The Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Can anyone think of two things that they cannot live without? Inventions surround us in our everyday life. Everything we do involves some sort of invention that would really be life altering if we didn’t have it in our daily routine. Two things that would be hard to live without out to me would be a toothbrush and toothpaste. The first record of the toothbrush was back in 3000 B.C. The concept of the bristle toothbrush came later on in the 5th century in 1498. The Chinese made this out of boar or horse for the bristles and cattle bone or bamboo for the handle. This toothbrush didn’t catch on too quickly because the bristles were to coarse for people. It wasn’t until 1780 when a man named William Addis an Englishman, caught on to the idea and mass produced the toothbrush. The toothbrush was to expensive, so it was common for families to share a toothbrush. The concept of using boar or horse hair were replaced by more synthetic fibers, such as nylon. It wasn’t until WW2 that americans began to take oral care seriously.

In 1954, Philippe-G Woog invented the electric toothbrush. Consumers did not take to the electric toothbrush very well until General Electric introduced a cordless rechargeable model in 1961. Perhaps maybe they didn’t feel comfortable using a toothbrush attached to an electrical outlet. Toothpaste on the other hand started around 5000 B.C. before toothbrushes were invented. The Egyptians are believed to have started using a paste. People in China and India first used toothpaste around 500 B.C. The ingredients of ancient toothpastes were very different from today. The Greeks and Romans ingredients included crushed bones and oyster shells. The Romans added more flavoring to help with bad breath, as well as powdered charcoal and bark.

The Chinese used substances like ginseng, herbal mints and salt. The development of toothpaste in more modern times started in the 1800s. In the 1860s, homemade toothpaste used ground charcoal. Prior to the 1850s, toothpastes were usually powders. During the 1850s, new toothpaste in a jar called Crème Dentifrice was developed and in 1873 colgate started the mass production in jars. In the 1890s, they introduced the toothpaste in a tube. Fluoride toothpaste was introduced in 1914. So the next time you brush your teeth, just thank that we’ve come along way since the very first toothbrush and toothpaste. Thank the inventors who kept using newer and better materials to put in your toothpaste and toothbrush, so that you can keep your teeth shiny and healthy.