Green Dentist Offices

If you are one of the many people who has switched to compact fluorescent bulbs, drive a hybrid vehicle and always bring your refillable mug to the coffee shop you probably have an interest in the environment. Well if you remember to turn off all lights and appliances when you are not using them and you use water efficient appliances and faucets in you home then why not seek these qualities in other aspects of your life.

One area that has been growing in this environmentally conscious world is that of many dental offices making strides to become a green dentist. Some of the techniques they are using is reducing their water consumption in their office, recycling some materials, reducing overall paper consumption and also installing energy saving measures.

Probably the largest area in which a dentist strives towards being greener is through the reduction of how much water they use. A typical office uses an incredibly large amount of water but there are ways to reduce some of this consumption. One-way is to limit the number of sinks that are used and to use the remaining sinks in as responsible a way as possible. Turning the water on only when you need to and turning it off when you are not actively using it is one of the biggest things. Another technique is that some doctors are using less water with their patients as well. They are switching from water wasting instruments to newer models that use fewer resources.

A lot of dentist offices are aiming to reduce their paper consumption or go paper free in certain aspects of their business. One of the big ones is billing. Some have switched to electronic billing so that they do not have to send out mailers each month. Others have switched to digital x-ray machines and have stopped printing out the images. This saves not only resources but also energy. Also to offset the amount of paper that they still need to use is that they have begun recycling. A large amount of paper that gets generated typically ends up in the trash, but by ending this habit and having a recycling program much of the waste can be reduced.

Another habit is not to waste resources. In the past you would always leave the dentist with a brand new toothbrush, some floss, maybe a trial size mouthwash. Well today most people have those things at home and purchase themselves replacements as needed. Instead of simply giving these things to every single person who comes in, they are limiting them to people who really need them. This reduces the overall consumption of plastic and paper used to make and package these items and reduces waste.

Whether the particular practitioner takes advantage of some, most or all of these habits it never hurts to ask what your local dental professional is doing to limit their consumption. Maybe you could even give them some tips.