18 November 2019

Plastic-free dental hygiene: the follow-up

I had made the transition! I had stepped away from plastic toothbrushes in blister packs and plastic tubes of toothpaste and all that. And I knew I only had a limited supply so I ordered another batch. A different toothpaste, floss in glass, and another toothbrush. It's worth finding the best! And I tried these too. But I was starting to have doubts. I was all happy being low on plastic but my teeth didn't feel quite clean. You only get two sets of teeth and well, you lose the first one quite early on. I have to make do with the second set for the rest of my life!

The first, entirely plastic-free toothbrush (resin bristles) didn't quite do the job. I could feel stuff that the old toothbrush would get rid of after brushing with it! And I figured it was the brush, not the paste. When I was using the new toothpaste with the old, plastic toothbrush I did feel clean. So that plastic-free toothbrush is going into the woodburner! The next one, with unusual black bristles, had a wood handle but the bristles are plastic. So only a reduction in plastic, not an abandonment of the stuff altogether! But it felt better than the resin one. Not as good as the entirely plastic one yet. I think what I'll do is stay with the toothpaste, but take turns with the toothbrushes. Plastic in the morning and wood in the evening. I know that to save the planet we need to do things that are uncomfortable but I am not willing to jeopardise my teeth!


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