3 Switches to Help the Planet AND have Clean, Healthy Teeth
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) recommends that we brush twice and floss once every day. While doing so keeps our teeth clean and healthy most of the dental hygiene products we use are having a terrible impact on the state of our planet.
Let’s look more closely at this:
Toothbrushes - The average person will change their toothbrush, three or four times every year and individually, that doesn’t seem like too much to be adding to landfill; but on a national or even global scale the figures are mind boggling.
In 2018 the Weekly Times reported that in Australia, 30 million toothbrushes and 70 million toothpaste tubes are discarded every year, equating to about 350 tons of landfill waste annually. (If that figure isn’t staggering enough, remember that’s JUST in Australia… imagine what that figure would be if we added the numbers from Europe, China, America, and the rest of the world into the equation too!)
Most toothbrushes are made from a combination of crude oil plastic, rubber for the hand piece, nylon for the bristles, and a mixture of plastic and cardboard for the packaging. Once discarded, these items remain in landfill for hundreds of years or worse, end up in our oceans; get washed up on our beaches or are consumed by marine life which often results in death. If they are burnt, they release a combination of toxic and greenhouse gases which are hazardous to people and the environment
Toothpaste – When it comes to toothpaste, it’s not only the packaging that is a problem, but also the ingredients, many of which, with a continual build up, are harmful to not only the planet but also our own physical health.
Brushing our teeth is an auto-pilot job… we just do it without really thinking about it; which means that it’s easy to forget that every time we spit and rinse we are sending toothpaste down the drain and into our water ways. If the teeth cleaning products you are using contain ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium pyrophosphate, triclosan or certain colorants then you’re adding to water pollution EVERY TIME you brush your teeth!
Colorants such as Brilliant Blue FCF (which is in the toothpaste just to give it a pretty colour) have been proven to be harmful to marine life and it remains in the water even after being passed through sewage treatment systems. There might only be the tiniest bit going down the sink every time you brush but with everyone brushing, the colorant builds up in the water with the potential to cause significant harm.
Dental Floss – This too can be detrimental to the planet’s health. Most floss containers are plastic and if not recycled then they end up in landfill where they will continue to exist, contaminating the earth for hundreds of years. Most floss is made from nylon, a type of plastic derived from crude oil. In landfill, this too will remain for the foreseeable future, however, because it is so small and lightweight it often flies around in the disposal process and ends up littering the ground or the ocean where it causes serious health issues and often slow, painful deaths for the animals (in and out of the water) that either ingest it or are tangled in or strangled by it.
So how do we green up our dental hygiene?
Thankfully, as more and more people become aware of the negative impact that everyday products have on the environment and more and more people become invested in saving the planet; better choice products are becoming more widely available.
(It’s important to note here that some companies are taking advantage of the better choice movement and claim their products are more eco-friendly than they really are. That’s called greenwashing and happens way more than you would think. There’s also plenty of knock off’s popping up in the cheaper stores that either don’t work as well or are made unethically and unsustainably. Do your research and don’t get sucked in!)
1. Switch Your Toothbrush
Invented by a Brisbane dentist, The Environmental Toothbrush is a simple, affordable better choice product that I have been using for over a decade now. The handle of the toothbrush is made from a panda friendly bamboo called Moso which is a species of bamboo that pandas don’t eat. (There are approximately 1000 species of bamboo and pandas only eat about 42 of them!)
The amazing quick growth and self-renewing ability of bamboo means that deforestation is not necessary and as bamboo is extremely resilient farmers don’t need to spray with pesticides or fertilizers, which is always a good thing. The handle is heat treated to carbonise the surface of the bamboo, providing water resistance, preventing bacteria and mould growth and giving it a quality finish and good service life. (The usability of a bamboo toothbrush is about the same as a plastic one) At the end of its life the handle can be added to the home compost or worm farm.
The bristles are currently still made from a BPA free nylon polymer which in layman’s terms means they’re plastic and therefore need to be removed before you put the handle in the compost or worm farm. (At this stage, the only biodegradable bristle I’m aware of, is boar hair, but this makes the toothbrush vegan UNfriendly) I’m comfortable using The Environmental Toothbrush because I advocate ‘better choice’ and believe that the bristles by themselves create much less landfill than a whole plastic toothbrush. (I’m also confident that the owners of The Environmental Toothbrush will transition to a biodegradable option, that doesn’t compromise on the quality of the toothbrush as soon as one becomes available.)
2. Switch Your Toothpaste
Slowly gaining popularity, a much better alternative to a tube of toothpaste is a toothpaste tablet. You simply pop one in your mouth, chew a bit, wet your toothbrush and start brushing.
While there are a few different tablets on the market the one that currently ticks the most boxes for me is Dr Robb Toothpaste Tablets. Made with 100% natural ingredients they were created by a Sunshine Coast dentist and contain everything you need to prevent tooth decay while being a much better choice for the environment.
They contain no chemical ingredients, which also happens to be much better for your health and they contain no water, unlike a tube of toothpaste which can be up to 40% water! Better choice packaging also means much less waste. They come in a convenient refillable tin that holds one month’s supply and a three month supply that comes in a resealable and ‘curb side bin’ recyclable pouch.
3. Switch Your Floss
I don’t floss nearly as often as I should but apparently, I’m not alone with the estimation being that only 25% of Australian’s floss every day. Surprisingly though, there are a lot of compostable, chemical free, better choice floss options already available making this an easy switch.
In my bathroom I have MiEco’s Corn Fibre Floss which comes in a reusable and refillable glass dispenser. It is made from PLA, a polylactic acid manufactured from corn starch. It feels and looks like plastic but is completely plant based and is 100% home compostable as is the cardboard packaging that it comes in making it a waste free product!
Doing better by the planet doesn’t have to be hard or costly. It might not seem like a big deal, but by simply substituting your current products for a better choice option you can actually have a big impact on the environment around you… and with every person that chooses better choice, that impact grows and grows! So for clean, healthy teeth AND a healthier planet, consider switching to better choice dental hygiene products today.
All the products pictured above are available in the Healthy Clean and Green online shop.