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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of the oldest still used by man, only truly outdated by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.
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