I talk about the concept of “prevention” a lot. How much cancer could we prevent if we removed formaldehyde from personal care products and building materials? Did you see the drop in lead levels in the U.S. population after we removed lead from gasoline?
But preventative health plays itself out in small, yet meaningful ways in our daily lives. Flossing our teeth. How many people actually floss each and everyday? I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t.
Despite working in the toxics movement, I know very little about where the market is on removing the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in dental products. Or what the safety concerns are with teeth whitening kits (if any). I asked around for an expert to help answer some of my questions and was introduced to Dr. Joel Alper.
A big thanks to Dr. Alper for talking to me about important dental hygiene and safety concerns.
Dental hygiene, BPA and teeth whiteners
Q: Let’s start with the basics, how long should we be brushing our teeth?
Dr. Alper: We should spend 2 minutes brushing our teeth- 30 seconds per quarter. Electric brushes are a great adjunct and many of them have built-in timers that will indicate when you should shift to the next quarter in your mouth.
Q: I floss in the morning because I’m usually sleepy at night. Is this a mistake?
Dr. Alper: It’s ideal to floss before bed, but the real key is to floss once a day. Your basic goal is to disturb the bacterial colonies so flossing any time during the day is beneficial. Flossing is one of the most important pieces of effective home dental care. You want to steer clear of a Teflon coating on floss, which many conventional brands continue to use. For Teflon-free floss options look here.
Q: How hard is it to find BPA free dental products? Do you see the market shifting towards safer products?
Dr. Alper: If you’re concerned about BPA it’s important to have a discussion with your doctor about the specific products he/she is using. BPA products are probably out there, but you have to do your homework. Most of the products I use in my periodontal office are BPA free; however I’m not performing any restorative dentistry. As far as a market shift towards BPA-free products, I haven’t seen any indication that it’s headed that way.
Editor’s note: This is a good sign that it’s possible to have a practice that is mostly BPA-free.
Q: If someone wants fillings that are free of BPA, is there anything they ask their dentist?
Dr. Alper: Again, have a candid discussion with your dentist and ask to look at the labels on the products he/she’s planning to use. Treat this just as you would personal care products or any other product that you’re placing in or on your body. Do your homework so you are educated and feel comfortable with what’s being placed in your mouth.
Q: Are there any health concerns with whitening your teeth (either home kits or at the dentist?)
Dr. Alper: The short answer is ‘yes’. These kits, whether from a dental office or purchased at a pharmacy, are made with some form of bleach. Common sense dictates that bleach shouldn’t be ingested. As with anything else, if done properly so nothing is ingested and if used in moderation it’s probably fine. Finally, using a bleaching product can possibly increase the likelihood of tooth sensitivity and anyone allergic to peroxide (the whitening agent) should not use a bleaching product.
About Dr. Alper:
Dr. Joel Alper received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester in New York and then went on to earn a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. While in dental school, he was awarded a fellowship for research in the field of TMJ/TMD and received awards in Recognition for Excellence in Fixed Prosthodontics and Removable Partial Prosthodontics. He then earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies after completing his residency in Periodontology from Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Alper’s dental practice, Alper Periodontics & Implants is located just outside Boston. He also lives in the Boston suburbs with his wife and three sons. He enjoys traveling with his family, reading, cooking, skiing, biking and running.
Great information! Every time I put in my retainer at night, I think, “Gosh, I really need to find out if this is BPA-free.” I’ve had it for about 7 years and for some reason, I didn’t think about it at the time even though I was aware of BPA in other stuff. Also had restorative work done, and there’s no way I can undo it. Hopefully it’s all safe!
Lynn, exactly! I think about toxics in dental products all the time, but haven’t been as motivated to act on it for some reason. Seems like a ripe place to do more education of myself, the public and dental offices!
Great Q & A. I find dental hygiene and proper dental care to be a very tricky matter when it comes to toxin-free living. You’re juggling a lot of issues from Fluoride to Teflon and BPA to Triclosan. To me, they’re all to be avoided. But that makes getting a typical dental cleaning a little tricky and it makes fillings even trickier! I’ve been reading about oil pulling as a way to help with dental care without any chemicals and plan to give it a try.
Amy, I’ve been hearing about oil pulling a lot too. I’m skeptical, but if you see some good science backing it up let me know.
I’ve been wanting to try oil pulling Lindsay. A friend of mine swears by it. Here’s an article I found in Elephant Journal with reference to a few scientific studies.
Thanks Lori, I will check out the article. And let me know how it goes… ;)
My dentist uses only BPA free products. Thanks for the link on the floss.
Great news Anna. The great info in the link is from Lori @groovygreenlivi!
Thanks for this post! Been wondering about teeth whiteners for a while. It’s pretty obvious that they’re not going to be ok for daily use, but I’m wondering if there are brands of DIY whiteners that are “less bad” than others?
I was wondering the same thing. My guess is Joel didn’t want to get into naming brands (which I understand). I’m not sure anyone has tested the home brands to see if some are safer than others.