Everyone has a role to play in making the world a better, greener, and more peaceful world to live in. Dentistry is one of the industries that has made notable strides towards a greener environment that benefits the world and the patients they see. While it may not be the industry that’s well-known for polluting the air, such as aviation, it still must deliver the best care to patients while also bearing the planet in mind. Below, we’ll look at some of the ways dental practices can do that.
Green Dentistry
Green dentistry is a concept developed with the environment in mind – its main aim is to get as many dental practices as possible going green by using a high-tech approach. Sometimes referred to as eco-dentistry, the concept also focuses on green procedures that promote environmental stability.
Fillings are one of the ways that dental practices impact the environment – standard silver fillings contain around 50% mercury which, when it enters a waterway, can cause adverse effects to the environment. To combat this, dental practices should use low-cost amalgam separators, which is just one of the ways dentists can adhere to the green dentistry ethos.
Greener Practices
Dental practices around the US are doing more to make their practices green and safe for patients to be in. As well as introducing measures like amalgam separators for mercury, dental offices are going above and beyond to ensure their dental offices are a safe environment for patients. For example, the Amazing Smile dental Langley is one of the few dental offices that went above and beyond to remove aerosol particles by using UltraViolet C light to destroy the particles, which are then removed by Hepa filters. Sounds technical, but in the hands of trained practitioners, no big deal.
Practices like deploying air purification make a massive difference to the impact dental offices have on the environment – as does limiting the need for radiographs, reducing energy consumption, and using single-use items.
Simple Changes
The American Dental Association compiled a list of 80 environmentally friendly habits for dental practices to follow – they’re all simple changes that anyone or any dental office can easily adopt. These changes include:
- Using eco-friendly scrubs
- Using an environmental sterilization program
- Sending appointment reminders via email or text rather than paper
- Getting rid of aerosol products
- Placing indoor plants around the dental office
Small changes like those have a positive impact on the environment. Being proactive and finding solutions to problems that were once harming the environment, like paper appointments through the post, is the best way that dental practices can go green. Educating staff and patients is also essential – everyone can contribute to a greener environment. Check out this American Dental Association link for more information and advice on eco-friendly habits.
Dental offices are the perfect environment to implement change. High-tech approaches like the ones adopted by the green dentistry concept make it easy to implement cost-effective changes. Plus, smaller changes like switching to energy-saving light bulbs and going paperless are even easier to implement. There are tons of things that dentists, dental office employees, and patients can do to create a greener environment.
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