— TAKING PLASTIC OUT OF DENTISTRY
Dentistry free from plastic
Modern dentistry is overreliant on plastic—from the bonding on your teeth, to your retainer, to your toothbrush. Most of it sheds microplastics as it wears, and almost no one tests for it.
bio. exists to change that, one product at a time
5,000+
microplastic particles released daily from a single clear aligner
30yr
a bonded retainer can sit against your teeth for decades — shedding the whole time
4 Out of 5
leading brands of plastic aligners tested in a 2023 biocompatibility study demonstrated significant cytotoxicity
— WHAT BIO. IS
A dental brand with one job: remove the plastic.
bio. is a dental brand built around a single conviction — that the plastic dentistry quietly relies on doesn't belong in your mouth, and that no one has been held to account for what it sheds.
We are rebuilding the everyday objects of dental care, one at a time, with natural biocompatible compounds. Retainers first. Then bond, aligners and everyday wear. Lets make plastic a thing of the past.
— THE SCALE OF IT
Dental wear leaches plastic.
Plastic devices ranging from - a toothbrush to retainers - breakdown with wear, leatching harmfull microplastics that build up on our bodies over time
| DENTAL ITEM | WHAT IT'S MADE OF | WHAT WEAR RELEASES | HOW YOU'RE EXPOSED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toothbrush USED THREE TIMES A DAY | Polyethylene & nylon bristles | 30–120 microplastic particles shed per brush | Particles released into the mouth during brushing and swallowed |
| Retainer WORN NIGHTLY FOR YEARS | PET-G / polypropylene thermoplastic | Micro- & nanoplastics under prolonged wear, force and temperature change | Longest-contact removable device — abrasion over years, swallowed in saliva |
| Clear aligner WORN 20–22 HRS A DAY | Polyurethane / multilayer copolymer | Particles of 5–20 µm; release rises sharply with friction; smallest ~3 µm | Near-constant friction in the mouth; finest particles can cross the gut lining |
| Bonding & fillings FIXED IN PLACE FOR YEARS | BPA-derived resin composite (Bis-GMA, TEGDMA) | Composite particles of ~6–10 µm, plus leached monomers and BPA | When drilled release macro particles that are inhaled and build up in the lungs. |
— THE RISKS
What Microplastics do to your body
Lungs
Found deep in lung tissue from airborne particles — and from the dust released when fillings are drilled. Linked to inflammation in the airways.
Gut
Particles from a brush, retainer or aligner are swallowed, day after day. Recovered routinely from the gut; linked to inflammation and microbiome disruption.
Hormones
Plastics shed additives as they wear — BPA from bonding resin, plasticisers from devices. These are recognised endocrine disruptors that interfere with hormones.
Pregnancy & the Unborn
Identified in human placental tissue. With fewer defences and more years ahead, fetuses and children are the groups of greatest concern, its proven to retard the sexual development of the fetus.
Drawn from: Shariff, K.U., Le, A., Goodwin-Loughton, E., Chung, M., Ali, A., Farella, M., & Venugopal, A. (2025). Microplastics and nanoplastics in clinical dentistry and orthodontics: Leaching, health implications, and future directions: A narrative review. Progress in Orthodontics, 26(1), Article 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40510-025-00597-9
— OUR SOLUTION
The plastic-free range
bio.retainers
The device that sits against your teeth for years.
A retainer made from bio-derived polymer and independently tested, lot by lot, for what it sheds — not the conventional thermoplastic that almost no maker tests at all. The longest-contact object in orthodontics, held to a published standard.
Starting at £140 for a one-off purchase or £180/year.
VIEW BIO.RETAINERS →bio.aligners
Straighten your teeth, without the plastic load.
Clear aligners are worn 20–22 hours a day and shed the most plastic of any device under constant friction. bio.aligners use a bio-derived, independently tested material instead — designed to your clinician's plan and screened batch by batch for what it releases.
bio.bond
Plastic-free dental bonding.
The resin used to bond, fill and repair teeth is plastic — and a known source of BPA and monomer release at the tooth surface. bio.bond is our plastic-free bonding and restorative material, formulated to do the same clinical job without the same chemistry, and tested in the open.
bio.everyday
No more plastic in your daily oral hygiene.
Toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste are the dental plastic you handle most — brushes shedding microplastics into your mouth, floss and tubes adding to the load. bio.everyday promises a plastic-free range of daily essentials.
The plastic you can't see.
Most dental materials are plastic, and most makers publish nothing about what they shed during years of wear. We think that's unacceptable — and we're building the alternative. New to the topic? The FAQ separates what's proven from what's still unknown.