OUR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

It’s our aim to:

• Actively manage potential impacts on the environment and our local community and identify opportunities to deliver environmental and social value 
• Provide an accessible and inclusive setting for all  
• Encourage healthy living   
• Ensure a safe and secure atmosphere  
• Encourage more sustainable behaviour  
• Promote the responsible use of resources throughout the supply chain  
• Leave a positive legacy

To achieve these goals, we’ve targeted a number of areas:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

While following current health and safety regulations, we’re committed to continually reducing the waste we produce. As part of that, we favour more sustainable materials over plastics. A dedicated decontamination room lets us use more multiple-use metal instruments rather than single-use plastic alternatives. In accordance with our Reduce, Reuse and Recycle policy, we carry out regular audits to identify where single-use plastics can be cut down.

Aligner recycling scheme

As an Invisalign® Diamond Provider, we’re aware that one of our greatest plastic consumptions comes from the aligners themselves. We ask patients to return any appliances they no longer use, which we recycle at no charge as part of our aligner recycling scheme.

Going paperless

To reduce paper use, we have an online patient portal that gives access to consent forms, treatment plans and appointment management. As documents can be signed and payments made online, there’s no need to print off hard copies, which cuts down on emissions and postage. All of our clinical records are stored paper-free in cloud systems, so we don’t need hardware or energy inefficient servers. We also avoid the use of harmful processing chemicals by only using digital x-rays. 

Mercury and silver amalgam fillings

The potential environmental and health impacts of mercury in silver amalgam fillings has long been debated. At Face Teeth Smile, we’re proud to be an amalgam-free and mercury-free practice. We never use silver fillings and have no mercury on site.  

Reducing travel

Thanks to our on-site lab, many procedures can be done in one appointment, so patient travel is reduced. Virtual appointments and our online booking system also cut back on the need for multiple visits to the clinic. In addition, we use digital scanning technology, which allows us to email scans and cuts out the need for postage or couriers. All staff are encouraged to use public transport or car share as much as possible. 

Energy

Face Teeth Smile is a fully electric practice – we don’t use polluting and unsustainable gas at all. We’re investing in renewables such as solar energy and will contribute back to the national grid. In building the clinic, we used the latest technology to improve efficiency and reduce our energy demands.