OK, confession time. There’s one part of my daily routine where I’m really struggling to cut down on my single-use plastic: looking after my teeth.
I’m generally pretty confident when it comes to my body (I learnt a lot from being pregnant, childbirth and breastfeeding!) but I really hate my wonky, yellow teeth. I don’t drink tea, coffee or booze. I brush and floss religiously. But I’ve still got wonky, yellow teeth.
As a teen, I went through the social awkwardness of having braces, but a somewhat inept dentist left me with a dislocating jaw – cue loud scrunching sounds any time I chewed or yawned. Tricky. This meant more treatment in exchange for foregoing wearing my retainers. So, naturally, my teeth moved back to their crooked positions. Gah.
I’m currently undergoing more treatment so I no longer have to settle for wonky teeth but I've been warned that they will still need a lot of TLC. I'm fine with that though – after all, I'd like to maintain my filling-free jaw! However, it does mean I use an electric toothbrush, floss and those little bendy brushes that really hurt when you get the angle wrong. Urgh. And of course, none of these bits can be reused or recycled. Double urgh.
I’ve heard good things about silk dental floss in glass jars but yet to give it a go as my 50m reel of Asda’s finest floss is still going. I'll definitely explore that switch when my current supplies run out though but for now, I’ve settled with using chewable toothpaste tabs or toothpaste in glass jars.
I first discovered both options at the wonderful Refill Revolution in Market Harborough and was glad the owner, Beth, was able to share her wisdom. You see, toothpaste tabs don’t fizz and foam like “normal” toothpaste. You chew one until it’s dissolved into a paste, then simply brush as normal. It’s claimed these tabs help whiten your teeth, too, thanks to some magic properties, but I’m not sure. They do, however, leave my pegs feeling squeaky clean and my conscious a tiny bit smug as we’ve taken yet another step towards #DitchingThePlastic.
