reducing the environmental impact of your oral care routine

There are a few things to consider when you think about the wider impact of your oral care routine choices. First, there is the presence of plastic waste in your routine.

You might want to switch to more sustainable materials, or cut out single-use plastics from your routine. You can also think about how to minimise water wastage while brushing your teeth. Here are our favourite tips for making your oral care routine more eco-friendly.

Get a bamboo toothbrush

If you don’t like throwing away a plastic toothbrush every 3-4 months, consider switching to bamboo. These toothbrushes are biodegradable and have bristles made from materials like plant-based resin or castor bean oil. This means you can throw the toothbrush in the compost bin when you are done, rather than feeling guilty about sending it to landfill.

If you use an electric toothbrush, you can even find bamboo brush heads that will fit your model. These are just as effective, but they won’t go to landfill when you’re done with them.

Switch to toothpaste tabs

Every month, 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes are thrown away. This is a huge amount of plastic waste that cannot be recycled. You can reduce your impact by switching to toothpaste tabs in a reusable or refillable container.

Toothpaste tabs are small tablets of hardened toothpaste. You put one in your mouth and chew it a little to start the process. You can then brush your teeth as normal. This is a simple way to reduce the amount of plastic waste you produce, and it’s also a great travel friendly way to keep your teeth clean.

Skip the floss harps

Floss harps might make it easier to hold the floss, but these single-use tools are also terrible for the environment. Switch to a reusable floss harp that allows you to replace the floss, or just wrap the floss around your fingers. You’ll soon get the hang of controlling the floss, and you won’t have to throw away a bit of plastic every time you floss. Your dental hygienist can also offer expert flossing tips - just ask at your next appointment!

Turn off the water

When you are brushing your teeth, make sure you switch off the water. Leaving the water running for two minutes while you brush will add up to huge water waste throughout the year. If your water is on a meter, you can even save money by skipping this bad habit.

Some people pick up this habit as children and never grow out of it, but you can remind yourself to switch off the water by making use of a timer. Keep a 2 minute sand timer by your sink and use this as a visual cue to switch off the water before you start brushing. It will quickly become routine.

Final thoughts on sustainable oral health care

As you can see, you don’t have to switch to chewing on a stick to be sustainable. There are plenty of simple switches that will allow you to be more eco friendly without harming your oral health.