Green dentistry in Somerset – caring beyond your smile

Honeycomb Dental Clinic believes that their care goes beyond dental needs, stating that no clinic, business, team, or population  can thrive if we don’t look after our planet.

The team at Honeycomb are fully committed to the environment and are very proud to be the only Dental Clinic in the whole UK to have achieved the Green Achiever – Gold accreditation in recognition of their approach.

The amount of waste generated by the dental industry around the world is staggering and it consumes valuable resources. ‘Green dentistry’ helps to identify simple measures dentists and their patients can take to reduce waste and conserve energy, as well as promoting awareness of the environment and getting local communities involved in green living.

‘Green dentistry’ is an environmentally friendly way of practicing dentistry. It involves using methods and machines to reduce waste, conserve energy and decrease pollution. Aside from helping to protect the environment, going green can also help to save money and time.

Honeycomb are helping the environment in three key ways …

Avoidance of Chemicals and Materials
Many people will probably be unaware of the risks associated with chemicals and materials used on a daily basis in dental surgeries. However, this is an issue that has been highlighted in reference to green dentistry. Some of the materials used in dental offices can potentially be very harmful to the environment. Amalgam, for example, is used in fillings and contains mercury.

Mercury Separating Machines
​​​​Currently, there is no law in place which requires dentists to purchase a mercury separating machine. These machines separate the mercury from the amalgam fillings and it can then be recycled and reused. Installing mercury separating machines would help to reduce the amount of mercury discarded into the water system by around 3.7 tons per year.

Digital X-rays
​​​​Switching to digital X-rays rather than conventional X-rays reduces the amount of radiation sent into the universe by up to 90 percent. At Honeycomb Dental Clinic, they use digital radiography and software.

For more information about Honeycomb, please visit their website.