Sustainable (Green Eco) Dentistry

Our team puts emphasis on sustainable and evidence-based methods in the provision of dental care. We are guided by principles summarized by the 2022 World Dental Federation and the first Consensus on Sustainable Dentistry:

“The single most effective route to sustainable dental care is through the provision of high-quality care with an emphasis on prevention”

“Successful preventive care results in fewer interventions and a reduced environmental impact.”

“This approach focuses on a reduction for the need of restorative consumables and intervention efforts care appointments at the patient end-user level”

“A reduced demand can be achieved through a promotion of better health, focused on disease prevention coupled with the provision of high-quality, less intense/severe interventions that last longer and do not require revising”.

“The whole supply chain benefits from a reduction in treatments with direct benefits as less waste and fewer CO2 emissions”

“Dental offices consume electricity, much of which is currently generated by technologies that emit CO2 into the atmosphere. Green energy and energy conservation are strategies that make a big difference in creating greener dental practices”

“Packaging is the single largest contributor to plastics in the dental industry.”

So we as a team, advocate for 1) careful use of consumables 2) avoiding waste 3) conservative and preventive care, and 4) purposeful education of clients to accept the highest quality of restorative care that will be long-lasting and of the highest-value for the individual and the environment.

The full FDI consensus statement is available at fdiworlddental.org/sustainability-consensus-statement

Green Report: Conservation in a Dental Practice

We believe that a sustainable practice is possible and an ecological concern is thought highly of here. The current technological infrastructure in a given dental practice usually strives to keep up with the times, and we think this no different.

In keeping with our motto “conservation through innovation,” we employ digital systems to take and process x-rays that are an alternative to waste chemicals and lead-backed film. Improved efficiency, better record keeping, and improved patient care and communication are further reasons we use digital radiography instead of film-based imaging.

Paperless technology is also used in the formation of a patient’s clinical chart. Data collected using these methods is securely backed-up via solid state drives that consume less energy, produce less heat, generate no noise, that are potentially less failure prone, and store-retrieve and process data much faster than traditional hard drives. We have invested heavily in workstations that provide an optimal balance of speed and procedural benefit.

Recycling services include appropriate equipment and electronics recycling only after workstations, servers and monitors have been utilized to their maximum useful lifespan. When we purchase equipment we think through energy requirements and disinfection protocols. We also put in good old-fashioned effort to ‘take the cardboard to the recycling bins’ every week.

We power-down I/T equipment when not in use to save electricity, the generation of heat, the wear on devices and thus overall cost.

The selection and use of available dental materials, free of potential allergens or contaminants (such as BPA) is important to us in providing a quality service. While it costs more to run a dental office, we are also Latex-Free.

Your digital paperless clinical chart and scheduling/reminder system is also an important aspect of conservation in our practice. We email appointment reminders that can be confirmed by a click of a single button saving an otherwise one-time disposable paper mail-out. The software itself is considered a “medical device” and is actually certified by a Canadian standard.

Most importantly, your dental care is carefully and conservatively fashioned on a treatment plan that emphasizes conservation of original tooth structure, and this is paramount for the integrity and longevity of your smile.