Dental Lace
Consider this: If every person in the US flosses their teeth according to ADA recommendations (using 18 inches of floss, once per day), imagine how many empty plastic floss dispensers we'd go through per year! One blog estimates that based off of a typical plastic floss container that holds 25 tears of floss, we could easily fill a football field sized landfill 6 stories high, just for our empty floss dispensers! There has to be a better way to maintain clean, healthy teeth – and refillable glass floss dispensers are a simple, yet elegant solution!
As someone who carries floss with her everywhere, Jodi Brea had initially set out to design more fashionable floss containers and modernize that basic plastic, square design. After she learned the football field statistic, however, Brea found her true inspiration. She was on a mission to design a beautiful and sustainable alternative to plastic floss. This led to the founding of Dental Lace, a company committed to ending plastic in our flossing routines. It's easy to assume that one little plastic container won't do much harm, but Brea reminds us that small individual changes can lead to big collective impacts.
But, it's not just about the packaging, as even most floss itself is plastic! Traditional floss is made with nylon, a plastic that can't be recycled and won't biodegrade for hundreds of years. In addition to a football field of empty containers, one year of proper flossing by every person in the US leaves us all with enough floss to circle the Earth over 1,000 times. Dental Lace makes it easy to steer clear of plastic with silk and plant-based alternatives!
As someone who carries floss with her everywhere, Jodi Brea had initially set out to design more fashionable floss containers and modernize that basic plastic, square design. After she learned the football field statistic, however, Brea found her true inspiration. She was on a mission to design a beautiful and sustainable alternative to plastic floss. This led to the founding of Dental Lace, a company committed to ending plastic in our flossing routines. It's easy to assume that one little plastic container won't do much harm, but Brea reminds us that small individual changes can lead to big collective impacts.
But, it's not just about the packaging, as even most floss itself is plastic! Traditional floss is made with nylon, a plastic that can't be recycled and won't biodegrade for hundreds of years. In addition to a football field of empty containers, one year of proper flossing by every person in the US leaves us all with enough floss to circle the Earth over 1,000 times. Dental Lace makes it easy to steer clear of plastic with silk and plant-based alternatives!
Refillable Dental Floss
Dental Lace offers two amazing alternatives to plastic floss, including a 100% silk option, or a plant-based vegan floss. Silk is amazing – in fact, it's one of the strongest fibers in the world, so cleaning your teeth will be a breeze! Plus, the silk floss is compostable, and will fully break down in your backyard compost in 6-10 months. In addition to silk, Dental Lace also carries a plant-based vegan option. This floss is made of polylactic acid, or PLA, which is a biobased plastic made from corn. PLA can be composted in commercial facilities that accept bioplastics, and the founders of Dental Lace have even tested it in their backyard composts, citing that the PLA floss breaks down within 6 months. 
But floss is only half the story! Plastic packaging can really add up – that's why Dental Lace products are all packaged plastic-free in containers that are designed for reuse! Spools come wrapped up in a sleek, minimalist glass jar, with a 100% stainless steel cap. Instead of buying a new container every time, these jars can be constantly refilled, which reduces both waste and the need for more raw materials. Refill floss spools are each sealed in a certified compostable refill bag. Plus, all of Dental Lace packaging is made from 100% post-consumer paperboard and products are shipped in recyclable packaging. Dental Lace also believes in complete transparency. While Dental Lace products are 99% zero waste, the 1% that isn't is the waterproof label on the refillable glass containers. We recommend removing the label before recycling the glass jar if you decide to stop refilling your Dental Lace.
The amazing work of Dental Lace has been recognized with many awards including Martha Stewart Eco-Friendly Goods, Maine Sunday Telegram Sustainability Award 2017, American Small Business Champion 2018, Mamavation Award, Leaf'd Award, and Maine International Trade Center New Product Showcase Finalist! Dental Lace is also a proud supporter of many organizations that are committed to solving plastic pollution through science, education, and experience. Organizations include 5 Gyres, Friends of Casco Bay, Upstream USA, Women's Green Forum, Environmental Health Strategy Center, Junior League Fresno, and Eco Action Arlington.
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