• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

Green Failures: The Little Plastic Goodie Bag of Crap from the Dentist

English: A little girl has her first visit to ...

Image via Wikipedia

I just took my daughter to the dentist.  I have greened so many areas of our family life, and plastic bags do not enter our home.  Well, except from the dentist.

At the end of every dental visit, you get that little plastic bag decorated with molars and telling you to smile.  The goodie bag contains a toothbrush, floss, a little tube of toothpaste, and for children stickers and pencils.  This little plastic bag is irksome.  It is too small to be reusable.  We would never use that toothpaste.

Why can’t I stand up to the dental hygienist and say, “No plastic bag, no tube of toothpaste please”.  No goodie bag!

 RDH, a magazine for dental hygienists, explains:

If you’re like me, you’ve been handing out goodie bags to patients since the first day of your first job. The goodie bag is as ubiquitous as prophy paste in most dental offices. Patients expect them, practice owners are used to providing them, and hygienists fill them by the hundreds…

Offering a goodie bag is not exactly advertising (creating awareness of a product, dentistry in this case), and it’s not exactly marketing (creating demand for a product). What a goodie bag does best is help create goodwill toward your office. In business, goodwill is defined as “an intangible asset that provides a competitive advantage, such as a strong brand or reputation.” (www.investorwords.com) The value of goodwill can’t be underestimated. Goodwill is what keeps a family loyal to a dental home, and what spurs them to recommend your office to others.

 I don’t feel goodwill.  I feel guilt.

I have no problem rudely interrupting a cashier and making them take my items out of a plastic bag.  What do I fear at the dentist?  Am I worried they will discover that I am an eco-freak?  Um, they probably already know that.

I vow next visit to the dentist, there will be no plastic bag. There will be no toothpaste or floss sample. There will be nothing that we will toss when we get home.

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« School Lunches Get Healthier, But Pizza is Still A Vegetable
Choose the New Character for Hank D and the Bee! »

Comments

  1. Harry says

    February 1, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    If I felt that strongly about that, I would care less if a dentist thought I was an eco-freak.

    Reply
  2. Darcy says

    February 1, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    I don’t think they would mind at all if you said “no thank you.” I would make sure to be polite though. They are messing with your teeth… 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer Lance says

      February 1, 2012 at 5:29 pm

      Exactly!

      Reply
  3. gerti says

    February 1, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    You just made me love my dentist even more! He blows up a rubber glove for my son, draws a face on it and that´s his reward for being a good patient.
    I agree though, I don´t think it´s a big deal to say “no thank you” to the goodie bag. You don´t even have to give them a reason therefore they will never know you´re an eco-freak! 😉

    Reply
  4. Dentist Rochester NY says

    February 2, 2012 at 5:51 am

    When i get the goodie bag i would just empty it’s contents into your purse and hang it back to them and say please reuse this.

    Reply
  5. Ken says

    February 2, 2012 at 9:53 am

    Hey, if you don’t want the bag, don’t take the bag. But really, the bag is NOTHING compared to the toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss that you apparently also throw out. Here’s the thing about plastic bags at the dentist: they don’t hurt the environment. Seriously… they don’t. Well, unless you are one of those idiots that just tosses your trash out the window of your car. Plastic bags are 100% recyclable, made from natural gas, and benign in a landfill (which is important since the biggest problems at landfills is methane offgassing and toxins leaching into groundwater – plastic bags just sit there).

    But seriously, if you don’t want the stuff the dentist is giving you, don’t take it. that simple. That’s what I do – my dentist actually hands stuff out in fancy vinyl zippered pouches… which might be handy if you have one, but for our family, it’s six of the things a year and there is no way we can reuse those.

    Reply
  6. Sleeping Realities says

    February 2, 2012 at 10:48 am

    I don’t like those things either, but I firmly believe there’s never an excuse to be rude.

    Reply
  7. Carla Golden says

    February 3, 2012 at 6:02 am

    As the wife of a dentist, don’t worry about the bag!! If you don’t want the stuff, that’s fine. The office would rather not send you home with stuff you don’t like or won’t use. It can be saved and given to those who like and/or want the contents. No one in the office will be offended. The hygienist may be confused (the first time) because we’re conditioned in this culture to always take free stuff.

    I personally never take the goodie bag because I don’t use the toothpaste given, the floss is too short to be worth my time and I have the luxury of grabbing toothbrushes as needed. I’m trying to convince my husband to go for the Preserve toothbrushes but right now the program is too expensive to be installed in individual dental offices. http://www.preserveproducts.com/products/personalcare/toothbrush-mail-back-pack.html

    Don’t worry about the bag. Just make sure you brush and floss on a regular basis. That will leave a greater impression on your dentist and hygienist more than whether you take the bag or not.

    Reply
    • Jennifer Lance says

      February 4, 2012 at 9:23 am

      That would be awesome if your husband switched to Preserve!

      Reply
  8. Kristen Vice says

    February 4, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    This is a very interesting point. I work in a dental office and have never thought of it. I recycle, use reusable bags for shopping, our office recycles everything from paper to the gold and silver from old fillings. But this is definitely an interesting point of distinction here. I personally LOVE getting my goodie bag but this post is making re-think our office’s practice. Thank you for the insight. http://www.gatewaydentalsmiles.com/blog

    Reply
  9. sue says

    March 29, 2012 at 9:42 am

    If you felt strongly about re-useing products to be eco-friendly you can find a way to use the “small” tube of toothpaste the dentist so kindly gives to you (at least you could say thank you). Here are a few ways those ‘small’ tubes of toothpaste work well: while traveling on a plane and your amount of space is limited, when packing an over-nite bag for your child or yourself, take to work so you can brush after a lunch where you ate onions or an unusual amount of garlic. So next time you visit your dentist, the least you can say for that small gesture is thank you.

    Reply
  10. herb says

    February 27, 2013 at 8:29 am

    if this bothers you THAT much, your next professional visit should likely be tot he psychiatrist

    Reply
  11. Rachel says

    September 27, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    A dental office, and other health-care facilities, do leave a large “carbon foot print”. Thats just the nature of the beast to maintain infectious control. but, It is a pleasant reminder the importance of not being intentionally wasteful. Go green wherever possible (i.e.; use a recyclable brown paper bag or re-usable tot bag for dental goodies) Also, it is important for the dental office you choose to reflect your values ( holistic alternatives, “go-green” principles). I also find it important for the Dental hygienist to be a considerate toward your personal choices and to cater a oral health care plan that keeps that in mind. For example, you are a patient that likes a more holistic approach to your oral hygiene routine, the Dental hygienist should be educated and provide samples that comply with your preferences in mind.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. All About Prophy Paste says:
    April 2, 2012 at 7:24 am

    […] Green Failures: The Little Plastic Goodie Bag of Crap from the Dentist jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery("#dropmenu ul").css({display: "none"}); // Opera Fix jQuery("#dropmenu li").hover(function(){ jQuery(this).find('ul:first').css({visibility: "visible",display: "none"}).show(500); },function(){ jQuery(this).find('ul:first').css({visibility: "hidden"}); }); }); […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Eco-Friendly Decorating: How Removable Wallpaper Can Reduce Waste

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

More from the archives!

Home Births Increase by 20% Even in States Where Illegal

Toilet Training: Arm & Hammer 3-in-1 Potty Seat by Munchkin

Natural Cold and Flu Remedies: Elderberry Syrup Recipe

School Lunches Get Healthier, But Pizza is Still A Vegetable

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

12-Year-Old Boy Suspended for Selling Junk Food

Nuritious After School Snacks

food sensitivity eczema

Is your dandruff, eczema or seborrheic dermatitis caused by food sensitivities?

weight loss

Want to lose 10 lbs? Improve your digestion

Growing Up Girl: An Eco Parents Guide to Puberty

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

Infants Exposed to BPA in Their Formula

vegan, gluten-free

Vegan, Gluten-Free Snacking: Good Greens bars

safe baby powder

Natural diaper cream & safe baby powder you can eat by HealTop

Lead in grape juice

Why does Codex Allow Greater Lead Limits in Grape Juice Than Water?

Celebrate the Firsts: Win Earth's Best Baby Foods

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.