Having your pearly whites stay pearly white and maintaining good oral hygiene is really easier said than done- it used to be as simple as brushing your teeth but nowadays we go to greater extended lengths. We floss, we gargle, we get caps, fills, veneers, whiteners and so much more…but did you know that all that isn’t exactly doing the best for us or the environment?
If you want to ensure that you’re practising good and ‘green’ oral hygiene and dental care then the following are the basic rules to follow:
Toothpaste
Eco-friendly toothpaste is your obvious choice, but you do also have to use it sparingly. In the case of toothpaste, too much is not great for you because too much fluoride can cause fluoride toxicity or enamel fluorosis in people but having too little can be just as bad for your teeth because it fails to prevent cavities. You can make your own homemade toothpaste or select organic toothpaste that does not contain fluoride but then you need to get fluoride drops to compensate for the lack of it.
Dental Floss
Dental floss will always make the cut to be among the list of the most common non-green consumable substances found in households. Conventional dental floss is not biodegradable (made from nylon or Teflon) and come in unrecyclable containers. Therefore, you should opt for eco-friendly brands (such as those made from organic silk & beeswax)that will bio-degrade over time. Eco-Dent and Radius makes a line of environmentally friendly oral-care products.
Amalgam fillings.
The most commonly used dental restorative material used for dental fillings is made of amalgam. It was first introduced in France (early 1800s) and contains a mixture of mercury with at least one other metal. It is the preferred choice in dentistry for reasons that
- It is low cost,
- Has ease of application,
- Has strength, durability, and
- bacteriostatic abilities.
I guess the FDA says it’s safe but I only understand the word mercury is synonymous with being toxic (mercury poisoning) so I’d advice to stay clear of putting it in your mouth.
Teeth Whitening Strips
Sparkling white teeth is a very attractive sight. But the fact is, natural teeth (not talking about stained teeth) isn’t meant to be chicklet white. When you whiten your teeth with whitening strips what you are actually doing to stripping your tooth off it’s enamel inviting early tooth decay. How it effects the environment is in the resulting waste generated, not just any waste but hydrogen peroxide coated waste!
All that’s white and sparkles may not be “gold”.
