Authenticity Matters When it Comes to Green Dentistry

For those who are concerned about the impact they have on the environment, visiting a green dentistry office is one step towards reducing a person’s carbon footprint along with the negative impact their life can have on the environment as a whole. We also take the steps to ensure that we complete our practices in an environmentally conscious manner.

Green dentistry requires forethought

Minimizing one’s negative impact on the environment requires extensive forethought. Being green is more than a tagline or catchphrase. Green dentistry is a way of acting and being. Caring for the environment and improving our patients’ health is something that we do at the same time as regular dental care. Green dentistry requires a great deal of time to consider and thoughtfully plan for how to do so.

We encourage patients to look beyond marketing and to ask any medical provider questions about what they are doing to be green. We are happy to answer these questions in detail since it is something we are really passionate about.

The problem with mercury

The impact that many dental offices make on the environment is related to the use of mercury in dental restorations. Even dental offices that no longer use amalgam fillings can still harm the environment if amalgam fillings and dental restorations they remove are not disposed of properly. Mercury is so pervasive that it can leach through the soil and enter the water supply.

Dental restorations and the improper disposal of them is one of the leading factors for why people need to be concerned about the mercury levels in fish, for example. It can be hard to imagine that something as simple as a dental filling could have such a negative impact on the environment, water and food supply. However, it is true.

Our goal is to make as little of an impact on the environment as possible and we take great care to ensure that if any amalgam fillings or restorations are removed from our patients’ smiles, they are disposed of properly, as any hazardous-waste should be. Naturally, we do not use mercury in any of our procedures so this is only relevant when we are removing fillings or restorations that other dentists place.

Minimizing the potential for making a negative impact

In our green dentistry office, we are careful to minimize the negative impact we could possibly have on the environment. That same attitude applies toward our patients as well. Instead of rushing to recommend invasive procedures, we are always looking for ways to improve our patients’ oral health that are minimally invasive and promote natural healing.

For example, if we can restore the health of an infected tooth without a root canal, we will. If we can restore a tooth using a minimally invasive material like dental bonding, we will do that as well. These are all procedural options that we will discuss with patients during a consultation but keep in mind, by visiting our office, patients have the option of choosing treatment methods that are less invasive and more likely to promote natural healing.

Learn more about our office

We take green dentistry very seriously and are incredibly thoughtful about the impact that our actions can have on the environment and on our patients. To learn more about our office and to discuss our methods in greater detail, call and schedule an appointment today.