Braces, expanders, headgear, retainers, and eventually dentures. Throughout our lives, our mouths contain a lot of metals, plastics, and even precious metals and hazardous materials. Most of our dental appliances are removed at the clinic, except for retainers, which sometimes break. Where is everyone going?
hazardous waste
Unfortunately, most of what lives in our mouths is worse than trash. hazardous waste. Dentures and other appliances naturally harbor a lot of oral bacteria. Steam sterilization uses large amounts of water and electricity, but older Sterilization method You can use chemicals like glutaraldehyde, formaldehydeand alcohol. Some clinics may steam sterilize discarded instruments, but many dental instruments cannot be reused or recycled anyway, so most dentists and orthodontists do not dispose of used gloves or other We dispose of dental instruments along with contaminated medical waste, such as items that come into contact with body fluids.
Discarded dental instruments are as unlikely to go unnoticed in the trash as an old toothbrush, but technically they can be categorized as: medical wastehousehold trash services are banned in many communities.
complex plastic
Besides, No way Considering second-hand teeth, almost all dental instruments are custom-made for each individual’s mouth, making reuse impractical even if sterilized. Most dentures and retainers are typically made of acrylic or nylon resin and metal. It would be difficult to separate the multiple materials used in a single appliance, and the amount of recyclable material recovered would not be worth the cost. Most of the plastics used in home appliances cannot be recycled.
Molded plastic retainers are made from a variety of brand-proprietary plastic polymers, so it’s impossible to know their exact composition. Even if a municipal program accepts medical waste, plastic cannot be recycled if the exact composition of the material is unknown.
metal
Many dental appliances, such as braces, expanders, and some headgear, are made entirely or largely of metal and can be easily recycled. For hazardous metals, such as mercury from fillings or lead from X-ray safety aprons, recycling is the cheapest and safest method of disposal. If some fillings contain precious metals such as gold, it may be profitable to recycle them.
Some orthodontists use professionally sterilized and remanufactured orthodontic brackets. orthocycle Recycle brackets, bands, and other orthodontic accessories. Recycled brackets are half the price of brackets made from new metal. EPA requires dental offices (other than orthodontists who do not remove fillings) to Amalgam separator for drain pipes This is to prevent mercury and other contaminants from entering the water system. Send the used cartridges from these filters to a recycling center.
resin
Invisalign trays are increasingly being used as an alternative to traditional orthodontic appliances. It is easy to use, as patients only need to use it at night, but it cannot be recycled locally. Don’t be discouraged. Earth911 has found a recycling solution for Invisalign by mail. We also recommend asking your dentist or orthodontist to offer in-house recycling for added convenience and to reduce the number of packages shipped to Terracycle for processing.
Greener practices
Most home appliances themselves become waste, but the following services are available: environmentally friendly Recycle the dental instruments used in their manufacture. Many dental and orthodontic practices are eliminating disposable instruments. They are replacing plastic mold trays with metal trays and using washable face shields instead of disposable masks. of eco dental association Help patients find dental professionals who are committed to greener practices in their offices.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on January 9, 2019 and updated in January 2025. Have questions about how to recycle a specific product or type of material? Let us know. Conduct research and share your results with the world. you can please support our workToo!
