Air date: November 29, 2009

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If nobody minds, I'm going to take a moment here and brush my teeth. Hold on a sec.

There, I feel refreshed!

Actually, that was a test, to see if you noticed something peculiar. Listen again.

Did you hear that? While I was brushing, water was running the entire time!

Now, maybe that's not so peculiar. Because a lot of people leave the tap on when brushing. But according to The Eco-Dentistry Association, if you brush twice a day, leaving water running wastes 90 glasses of water every day. And that's just you! Together, American teeth brushers waste something 27 billion glasses of fresh water daily.

Now, if you live in a water-rich part of the country, this may not seem like a big deal. But in many places, fresh water is scarce.

So the Eco-Dentistry Association lists some helpful, if sorta obvious tips on its website to help conserve water. Like, for example, after wetting your toothbrush, turn off the tap before applying toothpaste and brushing. And instead of using your hand to collect water and rinse, which is pretty inefficient, use a small glass. Simple, but effective.

You can learn more tips for conserving water while brushing your teeth and more about the Eco-Dentistry Association on our website, at soundmedicine.iu.edu.

I'm Jeremy Shere

Additional Resources:

• Visit the Eco Dentistry Association for more information.

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