Which is the best toothbrush on the planet?
August 142008
The best toothbrush is obviously one that cleans your teeth perfectly and keeps your gum healthy. A brush that is not too soft and not too hard and that is ergonomic. Long lasting and not too costly. Right? Well…
For a start I think all the plastic toothbrushes that get used up year after year are an environmental hazard. Plastic takes 100 years to decompose in a landfill site. Plus its production uses up precious oil resources which we will need to produce medicines and other more important things in the very near future.
So, what else can we use to clean our teeth? Interchangeable toothbrush heads for example. Still - they’re also made from plastic. Chewing gum? I get a stiff jaw from chewing them all day long. And some of the chewing gum contains sugars that attack your teeth plus other chemcials I can’t even spell never mind know what they are.
A tree twig with some salt? Ahem - too archaic for me. Well - what about a wooden toothbrush then? One that’s made from managed forest wood (i.e. sustainable) with natural bristles, that can be shredded and put in the compost after it’s been used up (or chucked onto the log fire). The perfect disposable toothbrush which kids also love to use. That sounds great. Read more about one woman’s experiences with using the wooden toothbrush on the Rubbish Diet Blog.
And the woodies were also featured on BBC Breakfast Television (and BBC Countryfile) where a journalist tried to live plastic free for a month. Her blog starts here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7508321.stm. Makes for interesting reading especially when you look at all the plastic wrapping a family accumulates in a month. Frightening!

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