Healthy smile, healthy planet

It’s easy to incorporate simple changes into your oral health care routine to save energy and reduce waste. You’ll not only help the planet, you’ll also help your smile by eating a well-balanced diet, hydrating and taking great care of your teeth and gums. 

Save energy with your oral health care routine

• If there’s enough daylight, leave off the lights while you brush and floss in the morning.

• Light your bathroom with energy-efficient LED light bulbs while you brush and floss before bed.

• If you use an electric toothbrush or water flosser, unplug your charger when not in use.

Did you know?

 

As many as 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away in the U.S. annually, and they can take more than 500 years to break down.

Go paperless with your dental coverage and treatment

• Create and manage your Delta Dental account online.

•  Ask your dentist about paperless options for billing and appointment reminders. 

Drink mouth-friendly beverages from reusable containers

• Drink tap or filtered water from a reusable glass or metal container instead of water from plastic bottles.

• Choose healthy, low-sugar beverages, such as sparkling mineral water, that come in large glass bottles with caps that screw on and off. You can reuse the bottle for something else.

Choose eco-friendly oral health care products

• Brush with a bamboo toothbrush.

•  Use biodegradable floss.

•  Try compostable floss picks.

Create a healthy meal plan to reduce food waste

• Plan a week’s worth of meals and snacks before you leave for the store to avoid multiple car trips. And don’t forget your reusable cloth shopping bags.

• Check your pantry and fridge to see what you have and buy only what you need. Avoid products with excessive packaging.

• Create healthy meals low in sugars, simple carbohydrates and acids that can harm your oral health.

          

It’s easy to incorporate simple changes to save energy and reduce waste. You’ll not only help the planet, you’ll also help your smile by eating a well-balanced diet, hydrating and maintaining a regular oral health care routine.