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5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

We know you’re a lovely bunch who like to do their best – we feel the same way. Here at QO, we take our part in looking after the planet seriously. But we also know that the best way to make big changes is through lots of tiny steps.

Jun 1, 2023

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

We asked our Corporate and Social Responsibility Champion, Leanne Mortimer to suggest five small things you can do while you’re with us that will help offset the impact of your orthodontic treatment on the planet.

1. “Switch to a sustainable bamboo toothbrush.“

They work really well and avoid filling up landfill. Once you’ve finished with it, give it a new lease of life in your household cleaning box for a few months (they’re great for getting round the corners of taps!). Then trim the bristles off (or use pliers to pull them out) and pop the wooden handle into your garden waste to decompose. Check the packaging as some bristles are recyclable and some aren’t.”

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

2. “Recycle your retainers.”

“Recycle your retainers. You can bring retainers and Invisalign aligners back in to any of our QO clinics once used and we’ll recycle them for you. Also make sure to buy one of our metal retainer tins rather than a plastic box for keeping your retainers in. You can find out more about all the dental products we can recycle for you on our Terracycling page.”

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

3. “Go virtual to reduce your carbon footprint.“

When starting treatment with us, do make sure to book in for virtual consultations. Not only will you reduce your car or public transport emissions, but it makes life simpler for you, too.”

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4. “Save paper and sign electronically.“

We’ll always give you the chance to sign any documents with us electronically, to save on paper – and you’ve no worries about losing electronic admin either.”

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

5. “Reuse where you can.”

Once you’ve had your digital scan with us, keep hold of your little scanning sleeve, as this can be reused each time you need a scan.”

5 easy eco wins for orthodontic patients

That’s all! Five easy wins that add up to a big difference. If you’re interested, you can read more about it all on our Green Patient Charter. 

And, since you’re doing your bit, we’ll make sure we’re doing ours too. We work with Re-Purpose Global and donate a percentage of the fees of each of our Invisalign patients to fund the removal of 20,000kg or plastic from our oceans each year. That’s 30-40kg of plastic per patient. In the time we’ve been part of the scheme our patients have been responsible for removing a total 40,160kg of plastic from the ocean so far. That’s more than 2 million plastic bottles or 8 million plastic bags!

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