Gentle Smile Dental Studio X Sustainability
Dr Kelvin Chua is a dentist with a keen interest in sustainability. His passion for the environment sparked when he was a student in Junior College, where he served as president of a club and initiated “Earth Week” to promote the 3R concept of: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to his fellow students.
A lover of nature, Dr Chua would have studied landscape architecture if he had not opted for dentistry. He is committed to using his knowledge and skills to help make dental practices more environmentally friendly. He is currently spearheading several initiatives in the area of sustainability, with a focus on waste reduction and resource conservation.
Bringing his belief into keeping things sustainable at Gentle Smile Dental Studio, Dr Chua shares this: “our goal is to use sustainable disposable materials in every possible way, while maintaining top notch infection control. We believe that this is the best way to care for our patients and our planet.”
Ways to Be Sustainable in Everyday Life
Besides giving patients the promise of a better smile and dental health, Gentle Smile is driven by the purpose of helping the environment heal. In our clinic, we utilise bags, envelopes, and cups which are made of paper for their naturally biodegradable qualities.
As part of our sustainability goals, we encourage our patients to use as many planet-friendly oral health products as possible and inculcate habits that will ease our collective carbon footprint, reduce our impact on the Earth, and lower the wastage of natural resources.
Here are a few things anyone can do:
- Make use of biodegradable toothbrushes and floss or floss sticks often made of recycled wood, bamboo, activated charcoal, cotton, neem, and other natural materials which are just as effective in maintaining your oral hygiene while benefiting the planet.
- No oral health regimen is complete without cleaning the tongue too. Invest in a sustainable bamboo or a wooden tongue cleaner to curb bad breath, prolong the freshness of brushing your teeth, and enhance the effects of any dental health service you may have received.
- Seek out organic or vegan-friendly brands of toothpaste or even recyclable plastic or biodegradable packaged tooth powders or tablets. The chemicals present are less likely to contaminate the water that leaves your sink which protects the environment and is better for your oral health.
- Save our planet’s depleting resource of usable water by not letting the tap or shower run while brushing your teeth, washing up, bathing, or doing the dishes among others.
- In case the dental health materials you use are not easily biodegradable (plastic, glass, metal, silicone), do find the nearest recycling facility which will make sure these materials are disposed of in an eco-responsible manner instead of ending up in a landfill and contaminating the soil.
- To encourage a circular economy, you can repurpose your old plastic toothbrushes into cleaning tools around the house and for your shoes. Use your sustainable creativity to do your part for the planet.
