Why you need natural eco floss
Mainstream dental flosses are made with unsustainable materials and potentially unhealthy chemicals. Newer eco styles are available, especially online. There is an opportunity to make these alternatives more widely accessible.
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What is dental floss made from?
Traditional dental floss is made from nylon or Teflon. It is then packaged in single-use materials, often more plastic. However, sustainable versions are now widely available.
Grist explains, “Still, the average floss setup is heavy on the packaging: You usually get a roll of floss inside a plastic cartridge inside a cardboard/plastic blister pack… Typically it’s made from nylon or other plastic filaments; the waxed versions come coated with a petroleum-based treatment for easier use.”
What is the environmental impact of synthetic dental floss?
A study revealed in 2022, “Inter-dental cleaning using floss picks had the largest environmental footprint in 13 of 16 impact categories. Depending on the environmental impact category measured, the smallest environmental footprint came from daily inter-dental cleaning with either bamboo inter-dental brushes (five impact categories, including carbon footprint), replaceable head inter-dental brushes (four impact categories), regular floss (three impact categories), sponge floss (three impact categories), and bamboo floss (one impact category).”
What is the impact of dental floss on human health?
The Harvard School of Public Health revealed in 2019, “People who use certain types of dental floss may absorb toxic chemicals that have been linked with heart disease and cancer, according to a new study.” Authors particularly noted the Oral-B Glide floss. Researchers found chemicals that are also found in non-stick pans. The Harvard publication quoted Professor Grandjean, “Nonstick pans have [a] larger surface but we don’t chew on them like dental floss.”
What are the safer eco dental floss alternatives?
These are some convincing reasons to use sustainable natural dental floss instead of traditional products.
Sea Algae Dental Floss
OmMade creates a floss from 20% algal seaweed and 80% organic cotton. It is packaged in a reusable stainless steel container and a cardboard box. You can refill the container with extra floss when needed.
Cornstarch and Candelilla Wax Floss
The Eco Floss provides a plastic-free option that is similar in appearance to many flosses on the market. Although the product is plastic-free, Biome notes that it is difficult to compost the materials in Australia. But if you are that way inclined, you could use this glass jar and its refills.
How Can We Buy Eco Dental Floss?
There are plenty of ways to order eco-floss online. Australian supermarkets often stock dental picks labeled as sustainable or containing recycled plastic. However, mainstream stores do not usually provide eco-strings of floss in reusable containers. There is an opportunity for more shops to sell these products in Australia. People tend to favour convenience in their busy lives. We need to make the alternatives more accessible so that more ‘consumers’ can make the switch.
Switch to reusable dental floss to support your health and the environment. Image: iStock/Getty, edited.
