As a society, it seems we are all becoming more aware of our environment.
Together, we are all trying to make a conscious effort to be more environmentally-friendly and sustainable to help reduce our impact on the environment.
Here at Boutique Dental Care, we want to share with you our top 5 tips for keeping your mouth clean and healthy, while trying to keep our earth clean and healthy too!
Eco-Friendly Tips For Keeping Your Teeth Healthy
1. Turn It Off
According to Water Corporation Australia, leaving the tap on while brushing
your teeth wastes nearly 10 litres of water per minute!
Wow! Now that is a lot of water.
Remember to always turn the tap off when you are brushing your teeth. And don’t turn it on again until you have finished brushing and are ready to use it.
Another great idea that the team at Boutique Dental Care had to help save water while brushing is to fill a cup up with water and use that when you are rinsing. That way the tap is not running while you are rinsing out, further helping to conserve water.
For more water conserving ideas around the home have a look at their website https://www.watercorporation.com.au/save-water/water-saving-tips.
2. Brushing Off Plastic
At Boutique Dental Care, we recommend that you replace your toothbrush every three months, when it looks worn or has fraying bristles, or after a bout of illness.
Unfortunately, this means a lot of toothbrushes end up in landfill each year.
We are not suggesting that you don’t brush or that you neglect your teeth, but rather that you consider changing to an eco-friendly alternative.
There are now a range of different bamboo, compostable, and biodegradable toothbrushes on the market. Even better, these are now commonly available at your local supermarket and pharmacy. They also often come in cardboard packaging, rather than plastic!
Remember though… like any other good toothbrush, make sure that it has a small, soft head!
If you are unsure if the toothbrush you are using is okay, then bring it in for one of our dental professionals to have a look at your next appointment.
But wait, there is more!
It is not just regular toothbrushes that are becoming eco-friendly. Some interdental brushes are changing from the traditional plastic handle to bamboo handles as well.
They work in the same way and still offer a range of different sizes. They also again come in more eco-friendly packaging.
Plus, you can now get eco-friendly, plant-based flossing alternatives.
They are commonly available from Natural Health and Beauty Stores and offer refills, so that you can use the same container but just add new floss into it when you run out. Although we are yet to try them, we are looking forward to testing them out soon! So, stay tuned.
3. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Colgate and TerraCycle have teamed up to offer a great recycling program for your used or empty oral hygiene products. These include:
- Empty toothpaste tubes and caps
- Floss containers
- Manual toothbrushes
- Electric toothbrush heads
Once these products have been collected, they are sorted and then melted down to be reused or upcycled. Which the team at Boutique Dental Care think is pretty cool!
But there is one more thing that we should mention: this recycling program offers a reward system as well. This means that for every donated product, $0.02 is donated to a chosen school or non-profit organisation. So you are helping more than just the environment!
The scheme has also recently expanded. And they now have an Electric Toothbrush Recycling Program! It just gets better and better.
So, what are you waiting for? Jump over to their website at
https://www.terracycle.com/en-AU/brigades/oral-care-brigade-au
to find your local drop-off point!!
4. Make the Most of What You Have
Do you squeeze out every minty, morsel, gloop of toothpaste for the tube, like we do?
Well, you might be surprised to find out how much toothpaste is left in your tube after.
While some people like to squeeze and roll the toothpaste from the end, others lay the near-empty tube on the bathroom bench and try to squeeze it down to the top. But did you know that there is an easier way?
For just a few dollars, you can buy a toothpaste squeezer to help ensure you get every last drop. Have a look online and get one for your household. They are also reusable and make great practical presents!
Another practical way to make the most of what you have is to not over dispense. Only use what you need. This is especially important when you are dispensing your floss from its container. You don’t need metre-long floss to use — generally about 30cm is enough.
5. Encourage Others
When it comes to making environmentally-friendly changes, every effort counts – no matter how small it may seem.
If we work together, we can turn many small efforts into something big!
That is why we at Boutique Dental Care, think that everyone should get involved, which brings us to our final tip.
Teach your children, share this information with others, and encourage the rest of your household and family to get involved. Together we can all make a difference.
From the team at Boutique Dental Care,
we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for making a
positive step to helping care and for helping to reduce our impact on the environment.
So, don’t forget to let us know next time you come in about the positive changes you have made!
BUT ALSO, if you have any other tips for keeping clean and being green, let us know,
as we would love to share them with everyone. We look forward to hearing from you soon!