These days, it’s easier than ever being green. With the growing popularity of Eco-dentistry—or green dentistry—dental providers like Thirty Two & You Family Dental have found that putting eco-friendly practices into place in their office can yield benefits far beyond just a positive environmental impact.
“From the very beginning, we were very mindful of being an environmentally responsible dental office,” said Dr. Ryan Bygness. “A lot of thought and planning went into the design of the new office. We wanted to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum.”
The LED lighting used throughout the Thirty Two & You office is just one of many eco-friendly initiatives aimed at reducing resource and energy consumption. And while there are benefits of being known as a dental office that is a steward of the environment, it turns out that implementing eco-friendly initiatives also has direct benefits to its patients.
“In addition to consuming fewer resources, being a green office creates a much safer environment for our patients,” said Dr. Bygness. “For example, the digital X-rays we use expose patients to 90% less radiation than traditional X-rays. Developing digital X-rays doesn’t require toxic chemicals, and the results are available immediately.”
Wastewater contamination is eliminated with the use of an amalgam separator, a device that separates toxic metal from old fillings from wastewater. “While metal fillings and crowns are still very safe, they can pose issues if they enter the water supply during removal or placement,” says Dr. Bygness. “In addition to our strict safety protocols, we employ the separator to prevent any of the metal materials from being lost. We feel it’s our duty to take steps to reduce environmental waste whenever possible.”
Thirty Two & You is also a paperless office. All patient charts are digitally recorded and stored securely, reducing paper waste and saving time. In the event that a patient needs to see a specialist, all of their digital records and X-rays can be transferred electronically, saving even more time and resources.
Dr. Bygness is also keenly aware of the role businesses like Thirty Two & You play in the community. “We’re very mindful of doing the responsible thing, in regard to the environment,” he says. “The largest positive impact we can hope to make comes from a lot of people committing to, and doing, more small things.”
Thirty Two & You is located at 1328 Broadway in Denison. For more information or to request an appointment, call, or follow the company on Facebook.