5 Toothpaste Tablets To Try For An Earth-Friendly Smile

We invest in plastic-free beauty products and prioritize purchasing reef-safe sunscreens, but when it comes to oral care, there's a good chance you're still buying the same trusty drugstore tube you've relied on for years.

As we continue to deal with a global pandemic, we may be thinking of the planet — and the mindful decisions we can make to preserve its health — now more than ever. Plus, ahead of Earth Day, trying an eco-friendly toothpaste swap is a choice you can feel good about as you save countless toothpaste tubes (which add up to billions of plastic particles floating in the ocean) from going to waste.

Best of all, tabs couldn't be easier to use: All you need to do is take a tab, swish it around in your mouth, and work the stuff onto your pearly whites with your brush. No mess, no waste — just clean teeth and minty breath. "[Tabs] are as effective as conventional toothpastes," NYC-based celebrity cosmetic dentist Dr. Marc Lowenberg of Lowenberg, Lituchy & Kantor tells Refinery29. "Tablets usually don’t contain preservatives and are not housed in tubes, so they are not wasteful – one tablet does the job."

Ahead, you'll find the best plastic-free toothpaste tabs to shop for a sustainable way to keep it fresh.