Green Week: Save water and your teeth.

If you missed Earth Day 2007, you can still save Planet Earth and guard against periodontal disease. Encourage your family members and friends to turn the water off every time they brush their teeth - at least twice a day. Of course, everyone should be brushing after lunch, too. Run the water to rinse your mouth.

That’s all you have to do to be a Water Warrior and a good environmental citizen. You’ll have a better chance of saving your teeth, too. Flossing and brushing every surface of every tooth and brushing your gums every time you eat are your primary defenses against periodontal disease. Seeing your dentist or periodontist at least twice a year is your next best defense.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says, "The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month!"Applying this practice equals saving 2,880 gallons of water each year for every individual in the United States who takes this simple step. You, your family, and your friends can participate in protecting the future of our nation’s limited water supply and your children’s future each time you brush your teeth.

Depending on where your water resources come from, turning off the water while brushing your teeth can have a positive impact on springs, rivers, and wetlands habitat for wildlife that would otherwise be damaged by water treatment plants. The impacts from taking water out of processing can be lessened in small ways that will positively affect the future of Planet Earth.As model citizens of Planet Earth, you are trustees of the little things that will make a big difference and ensure efficient use of our water supply.

Make a conscious effort to turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Each person in each family can use water more efficiently to preserve water supplies for future generations and protect our planet’s environment. It’s easy.Visit www.epa.gov/watersense/ to learn more ways to use water and energy more efficiently.

Keep smiling.

Saundra Goodman
Got Teeth? A Survivor’s Guide
How to keep your teeth or live without them.
http://www.gotteethguide.com/ for your Free Tips.