Every Month is Water Quality Month

When Douglas Dental Care opened in its new location in July 2017, it committed itself to environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices. As August is “Water Quality Month,” the office wants you to know about the care it is taking to reduce contaminants in our public water supply.

According to the EPA, dental practices discharge 3.7 tons of mercury into water treatment facilities annually, making them the largest contributors of mercury in our water supply. High levels of mercury in humans has been linked to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ALS, as well as health issues like reduced fertility, hearing loss and chronic fatigue. Thus, the federal government passed a law requiring certain dental offices to install amalgam separators, which remove and trap mercury before it enters the public water system, by July 2020. Douglas Dental Care installed an amalgam separator before the law was passed and is three years ahead of the curve. Why? Because Drs. Dimitri Arfanakis and Joel Tidwell thought it was the right thing to do.

Dr. Arfanakis says, “the Solmetex amalgam separator we installed captures teeth fragments and filling material by collecting those pieces in a filter that allows clean water to flow through but captures the heavy waste and sediment.” When the filter is full, Douglas Dental Care recycles it. “Each individual dental office won’t produce enough pollution to wreck our watersheds but the combined output could, and we are committed to being part of the solution, not the problem.”

Becoming “green” is not about being perfect. “We are committed to the ongoing process of reviewing and improving our practices so that we are as environmentally and economically sustainable as we can be,” says Dr. Arfanakis. Douglas Dental Care has a social conscience and values the environment, which led to the implementation of systems and technologies to reduce its environmental impact on more than just our water supply. Digital x-rays and patient files reduce the amount of paper used and contribute toward the goal of having a paperless office. An energy-efficient layout, LED lighting, smart thermostats and motion detectors with timers all contribute to reducing the office’s environmental footprint.

Douglas Dental Care is located in Douglasville, Georgia. Dr. Dimitri Arfanakis and Dr. Joel Tidwell provide comprehensive dental services to children and adults. Checks ups, cleanings, restorations, whitening treatments, veneers, crowns, implants and root canals are all administered by an upbeat team in a warm and welcoming environment full of southern hospitality.