Reusable vs single-use products: Dental edition

Nowadays, hundreds of products claim to be ‘eco-friendly’ in the name of sales, but it's important to know which products you buy are truly helping the environment. When it comes to taking care of your teeth, there are many products you need to consider – from toothbrushes, to floss, to tongue scrapers. Being sustainable does not mean limiting the things you purchase, but simply buying them consciously. You can still have it all, and help the planet.

Bamboo toothbrushes

Bamboo is a fast-growing, natural material, making the toothbrushes 100 per cent biodegradable. Although bamboo bristles take some time to get used, they will soften before you know it. When the brush gets old, you can simply chuck it out to compost.

You can try out a cost-effective bamboo toothbrush here, or why not invest in a year’s supply so you’ll never be caught short?

Electric bamboo toothbrushes

If you don’t want to downgrade to a manual toothbrush, there are plenty of options for an electric one too. To avoid buying a whole new set-up, you can even buy bamboo toothbrush heads on their own. Or, you can check out some options from eco-friendly dental care giants Georganics.

Toothpaste

Whichever you choose from the array of options available, people with sensitive teeth should be aware that a lot of ‘natural’, ‘eco-friendly’ toothpastes do not contain fluoride – an important part of your oral care.

Georganics offer a range of toothpastes in jars. All you need to do is spoon out a pea-sized amount onto your toothbrush and get going.

Another option is toothpaste tabs, such as Eco-Living’s fluoride tabs or Parla’s natural fluoride ones. To use, you simply chew until they form a paste in your mouth. Lush also offer them in unique flavours such as Boom!, a ‘spicy aniseed and cola blast’, if you want to switch up the spearmint.

Mouthwash

Often, sustainable mouthwash options also come as tabs you dissolve in water. As they take a while to dissolve, we recommend having one or two prepared so you don’t have to wait around. There are many of these floating around the market, including from Lush.

Tongue scrapers

Every dentist on TikTok convinced us to use tongue scrapers, and we haven’t looked back since. These little contraptions have the power to get rid of horrible lingering tastes in seconds. You can get metal, cornstarch or bamboo ones, which can be either recycled or composted after use.

Floss

Sustainable floss alternatives are often made from corn starch, including floss spools and picks. The Humble Co's minty offering even comes with extra flavouring.

There’s an eco-friendly way to replace every part of your beauty routine, so why not make the investment in yourself, your teeth and the planet?

Edited by Tia Xiourouppas