Looking after your oral health with daily oral hygiene (toothbrushing and flossing) can help reduce your carbon footprint and save you money. This is because you are less likely to have to visit your dentist for expensive dental treatment, which additionally may use a lot of water.
It may seem a bit of a contradiction but visiting your dentist once a year for an annual check-up and cleaning will also help to detect any dental issues early on and reducing the need for expensive treatments and travel time to the dentist. With a regular check-up your dentist can catch small cavities early on and repair with a filling (less expensive). If you avoid going to the dentist and wait until you are in pain you may require more complicated treatment with more visits to the dentist, such as root canal treatment or a crown (more expensive and more travel costs).
So, remember when it comes to you and the planet, prevention is better than cure!
And avoid leaving the tap running when brushing your teeth. Turn it Off. You only need to quickly rinse the toothbrush afterwards, but don’t rinse your mouth as this washes the protective fluoride in the toothpaste off your teeth.
Did you know that drinking tap water is not only better for your teeth but you are contributing to reducing plastic waste from bottled water, including plastic ending up in the sea and our lovely beaches.
If you don't have access to good quality tap water for e.g. due to a 'Boil Notice', make sure to recycle plastic bottles.
Happy Earth Day from the Dental Health Foundation! Let's All Do Our Bit!