The Power of Saying No: Making a Sustainable Choice at the Dentist

When I left the dentist last week, I walked out the door carrying a little paper bag with the usual freebies - a toothbrush, a small box of toothpaste and a little pack of dental floss.

I was a big grumbly though... because once I got home, I took the stuff out of the bag and then promptly tossed the bag into recycling.

Now this was partly on me, because when my hygienist asked me if I wanted a toothbrush and stuff, I said yes.

I watched her open the drawer and select the brush, the toothpaste and the dental floss. I was thinking to myself... "No, I don't want the dental floss". But did I say that out loud? No, I did not. And while I was musing over that inability and trying to get my mouth to work, she handed the stuff to me in a little paper bag. "No, I don't need a paper bag." Did I say that out loud? Nope, I did not!

And so I came home... tossed the paper bag in recycling and threw the dental floss into the back of my bathroom drawer where it will sit for a very long time, nestled in with a whole host of its cousins. Oh, I do use floss on occasion, when I get something stuck in my teeth, but I'm more of a water-pik person. Sometimes I'll use those little tooth-pickers with the bit of floss in a plastic handle, but dental floss... not really.

I do have to admit, the dentist has at last switched from plastic bags to paper bags, so that is a step forward. But still... aren't all of these little bags a cost for them? No... probably not. I'm sure that the toothpaste, toothbrush and floss companies give them all this stuff for free. And the bags are probably sponsored as well.

I'm not sure why I'm unable to voice my preference when I'm there. I think it's because I have to have the whole conversation in my head first... about not wanting the floss. 

And to be honest, I wasn't expecting it to come in a bag. I think I've walked out of there before with no bag. So part of it was me being caught by surprise but... this inability to say "no" is perplexing to me.

Is it because the stuff is free? Don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth? I mean I do use the toothbrush... and the toothpaste. So those are cool. Maybe next time I'll say... "Hey, can you keep the floss and give me two of those little toothpastes instead?"

Or maybe I'm afraid of her frown of disapproval as I decline the dental floss? You know dental folk... they always want to know if you're flossing! That might be closer to the truth. Ugh! I don't want to get into a discussion about whether or not I floss regularly. I don't want to see her frown of disapproval (behind her mask). I want to keep pretending that I'm a good dental patient who flosses regularly. But whyyyyyy????!!!! Enough of this pretending!

Next time I will be prepared!

Hygienist: "Do you want a toothbrush?"
Me; "Thank you, yes! Could I please have a toothbrush and two toothpastes. No floss. And no bag please."

Forewarned is forearmed! Small steps... one word at a time.

A Tale of Two Toothbrushes

A few months back, we invested in bamboo toothbrushes as a way to reduce our plastic footprint. When the toothbrushes finally arrived,  I had just started using a new plastic toothbrush, a freebie from our dentist. My partner's toothbrush, however, was ready for a change and so she started using a bamboo toothbrush.

Several months later... we are ready to do a comparison. My partner's well-used bamboo toothbrush is on the left and my plastic one is on the right. As you can see... the plastic bristles of the bamboo one are bigger and they have a bit of a contour to them. But they've held up quite well to the wear and tear of twice daily brushings.

When you look full on... you can see that both toothbrushes are quite frayed out, my partner's more so than mine. This could be a brushing habit though. My partner tends to brush for a least two minutes twice a day while I generally only do 30 seconds twice a day. Soooo... the bamboo has more mileage, so to speak. Normally, I wouldn't change out my toothbrush until the three month point... which is what is recommended by dentists and manufacturers. As the bristles get more worn out, they are less effective and more likely to harbour bacteria. For me... this is the two month point in my toothbrush's life sooo... it'll be interesting to see if my bamboo toothbrush looks like my partner's one after two months of use.

The only other difference we noted was that bottom of the bamboo toothbrush had some staining since it sits in a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the toothbrush cups. The handle also looks a bit paler than before. But other than that, it's stood up quite well.

We have both now started using new bamboo toothbrushes... Time will tell how my bamboo toothbrush fares in the future. At least I have something to compare it to! And... at my next dentist appointment, I'm going to ask them point blank about recycling the plastic toothbrushes, dental floss containers, tooth paste tubes etc. I never did get a response to my email to them about the Terra Cycle boxes... And I want to ask them about the possibility of giving away bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic ones. We'll see what response I get... stay tuned.

Did you Brush your Teeth?

 "Did you brush your teeth?" How many times were we asked that question as kids? How often have we asked our own kids that question? Brushing our teeth, morning and night is a good life-long habit to form. Healthy gums, healthy teeth... all good, right? Except... not so much for the planet. Plastic toothbrushes, plasticized toothpaste tubes... and let's not even talk about dental floss or those floss pickers... all plastic. And plastic, as we all know, never, ever decomposes. It just keeps breaking down into tinier plastic pieces, leaching toxins into the environment.

And yet... every morning and evening, I pick up my plastic toothbrush, squeeze some toothpaste on it from the tube and... brush. Every time I go to the dentist, I accept their offer of a free plastic toothbrush and small toothpaste and dental floss... And every few months, I think, gotta make a change.

Well... today was the day for a change. For a few years now, I have been aware of the TerraCycle oral care zero-waste box. It's kind of like the recycle bins that Staples has for pens and batteries and cell phones and toner cartridges... except for dental care products. I've been wanting to ask my dental clinic... "Why don't you guys host one of these boxes?" Today... I sent that email...

Hi,

Just wondering... you know how Staples has recycling bins for pens and toner cartridges and batteries... has your office given any thought to hosting a recycling bin for oral care products (toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers). Terracycle offers a Zero Waste box for oral care products. Yes, it would cost money to buy the box but... think of the positive publicity if your office went eco-friendly... Or maybe you could get OralB or Colgate or Crest to cover part of the cost given that you had out their free products. The future is coming... would be great if your office were ahead of the curve.

Thanks!

We'll see what sort of response I get from them. I tried to find any dental clinic in my city that has gone this route but... came up empty. Although, I did find a dental clinic in Toronto, Ontario that has gone with the TerraCycle box.

Because... ideally we use four toothbrushes every year (assuming we change them out after 3 months like we are supposed to)... which means I've used over 100 toothbrushes in my lifetime. And they are all out there, somewhere, sitting in a landfill, leaching toxins. And let's not even mention that packaging around each toothbrush. Not a nice legacy to leave for the future.

Now, we do give our toothbrushes an extra stage in their life. Toss them in a jar under the bathroom sink and when we need a brush for scrubbing hard to reach areas (like bathroom grout)... we reach for a used toothbrush. But... after that... buy-buy toothbrush, into the garbage. Toothbrushes, made as they are from several different types of materials (plastic handle, nylon bristles)

Brush with Bamboo

So... TerraCycle has a smart idea... recycle the hard-to-recycle products. Makes sense and yet... ideally... we would avoid the use of plastic at all. Right?

Enter bamboo... I had heard about bamboo toothbrushes, where the handle is bamboo but the bristles still often contained some plastic or... were made from Chinese swine bristles (not a cruelty-free source).

This morning though, I did some more research and... there's a company called Brush with Bamboo and they produce toothbrushes with handles made from 100% wild bamboo (not farmed and irrigated) and bristles made from 100% castor bean oil. They are "USDA Certified Biobased. Green American Certified. Vegan. BPA-Free. Natural and Non-toxic." Huh... go figure. They've made some progress in the last few years. A few years ago, they still had some plastic in the bristles, but it looks like they've ironed that out. Trust the German engineers to figure it out. And... the packaging is a paper box with no glue or tape. Bonus! There are other brands out there... but they still use nylon bristles (which are a petroleum product and non-decomposable). Now... just because the bristles are 100% bio-based doesn't mean they are biodegradable... which isn't great but... is better than anything else out there.

Brush with Bamboo

Now... the hiccup... A group of 4 adult brushes costs $26 CAD... that's $6.50/toothbrush. Yikes!! I'm used to paying less than $2 for a toothbrush... or getting one for free from the dentist.

If you order 12 toothbrushes, the per-unit price drops to $5.50 and for 36 toothbrushes, the per-unit price drops to $4.50...

Still, even at $6.50... and a lifetime of 3 months (90 days) that's 7¢/day or... if you brush your teeth twice a day... only 3.5¢ per use. Which isn't ridiculous. Of course, there is shipping which pushes the price up... but perhaps there is a local health food store that sells these... I have put out feelers...

And... I did a field trip to the local health food store after checking that they carry bamboo toothbrushes. They are selling Brush with Bamboo toothbrushes for $9.99 each! Yikes... Passed on that... and ordered a twelve-pack online - with shipping, per unit cost is under $6.50.

And... after they've exceeded their three month lifetime... and been used as little scrubby brushes... they can find a third life in the garden as plant labels!

I'm not quite ready yet to try tooth powder but... that might be next on the agenda... some xylitol, bentonite clay and baking soda... and voila... goodbye toothpaste tubes. More research required...