Adventures in learning how to treat our Earth more gently and our bodies well, while still enjoying a life filled with good things.
The Environmental Toothbrush
By Coralie, on May 19th, 2009 at 05.17 PM
Category: 
Avoiding plastic in unlikely places
I don’t use much plastic in my house. I tend not to buy it and I try to avoid it where possible. For instance, a roll of cling wrap will last me several years. One place which had never really occured to me to avoid plastic, though, is my toothbrush. Perhaps that’s because there wasn’t an alternative in sight. Now there is.
I am holding in my hot little hand (well, I was until I started typing) a toothbrush made from bamboo. It’s called the Environmental Toothbrush and it’s completely biodegradable as the body of the brush is made from environmentally sustainable bamboo. Even the bristles are biodegradable as they’re made from a polymer derived from renewable plant feedstock.
No plastic in the packaging
‘Normal’ toothbrushes are not only made of plastic, but seem to be packaged in just about as much plastic as is used in the product itself. But right from receiving these little beauties in the mail, I was impressed. The outer box (they come in a package of 12) is suitable for sending through the mail without the need for extra packaging. For the sake of health and safety, each toothbrush inside is individually wrapped in a plant based wax lined paper package. There’s not a shred of environmentally hostile plastic within sight.
Very lightweight
One thing I noticed about the toothbrush is that it’s very light. It weighs almost nothing in my hand. In fact, even the whole box of 12 is remarkably light. This is a good thing in regard to the shipping of the product. It is made in China, so does do a bit of travelling to get to Australia, but being so light and packaged so efficiently, the resources used would be minimal compared to your regular plastic toothbrush.
The creator of the Environmental Toothbrush, Dr Nat, said that she tried to have it produced locally in Australia, but was refused on more than one occasion. She stated that manufacturing in Australia is simply not cost effective for the product owner, the manufacturer or the consumer, particularly for small players and low cost items. It’s a shame this is the way, but I’ve heard many stories of this ilk in regard to manufacturing in Australia and in the United States. Cost has to come into it, for the producer and the consumer. There’s not much sense producing something that the consumer decides is too expensive. That, in itself, would be a waste of resources.
Different to use
The experience of using a bamboo toothbrush is quite different to what I’ve been used to. Well, that’s not quite right. Essentially, it’s the same: you wet it, you put toothpaste on it and you brush your teeth with it. But it feels a little different in your mouth. Certainly not unpleasant, just different. It’s very smooth, but it doesn’t have the same feel as plastic. It feels softer, somehow. It also has a vaguely woody taste. I noticed the taste the first time, but on subsequent uses of the toothbrush, it was less obvious, perhaps because I was expecting it. I’d be surprised if anyone else would even notice this, especially if they use a minty toothpaste, but I share my little boy’s non-minty, non-fluoride toothpaste which has quite a mild taste and I tend to use only a small amount of paste.
Soft bristles
The bristles are quite soft, so are suitable for even a young child. The size of the head isn’t overly large, so it would still feel comfortable in little mouths. My five year old had no troubles with it when I brushed his teeth with the one I unwrapped for him. Some adults, myself included, may be used to stiffer bristles on their toothbrush, but I’ve been told by my own dentist that softer bristles are better for your teeth and gums, anyway. The cleaning ability wasn’t affected at all by the softness.
A successful product
I think it’s a wonderful product. It works exactly as a toothbrush should, it’s well made and it makes a massively smaller ‘footprint’, through the product’s entire lifecycle, than a plastic toothbrush.
Visit: Environmental Toothbrush
RRP: AUD $33 for a pack of 12 brushes (works out to $2.75 per brush)
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I couldn’t help but think of bamboo knitting needles, which are lovely to knit with, reading your comments about the softness of the bamboo. They look and sound lovely. I’d definitely be interested in trying one, and I’d also love to hear what a dentist would have to say about one.
When you look at the rack of toothbrushes in the supermarket these days it’s like looking at high tech runners - all the different coloured bits, and bristles running every which way, and all of the silicone polishing bits, and tongue cleaners…. it really makes you wonder what ever happened to the plain old toothbrush, and if these modern wonders really make all that much difference.
@ melanie: My opinion is that most of the ‘amazing’ technological advancements in toothbrushes these days are crap/marketing ploys. I believe that it’s the physical action of brushing something against your teeth that do the cleaning. I actually think that diet and genetics has a hell of a lot more to do with the health of your teeth than how many times a day you brush them. If you’re eating lots of raw, stringy vegetables, that’ll clean your teeth. I was told that by my dentist, that’s not just my opinion.
They look really interesting, I wonder if they’ll ever be available in NZ? I’d often considered the amount of packaging that a regular toothbrush comes in, and try to recycle as much of it as possible, but as for the actual toothbrush, that’s always headed straight into the bin (though I do sometimes keep them to clean hard to reach areas, like around the taps in the bathroom or around plug holes).
When the bamboo toothbrush needs replacing, you could even use it as a garden marker for seeds/seedlings.
@ Angie: I would hope they’d be available in more places soon. I also keep old toothbrushes occasionally to use for tight cleaning jobs.
It’s a great idea. natural made tothbrush, its better than all that plastic crap. Simple idea, great idea. Why wasnt someone came whit this idea years ago.If it was overhere, i bought it directly….
All the products what men made, can be thougt over in green thinking. The people have to made a turnigpoint in green thinking. What companies made and said about their products: don’ believe the hype. think twice bevore you buy:-)
@ edwin: Absolutely, Edwin. I think that many companies simply don’t want to pay for the infrastructure to turn themselves more green.
funky. i can’t imagine what one would feel like.. it’s not like there’s ever (in my lifetime at least) been any other alternative to a “normal” toothbrush.
since i am all about the toothbrushing i would most definitely like to be entered in your competition
Sounds very interesting - put my name in! Suggestions for the use of the used bushes sound very good, too. I am wondering; How long does a single brush last?
@ jade: Yeah. It’s been the same for me with never having known any alternative to the plastic toothbrush. Nice to see there is one now.
@ Kim: Best place to look is at the Environmental Toothbrush website for most information, but if I recall correctly, the suggested length of use for each brush is one month, based on brushing two or three times a day. Thus why they come in a pack of 12 to last for one whole year. I only brush once a day, so I’d assume each brush would last longer than that as long as I’m making sure it’s clean and that it dries properly between uses.
I love this review. Be interested in trying one…not so much interested in what a dentist has to say but definately an environmentalist!
Wonder if it would work as well as my whitening brush?
@ Sheri: Well, it’s a fairly simple toothbrush, so I doubt it’ll do anything fancy such as whitening, but it’ll definitely do a nice job at cleaning your teeth.
Hmm Unfortunately I DESTROY tooth brushes, so I would probably use one and share them with friends if you let me win them from you!
Are softer toothbrushes harder to mangle than “medium” >?
@ Fiona: How do you destroy them? Do you brush really hard? I doubt a softer brush would fare any better, in that case. I’ve heard that brushing too hard can cause your gums to recede. Perhaps you should be more gentle.
@Coralie I really don’t know, I just know I got through brushes more than twice as fast as my partner… he makes fun of me for it.
I probably do brush too hard. When I had an electric toothbrush I actually scrubbed to enamel off my two front teeth, ebcause I had this idea in my head that the yellow part was dirty, when really it was yellow because the enamel was missing! A little obessesive, perhaps.
@ Fiona: Yeah. Enamel is good. You probably want to keep that.
Hi everyone,
I am the guy who developed the website for Dr. Nat and her brilliant Environmental Toothbrush, and I would love to respond to some of the questions in the comments on behalf of Dr. Nat.
In regards to shipping to places other than Australia, I can now announce that the Environmental Toothbrush now ships WORLDWIDE.
It’s great to see such great feedback and support for the product - Dr. Nat had a great win this week, winning both the People’s Choice and the Green Invention prize at the 2009 News.com.au Green Awards. For more information see: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26037953-5019059,00.html
@ Nathan: Thanks for the information, Nathan. Fantastic to know that it can now be ordered from overseas! Excellent.
[...] my own, so I can’t say anything of its usability, but you can read a pretty in-depth review here. And you can purchase them [...]
What a great stocking filler. This is amazing. Where can I buy one?
@ Mary: Just go to the store on the Environmental Toothbrush website. You can buy it from there.
These toothbrushes are fantastic - they were invented by a dentist here in Brisbane and i know it states replace after one month they do last longer than that. We sell them on our web site and i can highly recomend them. lets all get behind them and get one into every home in Australia.
@ James: I’ve found that I can use mine for about 4 or 5 months before it starts getting raggy.
Mine unfortunately fell apart on me by the month park. But I need a firm tb that can deal with my over-zealous brushing.
They will be comming out with a medium head probably by mid this year. Just for all you over-Zealous brushers out there…
@ Fiona: You should probably also try to be a little more gentle on your teeth and gums!