Plastic toothbrushes wear down with use.

Those bristles do not disappear. They fragment.

Every brushing session sheds microscopic plastic fibers into the mouth, where they are swallowed or absorbed into oral tissue. This happens daily, often multiple times per day, for decades.

Microplastics are now found in human blood, lungs, reproductive tissue, and the brain. The toothbrush is not the only source, but it is one of the most direct.

The Toothbrush as a Microplastic Delivery System

Plastic toothbrush bristles are typically made from nylon. With friction and time, nylon degrades. What remains are microplastics small enough to bypass the body’s defense systems.

These particles do not break down. They accumulate.

Oral care is uniquely concerning because the exposure is intimate and repetitive.

What Microplastics Do Inside the Body

Microplastics are not biologically inert.

Research increasingly shows that they can disrupt hormones, carry heavy metals and environmental toxins, trigger immune responses, and contribute to chronic inflammation.

Unlike nutrients, the body does not recognize plastic as something it can process. It stores it.

This is not theoretical. It is measurable.

Why Boar Hair Was Used Before Plastic

Before plastic existed, toothbrushes were made from natural materials. Boar hair was the most common choice.

Boar hair is firm yet flexible, naturally antimicrobial, and gentle on gums. It cleans effectively without shredding into synthetic particles.

When it reaches the end of its life, it breaks down naturally rather than persisting in the body or environment.

ERDA’s Approach to Oral Care

ERDA’s Boar Hair Toothbrush exists to remove plastic from a daily ritual that never needed it.

The handle is wood. The bristles are boar hair. When discarded, it returns to the earth rather than fragmenting into it.

This is not nostalgia. It is material honesty.

Why This Choice Matters Over Time

Reducing microplastic exposure is not about perfection. It is about removing obvious sources you directly control.

Daily habits compound. Small exposures multiplied by years become significant.

Oral care is one of the simplest places to start.

The Body and the Earth Share the Same Problem

Plastic does not stay where it is used.

What enters the body eventually enters soil and water. What enters soil and water eventually returns to the body.

Natural materials break this loop.