Dental Hygiene, an Ancient
Practice
By Rebecca Blain of
http://www.everything-teeth.com
One of the most asked questions by adults and
children is the origin of the toothbrush. There are
several schools of thought on when the real
toothbrush was created, but you need to look far
into the past for the first evidences of oral
hygiene.
The Chinese were believed to create the first real
toothbrush, or a device that was used to clean
teeth, but it was much different than the ones that
we are used to today. These first toothbrushes,
crafted in the 1400s, did not use nylon for
bristles, or plastic for the handles. They were
crafted from bamboo, one of the most common plants
from that area. The bamboo formed the handle for
people to hold on to. Attached to this handle was a
set of bristles, which were crafted from the tough
hair of the Siberian wild boar. The hairs used came
from the back of the neck of this animal. This is
the toothbrush associated with having been the
ancestor of the one that we use today.
However, there is evidence that there was another
form of the toothbrush dating up to 3000 years
before the birth of Christ. Due to this, the history
of the toothbrush proves that this device is one of
the oldest still used by man, only truly outdated by
the wheel. This form of the toothbrush was found
within pyramids of the Egyptians. These toothbrushes
were crafted from a stick. Unlike the Chinese
version of the toothbrush, the end of the stick was
flayed so that the fibers of the wood were more
soft. This stick was then rubbed against the teeth
to serve as a form of oral hygiene. This form of the
toothbrush did not become far spread as the Chinese
version.
The Chinese version of the toothbrush spread to
Europe, where the Siberian wild boar took the brunt
of the growing popularity of the invention. The only
downside to the hairs of the Siberian wild boar was
the fact that it was very rough on the gums. On
account of this, some people began to use the hairs
found on the backs of horses to craft the bristles
on their brushes, as this was much easier on their
gums and teeth. Despite the added softness of the
horse hair bristles, the boar hairs were more
commonly used, as horses were too valuable to
Europeans during this period of time.
The boar hair toothbrush continued to be used
until the early 1900s. In 1937, nylon was created in
the Du Pont laboratories by Wallace H. Carothers.
This invention forever changed the history of the
toothbrush, as well as every other device that
required a fibrous material, including ropes. In
1938, Nylon became the sign of modernization, from
the creation of nylon stockings to Dr. West's first
nylon toothbrush. This brush was called Dr.
West's Miracle Toothbrush. Even with this
breakthrough in the toothbrush, it wasn't until
World War II that Americans began to take oral
hygiene more seriously. This was a direct result of
the war. This influence spurred on the development
of better toothbrushes.
Toothpaste & Whiteners
Another aspect of toothbrush history that should be taken into
account is toothpaste and other whiteners. These are
usually used with the toothbrush in order to make
certain that the teeth and breath were acceptable.
The concept of toothpaste and mouth washes is pretty
old - almost as old as the Egyptians toothbrush. The
earliest known toothpaste was created by the
Egyptians. It was said to contain a drachma of rock
salt, two drachmas of mint, one drachma of dried
iris flowers and 20 grains of pepper. This was then
crushed and mixed together to form a powder. When
mixed with saliva and applied to the teeth, it would
help whiten and clean your teeth. When experimented
with by an Australian dentist, the mixture worked
far better than anything else created until the
twenty first century. The only downside was the fact
that it caused his gums to bleed.
In the 18th Century, the next recorded version of
toothpaste occurred. This mixture called for
dragon's blood, cinnamon and burn alum. This mixture
tends to be more of an amusement for many
scientists, as there is no proof
that "dragon's" existed. What may have really been
considered to be dragon's blood is unknown.
The 19th Century saw a lot of innovations to
toothpaste, although many of them would be repulsive
compared to what we are used to today. Charcoal, for
example, was used to clean teeth. Most of the
toothpastes of this time were powders that became a
paste when introduced to saliva. A lot of these
different toothpastes were designed to both clean
teeth and give the user better breath. This is where
the modern idea for toothpaste came of, and one of
the turn points in the history of toothpaste. The
combination of these pastes and the toothbrush
worked to ensure that there was a higher chance of
cleaner and healthier teeth and gums.
It wasn't until the 1900s that toothpastes evolved
to be more modern. Colgate, and many other
toothpaste companies, worked to design toothpastes
that tasted good while providing the means to clean
teeth while not causing gums to bleed. Many
ingredients are now used in toothpastes, with
Fluoride being one of the most common. There are a
wide variety of "herbal" toothpastes as well, which
do not contain this component. Each of these types
are designed to fit the needs and wants of every
type of person out there. This high level of choice
is the primary evolution of toothpastes. While only
a few were available as early as the Egyptian days,
now there is something for everyone.
The combination of the toothpaste and modern
toothbrush gives everyone the oral hygiene and
dental health that they need to be able to have the
sparkling teeth that is desired by so many. This
combination also helps prevent the loss of your
teeth later in life, so that dentures are not
required as early. The history of the toothbrush and
toothpaste shouldn't be looked down upon, as the
options used back then were no where near as
pleasant as the types available today.
About the Author
Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer
who enjoys taking care of her fish and educating
people about oral health care such as electric
toothbrushes, which you can read about here:
http://www.everything-teeth.com/electric-toothbrush-ratings.html
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History of Toothbrush and
Toothpaste