Amersham and Chalfont's Together September October 2022

LOCAL BUSINESS
Making oral hygiene
more sustainable
“Oral hygiene: the practice of keeping the
mouth clean and healthy by brushing and
flossing to prevent tooth decay and gum
disease.” (healthofchildren.com)
This isn’t only essential for our own personal health
but also for our wellbeing as who doesn’t love that
minty fresh feeling. However, for so long now the
only solution for this basic need has been single use
plastic toothbrushes, toothbrush heads, toothpaste
and floss.
Plastic is indeed a practical solution for oral
hygiene. It’s robust, waterproof, safe to humans
(in part) and cheaply available. What has however
been overlooked for too long is its impact on the
planet – its reliance on fossil fuels to manufacture
and the fact it is simply not designed to be disposed
of sustainably. It cannot biodegrade and ultimately
leaches chemicals into our soils and waters, and
worse into the atmosphere if incinerated.
The good news
is that raised
awareness of our
climate crisis and
ingenious human
endeavour, has
resulted in many
more sustainable
solutions for
maintaining
excellent oral
hygiene.
One of the smartest solutions has been to replace
plastic with another super strong and robust material,
that not only grows sustainably but is biodegradable
- the super plant, bamboo. The majority of high
street shops now sell bamboo toothbrushes and
bamboo interdental brushes. And for electric
toothbrush users, recyclable toothbrush heads and
bamboo alternatives are now available.
Another seismic change has been the introduction
of toothpaste tablets to replace toothpaste in tubes
as we know it. These little tablets do everything that
toothpaste does but use cleaner ingredients, pack
a more minty punch and are zero waste coming in
refillable glass jars. All you do is chew for 3-5 seconds
and brush as normal.
Where can you find your eco-friendly oral hygiene
essentials in one place?
Eco-Homemaker, an online shopping platform, is
on a mission to make your life easier when it comes
to eco-friendly shopping for your family. All of the
above solutions are available on their website and
are tried and tested by the local owners and their
young family.
12 Amersham & Chalfonts Together is part of Community Together