In March 2014 we made the bold statement in our spring newsletter and on our Facebook page:
“Starting January 1, 2015, we will no longer be sending out reminder cards for your routine dental check-ups, instead we will be contacting you via phone or email; whichever you would prefer. Over the next few months we will be asking you for your updated contact information so we can continue to preserve our environment and still make sure you are up to date on your dental health.”
Here at Steveston Smiles we are environmentally conscious on a daily basis. However, paper in the form of statements, mailings, and cards is still the biggest environmental concern at our office.
We are proud to announce that we just sent out our last batch of appointment reminder cards in the mail. You will no longer be receiving those post-cards reminding you that you are due for an appointment. Instead we will be contacting you via email, text or phone. Statements will now be emailed to you. We will be continuing our birthday cards for our seniors.
This new email system also allows us to keep you updated on special events like our Happy Smile Club Party coming up on April 11th and any other news or promotions that we are having in office. Please make sure that we have your updated contact information the next time you are in the office. This was just one more step we have made to help reduce our carbon footprint.
Other ways we help reduce waste and protect the environment in our office include:
Recycling amalgam. Amalgam (silver mercury fillings) are separated out from our suction system by a special filter and recycled to stay out of our environment
Our office is chartless. All our dental charting is done on the computer and as a result we use significantly less paper on a daily basis.
Digital x-rays which uses 75-90% less radiation and also eliminates the use of harsh chemicals for developing and processing the x-rays
Motion controlled taps to avoid keeping the water running unnecessarily
Recycling of all paper and plastic waste
