The 5 Benefits of Using a Bamboo Toothbrush

If you think bamboo toothbrushes are new, think again. Go back to 15th-century China and you’d have seen thevery first bristle toothbrushes, made from boar hair and bamboo or bone.

Of course, we’ve come a long way today in our understanding oforal health and how it’s linked to our general health, from your heart to how you fend off pneumonia.

We’re also now aware of the issue of plastic pollution and how over11 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year.

So, when you’re wondering about the best way to brush your teeth, there’s a lot to keep in mind. Read on to learn five benefits of using a bamboo toothbrush for sustainability and your health.

1. Eco-Friendly Bamboo

Let’s start with bamboo, the fastest-growing plant in the world. Bamboo is used in place of plastic to make the handle of bamboo toothbrushes (the bristles are usually made of nylon).

While a natural material, this isn’t the only reason that bamboo is considered eco-friendly. After all, plants need land and water to grow, sometimes with a lot ofpesticides that can harm our natural environment and our health.

In the case of bamboo though, this brilliant plant can grow without pesticides or the need for irrigation. Some of the fastest-growing species of bamboo can even grow an amazing40 inches per day in ideal conditions, making this material highly efficient in terms of land use.

Explore ourbamboo toothbrushes for adults, children and babies here, in your choice of bristles and kind to teeth and gums.

Bamboo is a naturally eco-friendly material and, at Wild & Stone, we take extra care over how we source it. We use only FSC-certified Moso bamboo for our toothbrush handles.

2. Avoiding BPA

Bamboo toothbrushes like ours are BPA-free, but what does that mean? BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a chemical found in all kinds of plastics from your water bottle to food packaging and, sometimes,your toothbrush.

The problem with BPA is that it’s anendocrine disruptor, meaning it disrupts the natural working of our hormones. This can cause issues for our:

• Reproductive systems

• Nervous system

• Metabolic function

• Immune system

• Development in children

It’s a good idea to avoid BPA in products where we can. However, this is surprisingly difficult. Using a bamboo toothbrush is a great way to start.

Using BPA-free dental products is especially important for babies and children to protect their healthy development. Our baby bamboo toothbrushes are BPA-free and have extra soft bristles to care for new teeth.

3. Zero Waste Packaging

Let’s move on to packaging. With only17% of plastic recycled in the UK and about 1.7 billion pieces of plastic discarded every week, it’s a good idea to avoid single-use plastic packaging where we can.

When you buy a bamboo toothbrush, you’re likely supporting a business with an environmentally-friendly ethos. This means your bamboo toothbrush is likely to come in cardboard packaging.

Why is cardboard more recyclable than plastic? Well, theweight of paper recycled in the UK is more than metal and plastic combined. This is because paper is much more profitable to recycle, using up to70% less energy and water compared to producing it from new wood.

Bamboo toothbrushes are much more likely to come in easily recyclable cardboard packaging, like our adult bamboo toothbrush packs.

4. Biodegradable Handle

Now we’ve covered packaging, you might well be thinking about bamboo handles and how these are more eco-friendly than plastic. Let’s dive into it.

While plastic can take up to500 years to decompose, breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces, bamboo toothbrush handles are compostable. Depending on the conditions in your compost bin,bamboo can take as little as a few months to fully biodegrade. By‘biodegrade’, we mean it breaks down into organic matter, basically soil.

If you want to compost your toothbrush, just remember to remove the nylon bristles first. The easiest way to do this is to carefully snap off the head of your toothbrush, or you can pull out the bristles with a pair of pliers.

5. Antimicrobial Bamboo

Let’s end on another brilliant quality of bamboo. As you can imagine, your toothbrush faces a lot of potential bacterial growth from your mouth and while drying after use.

Luckily, bamboo contains natural antimicrobial agents that inhibit the growth of bacteria. These qualities have been known since ancient times and are being reinforced bystudies today. This helps to keep your toothbrush clean and maintain your oral health.

Using a Bamboo Toothbrush

And there you have the five benefits of using a bamboo toothbrush: made from eco-friendly bamboo, avoiding BPA, zero waste, biodegradable and naturally biodegradable. To learn more about eco swaps you can make at home, read oursustainable living blog.

If you’re curious to try a bamboo toothbrush for yourself and your family, you can find our complete range of bamboo toothbrushes for adults, children and babies here.