FOR the past couple of weeks my team has been making a concerted effort to work more in a more environmentally friendly manner – Gentle goes Greener. We are reducing our paper and plastic waste, of which there is an obscene amount, especially in surgical dentistry. This is a tiny drop in the ocean but the push has started in the medical and dentistry sectors to do our bit.
Patients can also give the polar bears a virtual hug by simply turning off the water while brushing. The majority of people waste an overflowing bucket of water every time they brush. This may not seem a lot but we need to bear in mind Coleridge was right, the Earth really is "water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink."
Ninety-seven percent of all the water on earth is salt water, which is not suitable for drinking, leaving only three per cent of fresh water that reduces to a mere 0.5 per cent available for drinking. If enough people take an extra second to turn the tap off, this will have a cumulative impact on energy saving.
By turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to eight gallons of water. That adds up to more than 200 gallons a month. If you reduced the water running to 10 seconds twice a day then you would save 90 per cent of the water used when brushing.
Pumping water from the central water facility requires high amounts of energy to run the equipment. Reducing water usage reduces the energy and chemicals required to process and deliver it to homes, businesses and farms which, in turn, helps to reduce pollution and conserve fuel resources.
The other 'winner, winner chicken dinner' point is that turning off the water while tooth brushing is actually good for your teeth. By spitting out toothpaste and not rinsing with water afterwards you allow the toothpaste to seep into your teeth, strengthening them further giving a filling busting 30 per cent less chance of needing your teeth drilled.
We can also help by using re-usable teeth cleaning products, things that have metal handles, so we are just changing the cleaning tips and not the whole device, and more biodegradable products.
