Dentists and dental professionals should start considering the environment when recommending products, Jeff Lester says.
Patients will consume thousands of pounds worth of dental products in their lifetime.
Many of them buying the wrong products for the wrong reasons.
That first toothbrush you used, it’s probably still out there somewhere.
Patients tell us they’re confused by the choice available in the supermarket dental isle, walking the isle is not a pleasant experience.
It’s overkill and they’re genuinely worried about the environment – in particular plastic.
‘If only my dentists would make it easy for me, that would be brilliant.’
Dentists and hygienists on the other hand are afraid to be labelled as sales people, and as such have been used by the big pharmaceuticals for years for free marketing and endorsement.
The reality in fact is the complete opposite, patients would welcome a dental professional subscribing and arranging the regular supply of the exact products suited to their healthcare needs.
Ensuring patients have the right products
So, should dental practices be helping their patients in assisting them in buying the right products?
And what about the big issue we all face concerning the environment?
Any scheme that encourages recycling has to be good, but making it easy is a challenge.
Dental plastics can’t be replaced overnight, there isn’t enough bamboo to go round and there are sustainability issues and deforestation questions to overcome with biodegradables.
We are being told to act now and by big names like of Sir David Attenborough, that we must change our habits now.
That means we all have to do our bit and that includes dental professionals, patients and manufacturers.
