Go Eco Friendly With Your Dentistry

If you are a dentist and love to make an impact on the environment, this is for you. This guide will help you go eco-friendly with your dental practice. You may be surprised by the results you can achieve by doing this.

This can include using the best eco friendly dental products, which you can get via Kent Express. Going green is a trend that continues to grow in popularity. What better time than right now for the dental industry to do the same?

It’s time to do our part to ensure that we continue keeping ourselves healthy. Meanwhile, our healthcare providers will do their best to provide the best possible care while reducing waste that can harm the environment. Let’s talk more about how you can go green with eco-friendly dentistry.

How it started

Green dentistry was pioneered in the United States by Dr. David Hennington, DDS. He wanted to make sure that people were starting to become more concerned about the environment and found it to be more valuable than previously thought. So he took it upon his hands to turn his practice into an eco-friendly place.

This included the use of energy-efficient products like toilets that won’t waste too much water when flushed. Also included are solar panels that power the office, trash compactors, and reflective windows. Dental equipment that is considered eco-friendly include biodegradable cups, glass irrigated syringes, and furniture made from recycled materials.

According to Toni M. Roucka of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry, dentists and the healthcare industry have the responsibility to limit the use of single-use plastics and conserving resources. Rouka also added that dentists and health care professionals should consider doing what is known as a waste audit.

Once this waste audit shows how much plastic and types of waste they are dealing with, it can help them think about how to reduce it in the future.

How to make your dental practice more eco friendly

If you are running a dental practice and want it to be eco friendly, we do have some suggestions to provide for you. Let’s take a look at the following:

Do a waste audit

As Roucka mentioned, a waste audit would be a good place to start. How much single-use plastic materials are you using? How much of it is being thrown away?

It’s important to do an inventory of what kind of waste is being generated and how much. From there, you can reduce the numbers by switching out things like the furniture, dental equipment that you are using, and more. It’s also important to consider electricity as part of your waste audit.

You may notice that some dental offices may be running a television in the waiting room. You might want to remove the TVs and replace them with solar chargers that can be used for portable devices like mobile phones. Besides, people are watching something on their mobile these days as it is.

Order eco friendly dental equipment when possible

Yes, eco-friendly dental equipment is available. It’s about finding the right supplier that will help you out. You’ll want to consider using options like biodegradable cups, glass irrigation syringes, and more.

You’ll want to reduce the amount of waste for every product you use when caring for your patients. Also, if you are using anything that is single-use plastic, get rid of them and find an appropriate substitute. If you are using lights of any kind, LEDs or solar powered equipment can be found and used for a dental practice.

Get rid of the TV

Whilst you may be using electronic equipment like computers (preferably energy efficient ones), one of the appliances that will suck up the energy will be the TV. Instead of having one in your waiting room, you can provide your patients with chargers for their portable devices.

Did we mention that these chargers can be solar powered? That will help to reduce energy waste and reduce your carbon footprint.

Final thoughts

If you are considering the idea of going eco-friendly for your dental practice, now is the time to make the change. In a world that is concerned about the environment, your practice can be at the forefront of making a change for the better.