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A Brief Look At The History Of Toothbrushes And Toothpastes
History of toothbrushes
The history of toothbrush dates back to the times of Babylonians and Egyptians when they used the frayed end of twigs to clean their teeth. Several tooth sticks were found alongside their owners from the tombs of the ancient Egyptians. More than 3000 years ago, the Chinese developed chewing sticks made of tree #twigs. They used these twigs to freshen up their breaths.
The first #toothbrush of modern design was invented in England by William Addis in around 1780. The curved handle of the brush was made of cattle bone, while bristles were made using animal hair. The first three-row bristle toothbrush was designed in 1844.
People continued using natural-bristled toothbrushes for many years until Du Pont invented nylon. The invention of nylon resulted in the development of nylon-bristled toothbrushes in 1938. Toothbrushes having softer nylon bristles were developed in 1950. The first electric toothbrush was developed in 1939. In the US, the first electric toothbrush, #Broxodent, was developed in 1960.
Modern toothbrushes, both manual and electric, come in different shapes and sizes. Most of them have plastic molded handles and nylon bristles. The different styles of handles make it easy for the users to hold toothbrushes for easy brushing. Toothbrush bristles range from hard to soft. Toothbrush heads also vary in size to facilitate people of different ages with different preferences.
The basics of toothbrushes have not changed since the times of Egyptians until now. For instance, the handle grip and formation of bristles are the necessary factors that make a toothbrush effective. Modern-day toothbrushes focus more on ergonomics because the better you can hold your toothbrush, the more effectively you will be able to brush your teeth.
History of toothpaste
The history of #toothpaste is as old as that of toothbrushes. According to some evidence, Egyptians were the first to develop paste to clean their teeth thousands of years ago. Ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Indians are also known to have used toothpaste.
Ancient toothpaste used to have aimed at fulfilling the basic requirements, such as cleaning and whitening the teeth and freshening breath. These are the same properties as those in modern-day toothpaste. Ancient toothpaste, however, used entirely different ingredients. People used to combine ox hooves’ ashes and eggshells to make teeth cleaning powder. Greeks and Romans made more abrasive solutions by using crushed bones and oyster shells. Romans used to add charcoal and bark to add a little flavor to the powder to combat bad breath. Chinese used various ingredients, including ginseng, salt, and herbal mint.
The more modern toothpaste was first developed in the 1800s. Early versions of those toothpaste included chalk and soap. In England, betel nuts were added to the solution in the 1850s.
Before the 1850s, toothpaste was usually available in powdered form. In 1973, Colgate started producing toothpaste in the form of a paste and started selling it in jars. It was Colgate again that introduced toothpaste enclosed in tubes in the 1890s.
In 1945, soap in toothpaste was replaced by other ingredients, including sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a common ingredient in modern-day toothpaste.
A Brief Look At The History Of Toothbrushes And Toothpastes
History of toothbrushes
The history of toothbrush dates back to the times of Babylonians and Egyptians when they used the frayed end of twigs to clean their teeth. Several tooth sticks were found alongside their owners from the tombs of the ancient Egyptians. More than 3000 years ago, the Chinese developed chewing sticks made of tree #twigs. They used these twigs to freshen up their breaths.
The first #toothbrush of modern design was invented in England by William Addis in around 1780. The curved handle of the brush was made of cattle bone, while bristles were made using animal hair. The first three-row bristle toothbrush was designed in 1844.
People continued using natural-bristled toothbrushes for many years until Du Pont invented nylon. The invention of nylon resulted in the development of nylon-bristled toothbrushes in 1938. Toothbrushes having softer nylon bristles were developed in 1950. The first electric toothbrush was developed in 1939. In the US, the first electric toothbrush, #Broxodent, was developed in 1960.
Modern toothbrushes, both manual and electric, come in different shapes and sizes. Most of them have plastic molded handles and nylon bristles. The different styles of handles make it easy for the users to hold toothbrushes for easy brushing. Toothbrush bristles range from hard to soft. Toothbrush heads also vary in size to facilitate people of different ages with different preferences.
The basics of toothbrushes have not changed since the times of Egyptians until now. For instance, the handle grip and formation of bristles are the necessary factors that make a toothbrush effective. Modern-day toothbrushes focus more on ergonomics because the better you can hold your toothbrush, the more effectively you will be able to brush your teeth.
History of toothpaste
The history of #toothpaste is as old as that of toothbrushes. According to some evidence, Egyptians were the first to develop paste to clean their teeth thousands of years ago. Ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Indians are also known to have used toothpaste.
Ancient toothpaste used to have aimed at fulfilling the basic requirements, such as cleaning and whitening the teeth and freshening breath. These are the same properties as those in modern-day toothpaste. Ancient toothpaste, however, used entirely different ingredients. People used to combine ox hooves’ ashes and eggshells to make teeth cleaning powder. Greeks and Romans made more abrasive solutions by using crushed bones and oyster shells. Romans used to add charcoal and bark to add a little flavor to the powder to combat bad breath. Chinese used various ingredients, including ginseng, salt, and herbal mint.
The more modern toothpaste was first developed in the 1800s. Early versions of those toothpaste included chalk and soap. In England, betel nuts were added to the solution in the 1850s.
Before the 1850s, toothpaste was usually available in powdered form. In 1973, Colgate started producing toothpaste in the form of a paste and started selling it in jars. It was Colgate again that introduced toothpaste enclosed in tubes in the 1890s.
In 1945, soap in toothpaste was replaced by other ingredients, including sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a common ingredient in modern-day toothpaste.