— By Dede Williams — 

Back in the 1950s, when non-stick coatings were new and quite the rage, the DuPont trademark Teflon, short for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), was literally in everyone’s mouth, even if there were no PFTFE parties to go to, like for Tupperware (LDPE/HDPE).

Accompanied by tinny strains from the rabbit-eared tabletop set, the family that stayed together sang together, to the tune of a TV commercial pitching another popular plastic product in everyone’s mouth. You’ll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent – a sweet toothpaste claimed to have wondrous whitening properties.

By the 1970s, both sugary toothpaste and Teflon frying pans were out – considered a problem rather than a solution. In the first case, the verdict was voiced by dentists. In the second, science suggested, among other things, that the fluorinated coating could be toxic when overheated.

Related: Let’s have Teflon for lunch

But now, putting two and two together – toothpaste and Teflon – there seems to be good news, both for chefs and for children. According to a UK research team writing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, its newly found treatment process breaks apart the plastic’s strong carbon-fluorine bond and allows the components to be converted into a protective toothpaste fluoride or added to drinking water.

It’s a circular solution both eco-friendly and inexpensive, the team says. One that the households of the 1950s could never have dreamt of.