Simple and green oral care.

As a dentist AND an environmentalist, I can not help but think about all the ways we can become more natural and more environmental friendly when it comes to our oral care. The amount of small pieces of plastic we are sending in to the nature due to our teeth cleaning routine is huge.

I am not even talking about a Dental office with everything disposable and made of plastic. I am just talking about our homes and what can we do to reduce the amount of chemicals we enter in our bodies and the water stream along with the amount of plastic waste we create.

In our own home, I have searched and tried many different ways to reduce our impact while maintaining a healthy oral hygiene.

Here is what we do:


Floss:

I have tried many different flosses. There are some flosses that are made of real silk and I was very excited to find them. But the problem was, due to the tight contact between my teeth, the silk floss kept getting ripped. The best floss for myself, I have found to be the VeganFloss. All my family have been using it for the past four years without any problems. They are available in almost all health food stores. I buy mine at Whole Foods. The packaging is made of paper and the floss last a VERY long time. After all, 100 yards of floss is a lot of floss. When new, the floss is wrapped in a small plastic wrap which needs to be removed. This is my least favorite part about this product. The floss itself is also appeared to be not biodegradable. But the packaging is biodegradable.






Toothpaste:
Home made in reusable jars. HERE you can find the recipe.

 

Tooth Brush:

I have tried many different tooth brushes and so far, my favorite has been Environmental toothbrush. I order them on Amazon. The handle is made from Bamboo and the bristles are made from natural fibers. The packaging does not come with plastic windows. We usually order a pack of 12 and color code the handles with a small dot with different color nail polish for each family member. The main problem with these is that they are not made in USA. I like to buy things local and prefer to help the local economy. We are shortly due for our new set of 12 and this time, I will try to look for a local company that can provide similar brushes. Based on my research on Amazon.com, there are many new local companies formed lately with great quality toothbrushes. I will definitely give them a try.





My review of Green Panda toothbrush:
Kathy from Green Panda has been kind enough to send me a tooth brush as a sample to try. Here are my findings:


Pros:

 

1. Sustainable bamboo handle
2. Natural bristles
3. Made in USA
4. Reasenably priced
5. Easily found in stores (Whole Foods)
6. Family owned small business
7. Post costumer packaging
8. Anatomic shape

Cons.

1. Too big for my mouth. Was hard to handle and maneuver due to a pretty big size.
2. I personally am not a big fan of anatomical shapes. No other options for the classic shape.
3. Bristles are too hard. I prefer softer bristles.

In general, other than the comfort part, it was a good toothbrush. I believe it just needed some getting used to.



Here is another brand I found in the Rainbow store in San Francisco. "Brush with Bamboo". Have not tried them yet.

I am not a big fan of mouth wash. But a good alternative to the chemical mouth washes is warm salt water. Some baking soda dissolved in water along with some mint extract can also freshen up the breath and neutralizes the acidity in the mouth.

What is your green oral care routine?

Paris