You have all seen the pictures of toothbrushes found washed up on beaches. Every plastic toothbrush ever made still exists today, unless they were incinerated. So that means the chance of one of your toothbrushes washing up on some distant beach is high.
When you add up all the oral hygiene products that you go through in a year (3-4 toothbrushes, 122 yards of floss, 6 toothpaste tubes, and many bottles of mouth wash) and then times that by how many years you have been brushing your teeth, it adds up.
However, all is not lost. There are lots of great alternatives to plastic oral hygiene products that are becoming more and more accessible to consumers!
Toothbrush
You have probably seen the bamboo toothbrush pop up on your newsfeed or Instagram lately due to its gaining popularity. The beauty of the bamboo, the cleaning power of natural bristles and the affordability – you can’t go wrong! These are a great alternative to a completely plastic toothbrush; however, you need to be careful about throwing that toothbrush into your compost bin. Most bamboo toothbrushes still have nylon bristles so these will need to be removed before composting.
At Life Without Plastic, we offer a completely compostable bamboo toothbrush with bristles made from boar hair. Our boar bristles are ethically sourced as a by-product of the meat industry — if not used in this way, they would be discarded as waste.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste does not need to be complicated. It all depends on whether you want fluoride in your toothpaste or not. If you choose not to use fluoride in your toothpaste, then it is as easy as using baking soda on your toothbrush. Your teeth will be left feeling clean and your breath fresh. You can also find tons of DIY toothpaste recipes online if you’re looking to add flavors or making a paste.
You can also buy toothpaste in glass jars which you can recycle, reuse or even refill at your local refill store. Nelson Natural’s is a great toothpaste product that you can find here.
Floss
Oh floss! I have a love-hate relationship with floss, but have since learned that it is essential for good oral hygiene (my gums have started reseeding and the only way to stop that is by flossing).
Nylon floss is not only harmful to the environment and animals (wild animals get stuck in the nylon and it is extremely hard for them to get free of it) but also is covered in perfuoroalkyl – which has been linked to cancer and heart disease!
All that being said, I think it’s time everyone made the switch to silk floss. If you are vegan and don’t like the idea of using silk floss, you can also get corn floss. I have used both and find I prefer silk floss over corn floss because it is smoother between your teeth and doesn’t break as easily as the corn floss.
Mouthwash
Doing a quick Google search for DIY mouthwash will show you there are so many ways to make your own mouthwash. Most of these recipes are a mixture of baking soda or hydrogen peroxide with essential oils. This will be one of those times when you will just have to experiment to find out what mixture you like best.
You can also buy mouth wash tablets that you add to water and use the same as store bought mouth wash. You may also have heard of oil pulling for health reasons because it helps destroy and remove bacteria, which will lead to fresh breath.
I am not a fan of oil pulling because I have a sensitive gag reflex, but it was something I was curious to try because I use coconut oil for EVERYTHING and was hoping to use it for yet another replacement in the bathroom. Unfortunately, I won’t be replacing my mouth wash with it.
Whitening
Again, coconut oil is the maverick of all uses and it not only freshens your breath, but it will also whiten your teeth! You can also get toothpaste in glass jars that have activated charcoal in them, which also helps remove stains. Baking soda is a great alternative to store-bought whitening products. It’s as simple as sprinkling some on your toothbrush. Again, all you need is baking soda for fresh breath, clean teeth, and a whiter smile.
Still have old plastic toothbrushes laying around?
If you still want to use your electric toothbrush or have some old plastic brushes past their prime, consider mailing them to TerraCycle for recycling. They also accept floss containers, toothpaste tubes, and nylon bristles as part of their program with Colgate.
It’s always a good idea to check with your dentist first before making any changes to your oral health routine. It also is ok to decline their free products at the end of your visit. The first step to making change is starting at home, and if you have little ones in your house making these changes now will help them continue living plastic-free in the future.